Steps in many directions
Outspokenness is typical of Jin Xing, who says: “I am born for the stage. And it’s impossible to have another person like me, who is good at dancing, acting and hosting TV shows.”
Jin, 51, is one of the best known modern dance choreographers of the country. And she has also expanded her career into acting in plays, starring in TV dramas, movies, as well as hosting talk shows on TV and on the internet.
Her life story spans being a transgender performer, a businesswoman and a mother of three children.
After wrapping up her performance as the lead in a play,
The Father, along with Chinese actor Zhao Lixin, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts over July 6-8, she introduces two contemporary dance shows by her company, Jin Xing Dance Theater, which will be staged at the venue: Trinity on July 17 and 18; and
Wild Flowers on July 20 and 21.
“For a private contemporary dance company, it’s not easy to survive, let alone perform at such a famous venue like the NCPA.
“I am so proud,” says Jin, who founded her dance company in 1999, and it is now based in Shanghai.
The 90-minute dance piece
Trinity comprises three dance pieces choreographed by three international choreographers. The pieces premiered in Shanghai in 2013.
American dancer-choreographer Michael Schumacher created the dance piece, Application I, referring to application program, which was inspired by his observation of the Chinese dependence on smartphones after he lived in Shanghai for a few months.
Echo, created by South African artist Moya Michael, who is a founding member of Akram Khan’s company, focuses on women. Seven female dancers from Jin’s company premiered the dance piece in Shanghai.
The third piece is the Dutch choreographer Arthur Kuggeleyn’s work, Cage Birds.
In 2006, Jin took her dance company to tour Switzerland where she met Kuggeleyn and watched his works. Later Jin invited Kuggeleyn to train her dancers in Shanghai.
Five years ago, Kuggeleyn choreographed Cage Birds for Jin’s dance company and the 30-minute work has been touring in China since then.
Kuggeleyn’s new work, entitled Wild Flowers, will also be staged at NCPA by Jin’s dance company. The 70-minute piece, like Cage Birds, explores the struggles of those who live in the urban areas.
In March, Wild Flowers premiered in Wuxi, Jiangsu province.
Speaking about the show, Kuggeleyn says: “I travel a lot and have seen cities make fast changes. There are buildings everywhere. So, It’s always exciting to see wild flowers growing through concrete, because they are so vital and powerful.
“Human beings live in invisible cages. But we still try to find a place to dream, to breathe, and to find a way out, despite of all kinds of restrictions and limits.”
He says that his choreography requires intense moves, which are physically challenging for the dancers. He also says that unlike dancers in Europe, Chinese dancers tend to hold their emotions back and one of his aims during rehearsals is to encourage them to speak out with their moves.
“For theater actors, it’s easy to say I love you onstage. But for a dancer, it’s very hard to deliver the same message with their bodies,” says Kuggeleyn, who used to be a theater actor and director.
Commenting on the work, Jin says: “I am touched by his idea and his observation on people, in their daily lives.
“He started choreographing for contemporary dance about three decades ago. And his experience with theater makes his choreography unique.”
Asked why she didn’t choreograph herself, Jin says: “I am not a managing director of a processing factory. I have no production quota. I am the artistic director of my dance company so my job is to make sure of the direction of the company’s development and guarantee the quality of the dance.
“When I have no desire to choreograph, I just let other great artists do the job. I have other work to do, such as being a translator and designing costumes for the dancers.”
Jin, who was born into an ethnic Korean family in Shenyang, Liaoning province, got interested in dance at 9, and joined the military song and dance troupe of Shenyang in 1978.
She won a national dance competition as a teenager and in 1988, she was sent to New York to further her studies in modern dance. One of her choreographic works, titled Half
Dream, won the Best Choreography Award at the American Dance Festival.
She later moved to Europe, dancing and teaching from 1991 to 1993, before she returned to China at the age of 26.
Speaking about how her life influences her work, she says: “My experience of working in the US and in Europe allows me to have an open vision, and I know what the limits of Chinese dancers are. So I invite internationally-celebrated choreographers to train my dancers and create dance works for Chinese audiences.
“Modern dance is an art form which you watch and think about. It’s not a showcase, impressing you with a dazzling move or special effects.”
“Dance found me first. And I am still practicing every day. I am ready to dance. And if I can’t dance, I still have the stage for acting and hosting talk shows. I enjoy every minute of being onstage,” she says.