Dance is it’s own unique language; it’s own form of expression and communication.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines dance this way: “to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps”, but that definition may be a bit incomplete. Yes, as artists we may be creating a series of shapes and movements with our bodies, but to really define dance, you would have to go far beyond what’s in the dictionary. Dance is it’s own unique language; it’s own form of expression and communication.
Born and raised in China, Wen Wei Wang knows first hand how dance is a communicative language. In 1991, he came to Canada and since then he has established himself as both an admired artist and renowned choreographer. He’s choreographed for multiple companies, including Alberta Ballet, Ballet BC, Ballet Jorgen, North West Dance Projects, the Vancouver and San Francisco Operas, and Ballet Jazz de Montreal. He has also received numerous awards for his work, including the 2006 Isadora Award for Excellence in Choreography, the 2009 Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, the 2013 Chrystal Dance Prize, and a 2013 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award.
Inspired by his personal experience as a non-English speaking immigrant to Canada, Dialogue researches the quest to be understood and the challenges faced when trying to communicate with others. All of us at DancerMusic of course wanted to learn more, and I had the privilege of speaking with Wen Wei Wang about his choreographic process. Here’s what he told us:
We are all living in the same place, and we all have our own stories; this is not just my story, it is universal.
Melissa Panetta: Dialogue explores themes of contact, communication, and language through both movement and text. Can you explain your desire to explore such themes, and any personal life experiences that inspired you during the creative process?
Wen Wei Wang: I came to Canada in 1991, and I didn’t know English that well, but I was lucky to be able to find a job as a professional dancer because of my knowledge of movement. I don’t like to speak much, and that’s why I love dance. Through dance movement, I’m able to communicate with my mind, my emotions, and my energy.
You can communicate simply with the gestures of physical language, and with the way the body looks and moves. In Dialogue I have five performers, who bring together many nationalities, mother tongues and sexual orientations. We are all living in the same place, and we all have our own stories; this is not just my story, it is universal. We are still dealing with immigration and homosexual rights, and you can see in some countries the problems they have with the acceptance of others. It often doesn’t matter how long you have lived in a country, sometimes you feel like an outsider just because you look different.
What I’m celebrating is individuality and cultural differences. Whether you speak one language or another, whether you are straight, gay or bisexual, white or racialized, we all have our problems. We need to learn how to accept and love these differences.
Melissa Panetta: Your piece also represents a celebration and acceptance of one’s self. How did the individuality of the dancers influence your choreographic choices?
Wen Wei Wang: One of the dancers is Iranian, and he has a childhood story that I based one of the sections on. He has a story from his childhood — he would be called a terrorist, and people would tell him repeatedly “go back to your country”. So I choreographed one of the sections with four other dancers using their voices almost like bullets, and their body movements like guns, as if they are beating him to death. Another of our dancers performs as a Drag Queen in the nightclubs, so in the piece he wears high heels and performs a tango duet.
Another element of this reflection of individuality comes from food — I asked each of the dancers to imitate the movements that their mother would make when she was making food with her hands, and we built solos around this idea.
What I’m celebrating is individuality and cultural differences. Whether you speak one language or another, whether you are straight, gay or bisexual, white or racialized, we all have our problems. We need to learn how to accept and love these differences.
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Wen Wei Dance presents Dialogue on Wednesday, March 27-29 at 8:00pm at La Rotonde (336 du Roi St, Quebec City, QC G1K 2W5, Canada). Tickets are $30.00 for general and $20.00 for students. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster
A discussion with the artists will take place after the March 28th performance.
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