Conversation with Shen Wei: A Tapestry of Movement and Poetry

Join us at the China Institute for an exclusive conversation with Shen Wei, the internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and artist, whose work transcends the boundaries of form and style. As part of a special engagement surrounding his performances at Lincoln Center from March 15 to 17, titled "Dongpo: Life in Poems”. Shen Wei, renowned for his innovative fusion of dance, visual art, and Chinese opera, has captivated audiences around the globe with his deeply moving and visually striking performances. This event offers a rare opportunity to explore the journey, philosophy, and creative genius of one of the most visionary artists of our time.

Speakers:

SHEN WEI Dancer, choreographer, director, and painter

Hailed as “one of the most expansive, creative minds in the arts” (The New York Sun). Born in China’s Hunan province was trained in Chinese opera, painting, and modern dance. Founding member of the first modern dance company in China-The Guangdong Modern Dance Company 1992. He receipt of a fellowship from Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab moved to New York City in 1995. In July 2000, he founded Shen Wei Dance Arts at American Dance Festival(ADF), his company based in NYC and toured in over 30 countries in 140 cities. He formed his own dance technique “Natural Body Development,” and it has been taught in universities, dance festivals. He received commissions from ADF, the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center Festival, BAM Next Wave, the Met Museum, Park Avenue Armory, and Het Muziektheater, Edinburgh International Festival. Hong Kong’s New Vision Arts Festival, Shanghai International Arts Festival, Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, The lead choreographer for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shen Wei has also created dances for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, and he choreographed, directed, and designed Carmina Burana for the chorus, orchestra, and ballet of Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. His 2023 major new operatic dance work Dongpo: Life in Poems is touring internationally 2024-2025. As a painter, Shen Wei has had solo exhibitions in leading galleries and museums: Chambers Fine Art Gallery (New York), Crow Collection of Asian Art (Dallas), Hong Kong Cultural Center, and Tucson Museum of Art. MDC Museum of Art + Design in Miami, Asian Society Hong Kong Center, and the Contemporary Museum of Art Shanghai. Recently his large solo exhibition SHEN WEI: Painting In Motion included his painting, film, and dance on video exhibit at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Boston. He received award including: MacArthur Award, US Artists Fellow Award, John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Nijinsky Emerging Choreographer Award, Les Étoiles de Ballet, the Algur H. Meadows Prize, the Asian Cultural Council’s John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award, the International Society for The Performing Arts’s Distinguished Artist Award 2022, and the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Choreography 2022.

Moderator

Susan Yuqing Feng Director of Programs at China Institute

Susan Yuqing Feng is Director of Programs at China Institute. Before joining CI, Susan was the Editor in Chief of Bitpush News, a leading block chain media based in New York and a columnist for the Financial Times Chinese Edition. Throughout her journalism career, Susan conducted interviews with a multitude of world economic and political leaders, including Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Paul Volker, President Clinton, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Michael Bloomberg, Thomas Friedman, Nail Ferguson and many more. Susan has also directed the documentary series “World Movers” https://m.yicai.com/news/5410567.html which was released in March 2018. It illustrated the emerging new world order 70 years after WWII, shedding light on what has changed the U.S. and the world and the forces affecting everyone. It focused on the relationships between technology and globalization, the impact on immigration, and the future of U.S.-China relations.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

China Institute in America, 40 Rector Street, New York, United States