About Numerical Series 13&14

The year 2022 marked the 14th year since Tao Dance Theatre's founding; it was also a year in which the company disbanded and relaunched. Now performing its first work since relaunching, the company presents their two latest sequential dance works, numbered 13 and 14, which will be performed together on the same stage. Conceptually, the two works demonstrate the company's further investigation into a new language for the body. Symbolically, there is also a particular beauty in the combination of these two numbers—in Chinese, the pronunciation of these two numbers sounds like that of an idiom which expresses the wish that something will last a lifetime, and indeed, these two works imply a lifetime's ceaseless exploration into the language of the body.

—Tao Ye

13 is the twelfth installment of choreographer Tao Ye's "Numerical Series". This piece enters into conversation with the number 13 using the concept of a Trinity, the whole creation being composed based on the interaction and connection of solo, duet, and group dancing. The dancers are joined into a single whole, then gradually abandon it, each moving into their own different forms. In the continuous changes of the dance sequence, the movement opens up a complex physical world.

14, the thirteenth work of Tao Ye's "Numerical Series", takes as its subject the exploration of rhythm and change. How can a body's newest contexts be challenged? In this newest work, Tao Ye breaks with his previous creative method's focus on repetition and cycles; instead, he explores the possibilities of space-time, using the ever-changing textures between movement and stillness. As points, lines, and planes are cut and folded in space, the body's center of gravity loses its balance, returning the work to the pure movement of the body. In a changing and unchanged rhythm, all possibilities will unfold.

Credits

Artistic Directors: Tao Ye, Duan Ni

Choreographer/Director: Tao Ye

Cast: Huang Qiqi, Yan Yulin, Xu Fujin, Tong Yusheng, Li Siyu, Liu Yiren, Sun Leirui, Wu Zhenkai, Li Jiayu, Cheng Leting, Wan Lu, Lu Wenchao, Liu Liyuan, Zhang Zhuoyao

Composer: Xiao He

Sound Concept: Tao Ye

Lighting Designers: Tao Ye, Ma Yue

Lighting Operator: Luo Qier

Costume Designer: Duan Ni

Costume Maker: DNTY

Company Manager: Wang Hao

Rehearsal Director: Huang Qiqi

Visual Director: Fan Xi

Project Director: Jun Jun

Administrative Director: Tai Yuanxu

Executive Director of DNTY: Ning He

About Tao Ye

Tao Ye is the founder, Artistic Director and choreographer of TAO Dance Theater, founder and designer of the art extension brand DNTY.

Born in Chongqing, Tao Ye is a graduate of the Chongqing Dance School in China. After dancing with the Shanghai Army Song & Dance Ensemble, he joined Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theater, and later moved to Beijing to join the Beijing Modern Dance Company (BMDC). At the age of 23, Tao Ye founded TAO Dance Theater. His main works include: "Numerical Series"—Weight x 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15; "Non-numerical Series"—Contrast; "Arts Live" Series-12 Hours and Infinite Walking. He was named one of Sadler's Wells Theatre's 2011-2013 "New Wave Associates". Tao Ye was also invited to collaborate with the Y-3 Brand by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto at the Paris Fashion Week, commissioned to create new works with Cloud Gate Theatre and NDT 1 as a guest choreographer, and starred in the Cui Jian-directed film, Blue Sky Bones. He has been invited to participate in many cross-disciplinary collaborations, working in film, theatre, fashion design, video, photography, and more.In 2023, Tao Ye, Duan Ni and TAO Dance Theater were awarded the Silver Lion for Dance at La Biennale di Venezia.

About TAO Dance Theater

TAO Dance Theater is a full-time contemporary dance company founded in 2008 by Tao Ye, Duan Ni, and Wang Hao. It is the first contemporary dance company in China to be invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Art Festival in the United States, the Edinburgh International Art Festival in the United Kingdom, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and Théâtre de la Ville in France. They have also been invited to perform at the American Dance Festival (ADF), where they additionally served as resident artists. The Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, UK, has commissioned five works by the company and invited them to perform in London six times.

The works of the Numerical Series, created by the company with a simple creative concept and straightforward physicality, have toured over 100 different festivals in more than 40 countries across five continents. The company has become one of the most sought-after Chinese modern dance companies on the international stage, attracting extensive attention from people of all walks of life.

Time Out New York named the company's performance one of the "10 Best Dance Shows of 2014", making them the only Asian company on the list. In 2023, TAO Dance Theater was awarded the Silver Lion for Dance at La Biennale di Venezia.