Yu Wei: What should I bring to my audience, as they spend money and time to come to see my dance? They are expected to get something that bright their eyes and nutrition to their souls. People who love art because they love life, they knew how important to living with art and the art can change and enrich life. I am a dancer and also an audience. I love to go to the theater to see performances in any kind and to learn from others art. Some times I have the great enjoyment, or good time; but sometimes I could not stop made yawns started at the same time of the performance beginning, I felt regret to come and thought it was wasted my money and time; and some times the performance just like a torture… that made me felt very discomfort and couldn’t tolerate it. People are worked so hard and they come to the theater are hope to see something to lighting them up in hearts, to refresh the beauty feeling of live… That is what I should provide to my audience. I am not dance for self-importance. I am dance for sharing, for giving, for contribute and my audience is the number one of my goal for performance. I do care what they think and feeling, I want my audience have a great time in the theater and loaded with the nutrition of beauty to their life, to have a memory that last for a long…time.
Introduce Yu Wei Praised for being a ‘special artist and a gifted, sensitive dancer’, and ‘a brilliant dance star’; Yu Wei is a prodigiously talented choreographer and dancer from China, whose captivating dance visions have been holding American audience spellbound. Satisfied audiences everywhere have been enthralled by Yu Wei’s dance style, which integrates Chinese traditional, folk, western ballet and modern dance traditions with powerful short films to create a performance of vivid imagery and artistic power. Influenced by the synergy between dance, poetry and music that flourished during the Tang Dynasty, Yu Wei’s dance art is both symbolic and expository in nature. At times the dancer is interacting with forces of nature, or embodying an emotion or natural movement. Yu Wei has won numerous awards and recognition in her native China. Since coming to America in 2000 she has performed in dozens of venues including Manhattan Center in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her interactive educational workshops and residency programs on Chinese cultural and Asian dance aesthetic are available for all ages. “Intervals”, the award winning series, is available on DVD. After viewing her performance at the 2004 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, dance critic Merilyn Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote; “Yu Wei took everyone’s breath away with her dance ‘Lotus – Burst of Pure Dream’, lying on her back with her dead to the audience, she depicted how a lotus unfolds. It was pure beauty”. As a little girl Yu Wei was selected by the Wuhan Song and Dance Theater Academy to study a broad curriculum of dance based on Chinese classical, traditional, folk dance and ballet. After graduating, she joined the Wuhan Company and soon became its principal dancer. After relocating to Beijing, Yu Wei began her long collaboration with nationally renowned dance master Zhang Ke. She was the lead dancer of the National Ballet’s “Lijing River Sentiment” and “Yao Shan Flame”. Her dance Collection has been performed in all of China’s major cities and broadcast on National Century Television. Since coming to live America in February 2000. The Yu Wei Chinese Dance Collection has been selected for the rosters of Philadelphia’s Musicopia and the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT). She has received grant support and recognition from Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Leeway Foundation, ad the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Anette John-Hall has written; “Such a beautiful dancer. There are strains of ballet, folk and modern dance throughout her program-she is adept at them all. With her disproportionately long hands that flutter like a bird, Yu Wei’s dancing is all fluidity and grace.” In a special message to her audience Yu Wei says: “ As a professional dancer and choreographer, I have been studying and performing dance since childhood. I grew up and studied dance in China, and was fortunate enough to study with the most esteemed masters and collaborate in the development of the art of the solo dance-both as a uniquely expressive modern form and as a revival of classical solo forms prevalent in the Han and Tang dynasties of more than a thousand years ago. My life in dance has transported me into a special world in which I’ve been privileged to follow the path that leads me closer to my goal of expression the beauty I life in the form of dance. I want share my knowledge and experience of dance with other people, and bring the differences and richness of Chinese dance art to the western world.”
An Exploration of Chinese culture through dance and Film Yu Wei Dance Collection combines dance with cinematic vignettes depicting the stories of the dances and Yu Wei’s life as one of Chinese’s premiere dancers. After a renowned career as a principal dancer and quest artist with the top companies in China, Yu Wei collaborated with the famous master Zhang Ke in Beijing to develop her own collection of dance and breath-taking costumes based on Chinese culture and history. The short films, by the award-winning trio of filmmakers Jared Martin, Geoffrey Richman and Jeremiah Zagar, depict the cultural and artistic background of Yu Wei’s dances while revealing glimpses of daily existence in China and America. Yu Wei has created a unique and dynamic audience experience filled with artistic power.
Yu Wei: Only in three days after my performance I received the survey from the presenter of the GLAF I was so grateful and proud for have this wonderful responses from my audience My audience is the mirror of my dance, no thing made me more content than my audience’s satisfaction:
A Survey from audiences for Yu Wei's performance at Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, McHenry MD 4/24/2010 * YU WEI WAS JUST AWESOME!!!! VERY INFORMATIVE ABOUT EACH DANCE AND THE INFO ON HER LIFE. IT WAS TRULEY A VERY REMARKABLE EVENING. YU WEI'S 'VISIT' AFTER THE SHOW WAS MOST ENJOYABLE :) * I BROUGHT MY MOM FROM THE NURSING HOME AND SHE JUST LOVED IT !! * The performance was wonderful! Thanks for making the decision to bring Yu Wei to town. * I throughly enjoyed the performance. Yu Wei was a delightful performer and the film on China was very informative. It was a delightful evening. * This was an outstanding program. It seemed to have been marketed well. The reception following was a great idea. I also enjoyed the question and answer period. * This was a wonderful performance that I throughly enjoyed, and everyone surround me seemed to be equally pleased. Having this exquisite performer in a venue that made every seat a good seat... * I loved it...so unique and entertaining...nicely done. * The perfornce was amazing and Yu Wei was delightful. Her interaction with the audience was fresh and fun. I watched a cross section of attendees and all ages particitated. the program was informative and beautiful. * AMAZING...SPELLBINDING...FILM AND DANCE WERE WONDERFUL! * One of the most impressive and captivating performances GLAF has offered. * This was a superb performance ! * We thought it was a spectacular form of culteral information as well as being able to experience her fluid motion. Thanks for booking it. WOW !! * I did not attend, but my 8-year-old daughter saw a performance on Frinday as a school fieldtrip. She absolutely loved it. * Yu Wei's performance was absolutely beautiful, every minute of it. We really enjoyed the Q & A and the reception following. ............................. Responses from those who DID attend You could download the whole Survey by click the link above 3 pages total
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