Jin Xing Dance Theatre

J i n Xi n g Dance Theatre

Conte mpo rary, mo de rn dance from Shanghai

T H U R S daY, FEB 23 | 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Dave and Gunda Hiebert You are invited to join us after the performance for a meet and greet with the artists.

During the artists’ residency, Jin Xing and members of the company participated in free engagement activities including showings of the documentary film, Colonel Jin Xing in Lawrence and Kansas City; and educational classes with university students and community groups.

Prior to the performance, community members enjoyed a free Pre-Performance Discussion on contemporary Chinese art.

This event is sponsored, in part, by the Lied Performance Fund.

Jin Xing

Danc e The atre Contemporary, modern dance from Shanghai Opening Music: The Host of Seraphim Performed by: Dead Can Dance Steps Music: Steppe Composer: René Aubry Dance 02 Music: Darpa Composer: Wim Mertens Red Wine Music: Le Festin De L’Ogresse Composer: René Aubry Four Happiness Music: Rencontres Composer: René Aubry Shanghai Tango Music: Tres Piezas Para Orquestra De Camara Preludio Divertimento Fuga Composer: Astor Piazzolla Half Dream Music: The Butterfly Lovers Composer: Chen Gang Performed by: He Zhanhao Island Music: Les Voyageurs Composer: René Aubry Black and Red Music: Drummers Composer: J. Charls Monologue Music: Theme from “Schindler’s List” Composer: John Williams Sense of Colors Music: An der Schoenen Blauen Donau Composer: Johann Strauss II There will be one 20-minute intermission.

Jin Xing Dance Theatre

E n se m b l e Me m b e r s a n d Su ppo rt Pe r so n n e l Jin Xing .....................................................................................................................Dancer, Choreographer Dai Shaoting.............................................................................................................................................Dancer Deng Mengna..........................................................................................................................................Dancer Ding Yi.......................................................................................................................................................Dancer Han Bin......................................................................................................................................................Dancer Li Meilin......................................................................................................................................................Dancer Liu Minzi.....................................................................................................................................................Dancer Liu Xianyi...................................................................................................................................................Dancer Lu Ge..........................................................................................................................................................Dancer Pang Kun...................................................................................................................................................Dancer Sun Zhuzhen............................................................................................................................................Dancer Wang Tao............................................................................................................Dancer, Rehearsal Director Zhou Yun...................................................................................................................................................Dancer Zhu Kaixuan..............................................................................................................................................Dancer Oidtmann Heinz-Gerd.......................................................................................................General Manager Li Xiaomin...........................................................................................................................................Film Maker Shen Meiwen............................................................................................................................Make Up Artist Wang Peng.................................................................................................................................Light Engineer Zhang Ziqian...........................................................................................................................Sound Engineer

lied.ku.edu | LIVE PERFORMING ARTS

Pe r fo r m a nce N ot es

Shanghai Tango is an overview of Jin Xing’s artistic work from the last 25 years and presents a mix of East and West in dance. This is also reflected in the choice of music and costumes. Like the tango, Jin Xing’s choreography has grace, subtlety and visual appeal. The production embraces 10 choreographic works, including Halfdream, for which Jin Xing received the best choreographer award at the American Dance Festival in 1991, and Black and Red, winner of the 1998 China Cultural Ministry Award for Modern Art. The production’s title is taken from a piece by Jin Xing that was inspired by a Chinese folk tale about a mother divided between her husband and her lover. The dance is not actually a tango, although the music by Astor Piazzolla provides a distinct tango influence. Shanghai Tango offers a glimpse of contemporary Shanghai, a mix of passions and cultures between the past and the future.

East and West blend in the final scene when the girls, in ample costumes with long, full skirts, spin to the accompaniment of a Strauss waltz while the boys, in white uniforms similar to those of the Red Guards from China’s Cultural Revolution, move around the stage on bicycles.

Jin Xing Dance Theatre

B i og r a ph y: J i n X i n g Jin Xing started her remarkable life journey in 1967, when China was caught in the throes of the Cultural Revolution. Born a male to parents of Korean descent, Jin Xing joined the People’s Liberation Army at age nine and enrolled in the famous military dance ensemble in Shenyang.

There she received training from China’s leading ballet teachers, and at age nineteen, Jin Xing traveled to New York to study under dance luminaries Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Jose Limon.

After performing and teaching in the United States and throughout Europe, Jin Xing returned to China in 1993 and elected to have sexual reassignment surgery, the first such operation to be officially approved by Chinese authorities. In spite of the Chinese government’s initial reluctance to acknowledge Jin Xing after her surgery, it now considers her a “cultural leader.”

Her story has garnered extraordinary interest both within China and abroad. A documentary on Jin Xing’s life, Colonel Jin Xing, was released by French filmmakers in 2001. Jin Xing published a memoir in 2007 describing her time in the People’s Liberation Army, her sexual transition and her career as a dancer. As articulated in a recent Newsweek article, “hers is not simply a tale of individual struggle and perseverance, but also a story of how Chinese society – while still constrained politically – has liberalized further in terms of art and culture than many in the West might expect.”

Throughout her career, Jin Xing has received international acclaim and awards, including the Best Dancer of China award at age 17, the prestigious “Wenhua Prize” of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the “Best Choreographer Award” at the American Dance Festival in 1991. Jin Xing has also been named an honorary member of the European League of Institute of the Arts and received an honorary doctorate degree from Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom.

Founded in 1999 as China’s first independent modern dance company, Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai has come to embody and expand on its leader’s artistic vision. The company has sustained international recognition for outstanding artistry with performances throughout the world, including appearances at festivals such as the Adelaide Festival in Australia, La Biennale di Venezia in Italy, Dance Umbrella London in the UK, Impulstanz Vienna in Austria and Steps in Switzerland.

Prog r a m Cr e d i ts The 2012 national tour of the Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai is part of a major, multi-year cultural exchange with Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the US Major University Presenter’s consortium. Support for the tour has been provided by the Ministry of Culture, People’s Republic of China.

The presentation of Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Tour Management Provided By: IMG Artists Carnegie Hall Tower 152 West 57th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-994-3500, Fax: 212-994-3550, www.imgartists.com

lied.ku.edu | LIVE PERFORMING ARTS

A salute to our VIP Sponsors We proudly recognize our Very Important Partners. Not only do our VIP Sponsors offer essential financial contributions, they also provide valuable and enthusiastic promotion of Lied Center performances to their customers, employees and the community. Their commitment to the performing arts allows us to provide education activities, free school performances and high-quality events each year. We honor our VIP Sponsors throughout the season on our electronic sign and with onstage recognition at their selected performances.

We hope you will also thank them when you visit their businesses. For more information regarding our sponsorship program, contact the Lied Center Director of Development Megan Poindexter, at 785-864-2788.

Elvis Lives

Open House and Community Arts Festival

An Evening with David Sedaris

Mamma Mia!

The National Acrobats of China FARFALLE (Butterflies) Suzanne Farrell Ballet The Intergalactic Nemesis & Chiara String Quartet forté Herbie Hancock

The Celtic Tenors

forté

AnDa Union & The Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra & Jing Xing Dance Theatre

South Pacific forté

A saluteMedia to our Sponsors

Media sponsors provide important underwriting for Lied Center performances.

Their contributions give invaluable support for advertising, promotions and marketing.

For information on becoming a media sponsor, please call 785-864-3469.

Mnozil Brass

An Evening with David Sedaris

A SALUTE TO OUR VIP SPONSORS

The Intergalactic Nemesis

LIV E

PERFORMING ARTS UPcoming Performances

SFJAZZ Collective

Modern jazz masters celebrate Stevie Wonder Wednesday, March 14 7:30 p.m.

Mnozil Brass

Tuba, trombones and trumpets from Austria Saturday, March 31 7:30 p.m.

FARFALLE (Butterflies) Interactive theatre for children and adults April 10-14

Would you like to receive performance information, special offers and Lied Center news?

Join the Lied Center’s email list!

Simply text the word “LIED” to 22828 to get started.

Just have your email address ready. It’s that easy!

(Your mobile phone service provider’s message and data rates may apply.)

ORDER TODAY 785-864-2787 lied.ku.edu lied.ku.edu | LIVE PERFORMING ARTS

2011-12 Friends of the Lied Update

This list includes individuals and businesses that have initiated or renewed their Friends of the Lied membership since the original list was published.

Business Friends Fellow ($2,500+) Patron ($500+) Bigg’s Barbecue The Janssen Clinic of Natural Medicine

INDIVIDUAL Friends Benefactor ($1,000+) Venkata & Neeli Bendapudi Steve & Maggie Dixon Don & Carol Hatton Laurie Comstock & Greg Ludvigson Jeannot & Todd Seymour

The Lied Center is grateful for gifts of all sizes.

We apologize for any errors or omissions.

Contributor ($100+) Anonymous Michael E. Arp Mara & Jim Aubel Michele Berendsen Jack Hofman & Jeannette Blackmar John & Eliza Bullock George & Gloria Byers Francis E. Carr Capitol Federal Leadership Forum in honor of Barbara Carswell Janice & Robert Cobb

Sponsor ($250+) Friend ($100+) Orchards Drug Certified Transmission in honor of Joan Dietz Piersol Foundation, Inc.

Patron ($500+) Karen & Dennis Christilles Tyrone Duncan & Bozenna Pasik-Duncan Dr. Mark & Gretchen Edwards John W. & Ferry Evans Larry & Teri Hatfield Carol & Dave Kyner Shade Little Tony & Pete Mynsted Ron & Elaine Schmidt Tod & Sidney Sutton Jan & Dale Willey Francis and LaVerne Winterburg Fund

Richard & Betty Colbert Jim & Sandy Cooper Cheryl Denton Dr. David & Julie Dunlap Robert Friauf Suzanne & Verlin Gilbert Cap & Kitty Gray Ted & Nancy Haggart Greg Smith & Rebecca Henkhaus Dan V. & Jeannette A. Johnson Se Hyun Kim William Sharp & Sonya Lancaster

Sponsor ($250+) Anonymous Greg Ash & Amy Buchele-Ash Dudley & Janet Crow Chris & Stephen Edmonds Helen Gilles, M.D. Lewis & Laura Gregory Gail & Peter Hansen Kent & Brenda Hatesohl David & Diana Ice Michael Michaud Lucy Price Ann Stephens Laura & Don Stull

Tina Neal Adam Pousson Dr. Allan & Margi Ross Sabatini Family Foundation Sharon Graham & Anthea Scouffas Charles Silvestri Mike & Georgia Sizemore Lori Norwood & Doug Stull Forrest & Donna Swall Olive J. Ubel Dorothy & Mark Vissman Sarah Trulove & James Woelfel

Friends ($50+) Eva S. Alley Cara Nossaman Anderson Gail S. Ayers P.H.D. Trisha & Todd Brabender John & Dianne Childs Jack Winerock & Susan Elkins Dale & Kirsten Flory Karen Hall Mary & Steve Jones Bruce Levine Earl & Dee Anne Waters

You can support the Lied, too!

For more information or to join Friends of the Lied, contact the Lied Center Director of Development Megan Poindexter, at 785-864-2788 or meganp@ku.edu or go to lied.ku.edu/donate.

2011-12 Friends of the Lied Update Jin Xing Dance Theatre