Dance Review by Sarah Osterman Myers

Posted on Chicago Stage and Screen

Wild Grass—Beijing Dance Theater

“A wisp of black smoke issues from me, rising and twirling like a snake. The ice valley is suddenly surrounded by flowing flames, me in the middle. I look down and see Dead Fire burning, consuming my clothes. I melt and drip onto the icy ground.”-- Lu Xun

Beijing Dance Theater gusted into the Harris Theater for Music and Dance on Tuesday night with their masterfully fluid movement and vivid interpretation of Chinese poet and literary figure Lu Xun’s writing. Separated into three short pieces, Wild Grass’s Chicago debut conjured an ether of ghostly disquiet eerily in line with Xun’s world of “deadened fire and icy ground.”  

Founder and artistic director Wang Yuanyuan is best known for her work during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games but has also become recognizable within modern dance for her ability to push Chinese tradition into innovative territory.

In Wild Grass, her unique approach to contemporary ballet is evident, but the evening itself felt a bit sleepy, especially sections one and three during which the pace is slow and dancers maintain an unexcitable energy. At first it seemed their U.S. tour had taken a toll, but after reading excerpts of Xun’s symbolic prose poems, which are darkly imagined and exploratory of decay, it became clear the “sleepiness” was really Yuanyuan’s take on life’s deterioration.

That lingering sound when a piano key is released and its string continues to vibrate— that sound combined with smoke, feathers and tenuous movement is exactly why section one, or Dead Fire, feels so unsettling. The ensemble drifts, sprinkling white feathers on the stage, as He Peixun’s piano solo, composed by Su Cong, fills the space. While rooted in ballet, the movement veers toward the abstract, allowing for both beautiful extensions but also the withering of strong shapes. Overall, moments of deeply-felt unison, tranquility and stillness make it the perfect opener for the show. 

Farewell, Shadows travels out of that earthy ambience into a more stylized realm of upper-body isolations and confident struts. The stage is stripped bare— the sole feature an overhead lighting grid lowered halfway— and the female dancers change from flowing garments into black, body-clinging bra tops and shorts. Electronica from the Norwegian group Biosphere and noise-rock from French musician Kangding Ray swallow up any residual softness from section one, transforming the stage into a pulsating extravaganza of thrashing limbs.

Dance of Extremity feels like a continuation of section one. An elaborate carpet piece spans the entirety of the stage, covering the floor in what looks like a field of “wild grass.” In the upstage, left corner, a singular rope dangles from ceiling to floor where the grass forms a small mound. There is always someone atop the mound, watching from above. The dancers are continually drawn into the ground, falling with a type of post-war devastation to the yearning sounds of violin and cello.

While somewhat anticlimactic, the show’s examination of growth decay is something to respect and consider, and the collaboration of music, lights and set design is most certainly a work of art. Don’t miss Beijing Dance Theater’s final performance on Wednesday, October 29th at 7:30pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph Drive. Tickets start at $10. For more information, visit harristheaterchicago.org.

Tags: Beijing Dance Theater, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Wang Yuanyuan, Han Jiang, Gao Jing, Wu Yan, Song Di, Liu Hengzhi, Zhong Jiani, The Dance Center, Sarah Osterman Myers