File - Qi Dance Project

Wednesday December 14, 2011 3
CULTURE
 Promoting good health through
the artistry of movement
THE
DANCE
OF
LIFE
Ke Wen (left)
and Marceau
Chenault
performing Qi
Dance
Photo: Courtesy
of Ke Wen
By Hu Bei
A
man and a woman are stood on
stage, looking, for all the world,
like a pair of traditional Chinese
martial art performers. But their
graceful movements are deceptive.
“What we are doing is neither
dance, nor traditional Chinese
martial arts,” said Ke Wen, the
female half of this duo who perform,
what they call, “Qi Dance.”
Health giving
This is a type of health-preserving
exercise which Ke and her partner,
33-year-old French native Marceau
Chenault co-created in Paris two years
ago.
Ke explained that, “unlike traditional
Chinese martial arts, Qi Dance is not
individual training, but emphasizes the
mutual interaction between partners. Unlike ordinary styles of dance, it emphasizes a form of ‘qi,’ or life force, which
achieves a state of balance between the
mind and body.”
Ke and Chenault both have backgrounds in Chinese qigong (a kind of nonviolent martial art) exercises and modern
dance performance. Ke has been living in
Paris since the early 1990s and in 1992
she founded a Chinese cultural center
(Les Temps du Corps) there, which mainly teaches foreigners different traditional
Chinese health-preserving techniques,
including traditional Chinese medicine,
(TCM) qigong and tai chi. Later she went
to Brussels, Belgium where she studied
modern dance for three years.
Chenault has practiced Chinese
qigong for almost 10 years, and has
taught the discipline in Paris since
2003. Before that he was a judo coach
at Orleans University in France. From
there he obtained a PhD degree in sciences and techniques of physical education and sport.
As a dancer, Chenault used to perform
at the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Maurice
Bejart was a Swiss choreographer who
died in 2007. Now, almost every summer,
Chenault leads workshops at festivals
around France where he teaches movement and creativity.
Chenault told the Global Times that
he is fascinated by the human body and
that he started to learn martial arts at the
age of 6. He has always been willing to
explore body language and its relationship
with the outside world, in different ways.
Almost 10 years ago, Chenault started
to learn Chinese qigong in Paris. Jino Wu
Hui is a professional qigong school in the
city, and Chenault found his time there
unlike anything else he had experienced.
“It is the art of slow movements, of taking deep, slow breaths and of imagining
there is a current of qi, slowly coursing
through your body. And after many years,
you can really feel something running
inside your body when you are exercising. It is really magic.”
Chenault said that in qigong, the most
interesting aspect for him is the feeling
of qi. “Qi is a kind of life energy inside
your body, and I know it is also closely
related to Chinese culture. The concept
of qi comes from the ancient Chinese
philosophies, from Taoism, Zhuangzi
and the book Tao Te Ching,” Chenault
said. “And there are lots of special terms
to explain every detailed part of your body
in qigong which makes you more aware of
your body.”
Self-cultivation
However, when Chenault met Ke in
Paris two years ago, both of them realized
that qigong is also about individual selfcultivation, and is something that can be
practiced on your own.
After Chenault realized that Ke had
a similar background in modern dance
they started to combine qigong and
modern dance. “We found that it was
more flexible and that you can have more
interactive movements. Although most of
time, Ke and I still just do qigong by ourselves, we will have movements where we
work together. We believe this makes it
more interesting to the younger generation,” Ke said.
Both Ke and Chenault told the Global
Times that in Paris, Chinese qigong has
been popular since the 1990s, and that it
is practiced by many notable artists and
musicians. “In the arts, qigong can help
develop aesthetic sensitivity. Many of my
students in Pairs are musicians, theater
performers, dancers and other artistic
people. And they believe that practicing
qigong increases confidence, expressiveness and the ability to physically and
emotionally control oneself.”
Last Friday, in Shanghai, the pair
presented a joint lecture before giving a
performance at the Alliance Francaise
de Shanghai in Hongkou district. It was
the first time for them to stage their work
in Shanghai. And they will also give a
performance tonight at Yuyintang (851
Kaixuan Road, 30 yuan).
Ke says they hope to inspire more
Chinese young people to take up the art
of Qi Dance.
What’sOn
Exhibition
Anesthetic
Talented ink painter Ying Yefu is
exhibiting a series of his latest
works entitled Anesthetic. The
paintings deal primarily with the
pressures of the new information
age society on the individual, and
people’s attempts to dull their
existential pain through mindless occupations and pointless
pursuits. Despite this melancholic
sounding concept, there are also
images celebrating the spirit of
optimism in this eclectic mix.
Date: Until January 5, 2012, 11 am
to 7 pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays),
12 am to 6 pm (Sundays)
Venue: Art Labor Gallery
Address: Room 411, Bldg 4, 570
Yongjia Road
永嘉路570号4号楼411室
Admission: Free
Call 3460-5331 for details
On Stage
Date: December 31, 7:30 pm and
10:30 pm
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall
上海音乐厅
Address: 523 Yan’an Road East
延安东路523号
Tickets: 180 to 980 yuan
Call 6217-2426 for details
Date: December 23 to 25, 7:15 pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater
上海大剧院
Address: 300 People’s Avenue
人民大道300号
Tickets: 120 to 680 yuan
Call 6386-2836 for details
Vienna Johann Strauss
Capelle New Year Concert
The Nutcracker (SGT
Production)
Danny Malando & The
Malando Orchestra
Shanghai Concert
Under the baton of Michael
Tomaschek, The Vienna Johann
Strauss Capelle has staged a
remarkable 2,700 performances
around the world since its formation in 1977. The ensemble will
welcome the new year with Shanghai audience.
After debuting in 2010, the
Shanghai Grand Theater’s (SGT)
production of The Nutcracker by
Tchaikovsky will be performed
again this Christmas. The show
is choreographed and directed by
Derek Deane and is performed by
the Shanghai Ballet Company.
Established in 1939 by the grandfather of Danny Malando, the
Malando Orchestra, hailing from
the Netherlands, remains one
of the most popular light music
orchestras around the world. For
this Shanghai concert, the orchestra will perform a variety of songs,
including some Chinese numbers.
Date: December 30, 7:30 pm
Venue: Shanghai Center Theater
上海商城剧院
Address: 1376 Nanjing Road West
南京西路1376号
Tickets: 180 to 680 yuan
Call 6217-3055 for details
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