Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
In step with French urban dance
By Xu Wenwen |
May 17, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EXHILARATING electro house music rises, a male dancer winds his arms around body like writhing snakes, while seven other dancers join in, moving to the beat.
The dancers are performing in electro dance opera Elektro Kif, which combines dance styles of flamenco, hip hop, disco, gymnastics and even classical dance. Its choreographer is renowned France-based Spanish former ballet dancer Blanca Li.
Electro dance borrows heavily from tecktonik, an urban street dance that originated in nightclubs in the southern suburbs of Paris in the 2000s and has grown around the world.
It is based on (yet not limited to) a blend of different dance styles, such as industrial, disco, vogue, waacking, hip hop and freehand glowsticking.
"Several years ago, when I was sitting in a park I noticed a group of young men performing a dance I'd never seen before, and from their passion and creativity, I realized that this was a brand-new dance style that might change other dancers' style," Li recalls.
"I choreograph dances exclusively for this style because I would like to witness the birth of a new dancing style," she adds.
Saturday night Elektro Kif arrives at Red Star Theater, Hangzhou, in only the second show in China - the first was in Beijing last week.
The 70-minute spectacular, tells the story of young adolescents searching for identity and recognition in their social environment, which is dominated by school.
It deals with hopes, fears, friendships, fights and rivalries. In one memorable scene in an exam room, students pass answers to one another using ingenious tricks. Settings also include a basketball court and cafeteria.
The show includes multi-media elements and features a soundtrack by Spanish producer Tao Gutierrez, which mixes techno with electro house, afrobeat, samples and classical music.
Despite a previous career as a ballet dancer, Li says "dance can be found everywhere," and her style is "to use dance which can touch me and use my abilities to make a really nice creation for the audience to enjoy and bring some surprises."
Born in Spain in 1964, Li began her career at 12, competing as part of Spain's rhythmic gymnastics team.
She later traveled to the United States and France to develop her dance career. Li has worked with many dance genres, including hip hop, classical ballet and contemporary dance.
The performance, co-sponsored by French Consulate General at Shanghai, Red Star Theater and Alliance Francaise de Hangzhou, is a part of the Seventh Croisements Franco-Chinese Cultural Festival, which with 134 events - everything from dance and theater to music and a contemporary circus - is scheduled for a tour of 24 Chinese cities.
Last year's festival brought together more than 1,000 French and Chinese artists and attracted more than 500,000 spectators to 215 performances in 21 cities.
Time: May 19, 7:30pm
Address: 280 Jianguo Rd S.
Tel: 0571-8770-3888, 0571-8800-3888
Ticket price: 100-380 yuan
The dancers are performing in electro dance opera Elektro Kif, which combines dance styles of flamenco, hip hop, disco, gymnastics and even classical dance. Its choreographer is renowned France-based Spanish former ballet dancer Blanca Li.
Electro dance borrows heavily from tecktonik, an urban street dance that originated in nightclubs in the southern suburbs of Paris in the 2000s and has grown around the world.
It is based on (yet not limited to) a blend of different dance styles, such as industrial, disco, vogue, waacking, hip hop and freehand glowsticking.
"Several years ago, when I was sitting in a park I noticed a group of young men performing a dance I'd never seen before, and from their passion and creativity, I realized that this was a brand-new dance style that might change other dancers' style," Li recalls.
"I choreograph dances exclusively for this style because I would like to witness the birth of a new dancing style," she adds.
Saturday night Elektro Kif arrives at Red Star Theater, Hangzhou, in only the second show in China - the first was in Beijing last week.
The 70-minute spectacular, tells the story of young adolescents searching for identity and recognition in their social environment, which is dominated by school.
It deals with hopes, fears, friendships, fights and rivalries. In one memorable scene in an exam room, students pass answers to one another using ingenious tricks. Settings also include a basketball court and cafeteria.
The show includes multi-media elements and features a soundtrack by Spanish producer Tao Gutierrez, which mixes techno with electro house, afrobeat, samples and classical music.
Despite a previous career as a ballet dancer, Li says "dance can be found everywhere," and her style is "to use dance which can touch me and use my abilities to make a really nice creation for the audience to enjoy and bring some surprises."
Born in Spain in 1964, Li began her career at 12, competing as part of Spain's rhythmic gymnastics team.
She later traveled to the United States and France to develop her dance career. Li has worked with many dance genres, including hip hop, classical ballet and contemporary dance.
The performance, co-sponsored by French Consulate General at Shanghai, Red Star Theater and Alliance Francaise de Hangzhou, is a part of the Seventh Croisements Franco-Chinese Cultural Festival, which with 134 events - everything from dance and theater to music and a contemporary circus - is scheduled for a tour of 24 Chinese cities.
Last year's festival brought together more than 1,000 French and Chinese artists and attracted more than 500,000 spectators to 215 performances in 21 cities.
Time: May 19, 7:30pm
Address: 280 Jianguo Rd S.
Tel: 0571-8770-3888, 0571-8800-3888
Ticket price: 100-380 yuan
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
