Dream of Dance
By admin on 2014-12-26

As the initiator of the first privately-owned dance troupe in China, the controversial transsexual dancer/choreographer Jin Xing is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Jin Xing Dance Theater with the premiere of a new show and a reprise of a solo performance this evening and tomorrow night at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Circle is a group performance, choreographed by Chen Kai from Jin's company, which represents the circle of life and the 10-year journey of her dance troupe.

"Circle symbolizes a lot in China, such as success, freedom of movement and life's cyclical path and we can think back to the path of our troupe in 10 years this way,"Jin told the Global Times.

Jin is known for intricately weaving traditional Chinese movement and philosophy into her dance, especially the simplicity of ancient culture and physicality.

"I want to help create a new era of modern dance in China and I find beauty and [ for example] a unique way of breath in ancient Chinese culture."
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, Jin is bringing her solo dance Under the Skin – Closest and Furthest back to the stage, a work that debuted at the 4th International Festival of Contemporary Dance at the Venice Biennale in 2006. Jin incorporates the guqin, a traditional Chinese zither, with her movements and the spoken word.

"In this way, I want to convey the tranquility of Chinese philosophy to the audience,"Jin explained. "In my view, Chinese philosophy should be held deep within Chinese people's hearts, but actually it is far away from our daily lives now."

Not only the way of breath, but concepts and ideals from ancient stories are often used by Jin when creating modern dance pieces. The Imperial Concubine Has Been Drunk for Ages is Jin's adaptation of the famous Peking Opera Guifei Zui Jiu and Made in China – Return of the Soul is based on Kunqu Opera You Yuan Jing Meng. Jin explained that she not only adapts the old stories, but adds elements of daily life, based on her personal story, including her understanding of love and the struggle to find her own identity in today's fast-moving modern society.

"I experienced hardships since learning dance in a military troupe when I was 9 years old and the torture of my heart because of my sexual identity. I need to remain true to my heart and dance freely,"Jin explained.

After undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 1996, Jin was the first person to have her new gender acknowleged by the Chinese government. Her physical transformation was widely reported, propelling her to fame and placing her under the spotlight.

In 1999, she founded China's first privately-owned contemporary dance troupe Jin Xing Dance Theater in Beijing, before moving to Shanghai.

At the time, State-owned dance companies dominated the scene and she and her troupe were not part of the mainstream. Jin said that she had no choice but to self-finance her artistic freedom, including paying for performance spaces and accepting acting jobs in South Korea and Thailand to raise money.

From its humble beginnings, Jin Xing Dance Theater has grown into an internationally-recognized art troupe, with regular overseas performances and increasing popularity at home.

Jin explained that one of her main achievements is China Projects, a work that delves into the subject of communication between people and the barriers and issues that exist in modern day. Premiering in Salzburg, Austria, Jin said the experience is completely unique, with her team presenting a combination of dance and the spoken word, often in stark contrast with each other. "What you hear is different from what you see, that is often the reality in China today."

She added that despite her group's recent success, the issue of communication is often a problem when it comes to organizing performances in China.

"I can arrange performances in foreign countries until 2011 on my agenda, but in China, I can't. I have to adjust according to the theaters. I hope one day I can have my own theater in the future, a theater for the public."

Along with her ambition, Jin said that modern dance also needs more support from the government and greater understanding from the public. "The social environment still lacks the atmosphere of creation and individuality, which are the root of modern dance,"she said. "I do not care whether the audience appreciates my dance… as long as I dance with my ideas, they will see that at last."

Personally, Jin said that she gets a lot of her strength from her family. Jin and her German husband have three adopted children. "Being a mother gave me confidence and I now understand more about responsibility besides my own pursuits."

"Jin is strict when it comes to our performance,"added Liu Minzi, a dancer who has been with Jin's troupe since it began. "But she has a very optimistic attitude toward life. She inspires us to think and dance in our own way and find our own expression."

After the group's Beijing tour they will present anniversary performances in Shanghai before heading to open the Adelaide Festival in Australia with Shanghai Beauty on February 26.