TAO Dance Theater Begins Performances Tonight at NYU Skirball Center

TAO Dance Theater's 4 and the U.S. Premiere of 5 will open tonight, Thursday, February 20 at 8PM at the second annual Visions + Voices Global Performance Series at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. TAO Dance Theater runs from Thursday, February 20 through Sunday, February 23. This year's Visions + Voices focuses on China and will run from February 20-May 12, 2014.

In TAO Dance Theater's 4 and the U.S. Premiere of 5, the works continue choreographer Tao Ye's journey of pushing the boundaries of corporeal expression.

After a sold out run at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2012, TAO Dance Theater returns with 4, a continuation of choreographer Tao Ye's exploration of the potential of the human body as a visual element, devoid of story-telling or representation. Four dancers seem to be propelled by a magnetic wave that sometimes pulls them apart, and then seems to push them together again, without ever touching.

In the U.S. Premiere of 5, which received standing ovations in Amsterdam at its world premiere, the dancers engage in physical contact, in fact, they move in an indistinguishable kaleidoscopic mass of limbs and light, never dispersing even for a moment.

Related Events:
Q&A
February 21, Post-8PM performance
Tao Ye, Choreographer & Founder of TAO Dance Theater
Alison M. Friedman, Founder & Creative Director, Ping Pong Productions

PRE-SHOW TALK
February 22, 7pm at NYU Skirball
Contemporary Dance in China: The Emerging Generation
Speaker: Emily Wilcox, Assistant Professor of Modern Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The Visions + Voices Global Performance Series is an annual performing arts series held at the NYU Skirball Center that creates a unique opportunity to celebrate and closely examine a singular world culture through a wide ranging artistic lens. This year's focus is China and highlights several artists who build upon cultural tradition while embracing modern perspectives. NYU Skirball believes that rich international programming not only excites New York audiences and the NYU community, but also serves as a catalyst for international dialogue and education. Celebrating the richness of NYU's global network of campuses, future seasons include partnerships with Germany, Israel, Abu Dhabi and London.

Other programs in the Visions + Voices: China series are:

· The all-female ensemble Hangzhou Yue Opera Company transform two classic Ibsen plays into lyrical adventures with Hedda (February 25) and The Lady from the Sea (February 26).

· From March 26-30, the National Theatre of China, one of the new faces of 21st century Chinese theater, will debut a production of Richard III.

· On April 12, "The Piano in a Factory," a film by Zhang Meng, will be screened.

· The series will close on May 12 with Tan Dun's The Map performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Cyr and featuring cellist Wendy Sutter.

· The series will open with an outdoor vitrine art exhibit featuring the works by Zhang Jianjun and Zhang Huan (presented in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Wu Jian'an (presented in partnership with Chambers Gallery).

Michael Harrington, the center's Executive Director, said, "Each year Visions + Voices gives us the opportunity to explore and highlight the culture and creativity from a featured locale within NYU's Global Network. This year's Chinese artists and performers will showcase numerous works never before seen in America and we are thrilled to present them here in New York and offer opportunities for cultural discovery and understanding."

2013-14 marks the tenth season for NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. In its first decade, NYU Skirball has made substantial contributions not only to the community surrounding the country's largest private university, but also to a broader cultural landscape. In recent years, Michael Harrington has used the 860 seat venue to provide a platform for artists from around the world to practice their craft on a larger scale from the facility's Greenwich Village neighborhood. In addition to multiple-night and week runs (Cirkopolis, Othello, Waiting For Godot), NYU Skirball Center hosts a range of singular events, such as a dialogue between David Byrne & Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, and Stephen Sondheim & Tony Kushner, comedians such as Zach Galifianakis and Aziz Ansari, and musicians such as Esperanza Spalding and The Derek Trucks Band.

Tickets for Visions + Voices and the complete NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts season may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111, or in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-6:00 P.M.

The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. For more information, please visit www.nyuskirball.org.