“If there is something to write home about in the dance world, it is the startlingly imaginative works of Shen Wei.” The New York Times
The ADF is delighted to present the World Premiere of Shen Wei’s complete Re- (I, II, III). The entire Re- cycle will be performed together for the very first time as the Festival's inaugural performance in the beautiful new Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Shen Wei Dance Arts has garnered critical acclaim the world over since its inception at the 2000 ADF. The first two parts of the cycle, Re- Part I (originally commissioned by the 2006 ADF), and Re- Part II (originally set by Shen Wei on Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal) are inspired by various world cultures, geography, and an artist’s experiences abroad. Re- Part III, an ADF commissioned World Premiere, also explores the relationship between the individual and community, and the difference between the role of the individual in Chinese and Western life. Festival-goers will be among the first to see Shen Wei’s complete Re- program before the company’s three continent tour.

view a pdf of the program
“Definitely not more of the same, this troupe of Wonder Women tells us something is stirring, even exploding, in Japanese contemporary danace.”The New York Times
Sakiko Oshima and Naoko Shirakawa of H. Art Chaos, one of Japan’s top dance companies, bring their acclaimed work The Rite of Spring (1995) to the 2009 Festival and will also collaborate with musician Alan Terricciano and ADF dancers while in residence to bring you an ADF commissioned World Premiere. Paired with the harmonically and rhythmically adventurous music of Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring is an intensely physical piece complete with aerial feats. Also of note, H. Art Chaos’ choreographer Sakiko Oshima was a participant in ADF’s 1996 International Choreographer’s Residency Program. Don’t miss this evening of provocative and powerful dance as you’ve never seen it before!
Collaborative New Work is commissioned with support from the SHS Foundation. H. Art Chaos performances are supported in part by the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, Duke University.photo by Etsuko Matsuyamahttp://www.americandancefestival.org/performances/2009/2009performances.html