DANCEbank fall/winter series

September 5, 12, 19: Cheng-Chieh Yu
Motion in Stillness; Stillness in Motion

This class will explore a Tai-Chi/BaGuaZhang influenced post-modern dance technique. The class will start with a series of Tai-Chi/BaGuaZhang derived movement exercises focusing at once on both centering, and opening up channels of energy. “When it moves, it divides; when it rests, it reunites.” Next we will work on weight shifting as the movement of complimentary opposites, Yin & Yang, exploring momentum from fall-and-response, to build phrasing. This process leads us to concentrate on developing choreographic efficiency in phrasing and rhythm.

Cheng-Chieh Yu is a choreographer of dance theater works that explore Asian Diaspora issues, which challenge notions of an Asian and Asian-American profile, crisscrossing issues such as gender ascription, social-political perspectives, cultural hybridity. Yu’s bold kinetics and provocative imagery are built from a dynamic corporeal postmodern dance technique, fused with the martial arts of Tai Chi Chuan and Ba Gua Zhang. Cheng-Chieh began her performance career touring with the acclai med Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan. After relocating to New York City from 1989 to 2001, Cheng-Chieh toured internationally performing in the companies of The Solomons Co. Dance, Jose Limon Dance Co., Bebe Miller Dance Co. and as a gue st artist for the Ralph Lemon Dance Project. Her choreography has been produced by numerous venues in NYC and Los Angeles as well as internationally in China, Singapore, Israel, and Taiwan. Choreographic commissions include from the Chinese Information and Cultural Center, Movement Research, Danspace at St. Mark’s Church in NYC, the Beijing Modern Dance Company in China and Sun-Shier Dance Theatre of Taiwan. She is currently an Associate Professor of Performance/Choreography at UCLA.