Shen Wei

Shen Wei
2011 Portrait
Born	1968 Hunan, China as the son of Chinese opera professionals
Nationality	American
Field	choreography stage direction costume design scenic design video design filmmaking painting
Website	Official Site

Shen Wei is a Chinese born artist who resides in New York City's West Village. He is the Artistic Director of the contemporary dance company Shen Wei Dance Arts. Shen Wei is recognized for his vision of an intercultural, interdisciplinary, and original mode of time-based performance, creating an innovative blend of traditional Chinese opera, dance and music with Western artistic influences from choreography, opera, and painting. In recent years, Shen Wei has expanded his artistry to include time-based works of grand scale spectacle showcasing original art installations, and original video and animation material.

Career

Shen Wei left home at the age of nine to study the classical Chinese arts ranging from opera, dance, calligraphy and painting, subsequently joining the Hunan State Xian Opera Company, with which he performed leading roles from 1984 to 1989. In 1991, he became a founding dancer and choreographer of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, the first such company in China.

In 1995, after receiving a scholarship from the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab, Shen Wei moved to New York City, and presented his work at the American Dance Festival. Soon his work was performed at numerous American and European venues, and in 2000, Shen Wei formed his dance company, Shen Wei Dance Arts at the American Dance Festival with performances of Near the Terrace. Shen Wei went on to create new movement-based works for his company, which has since toured to over 30 countries in 130 cities, and to receive numerous commissions from dance companies, and opera companies and performing arts festivals. For each new work he choreographs, Shen Wei typically designs the sets, costumes and make-up as well.

Shen Wei was a lead creative consultant and choreographer for the opening ceremony at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In July 2008, he choreographed a fashion show at Paris Haute Couture for the label WUYONG, by the Chinese designer Ma Ke.

As a visual artist, independent of Shen Wei Dance Arts, Shen Wei is a prolific painter, photographer, and sculpture. A series of paintings created in conjunction with his abtracted Rite of Spring were first exhibited as part of the company’s New York City debut at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2003 (the first of five invitations to join the Festival to date). In October, 2006, the paintings toured with the company to Hong Kong's New Vision Festival, and in July 2007 they returned to New York to appear in tandem with the company’s performance of Second Visit to the Empress as part of Lincoln Center Festival 2006. His book of photography titled Tibet, was created to raise awareness of the region, with proceeds from its sales supporting the Tibet Pende Targye Vocational Technical Welfare School and Dickey Orphanage in Lhasa.

Shen Wei recently toured his company to the Edinburgh Festival and performed a triple-bill at Park Avenue Armory. In 2012-2013, Shen Wei has been invited as an Artist-in-Residence at New York City Center, is preparing to complete a unique five-year residency with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and will tour his company to Mainland China this fall for the first time in its history.

Select Works

Folding (2000)

• Bulleted list item
• Concept, Choreography, Costumes, Set and Make-up Design: Shen Wei
  
• Music: John Tavener and Tibetan Buddhist Chant
  
• Lighting: David Ferri
  
  

Near the Terrace-Part (2001)

• Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei
  
• Music: Arvo Pärt
  
• Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
  
  

Rite of Spring (2003)

• Concept, Choreography, Costumes, Set and Make-up Design: Shen Wei
  
• Score: Igor Stravinsky
  
• Musical Recording: Fazil Say
  
• Lighting: David Ferri
  
  

Re- Part I (2006)

• Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei
  
• Music: Traditional Tibetan Chant
  
• Vocals: Ani Choying Dolma
  
• Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
  
  

Re- Part II (2007)

• Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design; and Sounds and Images recorded at Angkor Wat: Shen Wei
  
• Music: John Tavener’s “Tears of the Angels," with Traditional Cambodian Music, and Original recordings by Shen Wei
  
• Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
  
• Projection Design: Shen Wei & Daniel Hartnett
  
  

Re- Part III (2009)

• Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design; and Sounds and Images recorded on China’s Silk Road: Shen Wei
  
• Original Score: David Lang
  
• Recorded Violinist: Todd Reynolds
• Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
  
• Projection Design: Shen Wei and Daniel Hartnett
  
  

Still Moving (2011)

• World-premiere: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Concept, Choreography, and Visual Design: Shen Wei
  
• Original Score: Daniel Burke
  
• Costume: Shen Wei and Austin Scarlett
  
  

Limited States (2011)

• World-premiere: American Dance Festival
• Concept, Choreography, Video and Animation Design: Shen Wei
  
• Original Score: Daniel Burke
  
• Lighting: Shen Wei and Matthew F. Lewandowski II
  
• Costume: Shen Wei and Austin Scarlett
  
  

Undivided Divided (2011)

• World-premiere: Park Avenue Armory
• Concept, Choreography and Visual Design: Shen Wei
  
• Original Score: Sō Percussion
  
• Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
  
• Video and Animation: Josh Horowitz, Layne Braunstein and Blair Neal
  
• Costume: Austin Scarlett
  
• Sound Design: Lawson White

Awards & Distinctions

• New York City Center Artist-in-Residence Fellow (2012)
• Park Avenue Armory Artist-in-Residence Fellow (2011)
• Algur H. Meadows Prize (2012)
• Young Global Leader Honoree, World Economic Forum (2009)
• MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2007)
• US Artist Fellow (2007)
• Les Etoiles de Ballet at the Palais des Festival (2006)
• Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia: Best Ballet or Dance Work (2005)
• Nijinsky Award for Emerging Choreographer (2004)
• Guggenheim Fellow (2001)
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2000)
• First Prize at the National Modern Dance Competition, China (1994)