Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
Series #4 - MALASHOCK MASTER CLASS SERIES: 4 SUNDAYS IN FEBRUARY
In this exciting series of Master Classes, Malashock Dance presents four Master Teachers/Choreographers from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Students will experience innovative techniques and powerful repertory in a supportive and positive environment. And in this new BLOG SERIES, you’ll be able to hear from the instructors in their own words.
Vol. 2 - James Healey (Shen Wei Dance Arts)
[James Healey's class will be Feb. 20th, 2011 from 11am - 1pm]
My brief return to San Diego takes me in an adventure-filled full circle, of which has been quite a ride. After dancing with Malashock Dance and Company for a few years in the late 90s, I moved to New York City to help a young choreographer from China, Shen Wei, establish his new company. Shen Wei Dance Arts was officially launched in 2001. Although we had somewhat of a slow start in the beginning, the company of 12 dancers took advantage of this time by developing and learning Shen Wei’s ideas regarding movement, as well as his unique viewpoints regarding art, philosophy, and the vision for what he wanted his company to become. At that time, a majority of the dancers that Shen Wei invited to join his company had never danced professionally, so Shen Wei was working from the ground up in many ways. After Shen Wei created his version of Rite of Spring in 2003, the company really took off and became quite successful. Shen Wei Dance Arts has had consistent engagements throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.
Shen Wei’s initial movement background has its roots in Chinese Opera, which he focused on as a child. Later, he not only began to explore western visual art, but he also developed an interest in western movement styles and western modern dance. This balance between his eastern and western movement influences are what makes his work unique. Shen Wei is a painter as well, so his work often has strong visual elements within the costuming and set design, that balance beautifully with the physicality of the choreography. To see his work, it is sometimes difficult to describe it as eastern or western, and impossible to imagine the movement without the delicate balance of the visual components.
Although Shen Wei has gone through some phases of movement interests, his Natural Body Technique has remained an important training tool for his company. During the development of Rite of Spring, many of the key movement ideas that would become his Natural Body Development Technique were introduced. These movement concepts would later be refined into the technique that all Shen Wei Dance Arts dancers use today to prepare their bodies for the work. It explores and manipulates breath, internal energy, center-shifting, momentum, spirals, rotations and flow. With these movement ideas, there is also always the element of how the body relates to the positive and negative space within the dance environment, which is essential in Shen Wei’s work.
I look forward to bringing some of these ideas to the San Diego community of dancers, and will introduce some of these concepts, as well as a few of my own, as they have developed in my body.
- James
