TAO Dance Theater, one of the leading names in contemporary dance from China, will perform 16 & 17 in Athens on July 13 and 14, presenting two works from choreographer Tao Ye’s acclaimed Numerical Series. The performances offer audiences a rare opportunity to experience contemporary Chinese artistic creation through a distinctive choreographic language centered on the body, movement, and the passage of time.
17 by Fan Xi
Created by Tao Ye, 16 and 17 explore the body and mind as an inseparable, continuous flow. Together, the two pieces form both a dialogue and a contrast, reflecting the choreographer’s long-standing artistic research into circularity and human perception. This approach led to the development of the Circular Movement System, an original movement practice that treats motion as a process of awareness and internal observation.
In 16, sixteen dancers move as a single living organism, creating a shared pulse through continuous circular motion. Inspired by the spiral movements of dragons and snakes in Chinese cultural traditions and festive celebrations, the choreography begins with subtle impulses from the head that ripple through the entire body, transforming individual performers into a unified flow of energy.
16 by Fan Xi
17 takes a different approach, placing seventeen dancers across the stage as they shift between collective formations and individual presence. Although the choreography appears unpredictable, it follows an underlying internal structure. Throughout the performance, the sounds produced by the dancers’ own bodies remain synchronized with their movements, creating a constant interplay between physical motion and sound in what unfolds like a silent song.
17 by Fan Xi
Tao Ye, recipient of the Silver Lion for Dance at the Venice Biennale, has built an international reputation for choreography that emphasizes precision, restraint, and the body’s internal architecture rather than spectacle. His work has appeared on major stages around the world, earning recognition for its singular artistic vision and uncompromising choreographic language.
