Poet in motion

Dancers from the TAO Dance Theater perform 9 and 7, two of choreographer Tao Ye's creations. His latest work 9 will premiere at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Nov 3. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The TAO Dance Theater is performing a double bill－8 and 9 until the next day.

Eight and nine refer to the number of dancers in each performance.

"It's difficult to create 9, because 9 is the biggest number in Chinese culture," says Tao.

"I've explored all possibilities and pushed the limits of human movement－from the works 2 to 8," he says.

Tao says his original idea was not to educate or tell a story. "I wished to make the dance a way to invite you to join in. So no settings, fancy lights or costumes, jut body movements.

"My choreography is about the logic of movement and presents repetition through numbers," he says.

In this, you can see Tao's unique language, the repetition of the natural sequence of the body. Through repetition, the variations in movements are reduced and progress toward a state that is pure and minimal in form.

The awareness of the body has a special meaning for Tao, who started dancing because he had a super flexible body.