photo: Weidong Yang / dancers: Peter Cheng, Indie Stan

Weidong Yang has a myriad of interests and specialties. To name just a few of his roles, he is a physicist, dancer, choreographer, photographer, and instructor. He is the photographer behind many of dance anywhere’s best photos. Weidong also recently choreographed a piece called “Metal, The Fourth Element,” which he will perform, along with seven other male dancers, on April 29 at Alonzo King LINES Dance Center. This powerful performance explores a male perspective on power, war, justice, and idealism. Weidong incorporates in the choreography for this performance his knowledge of martial arts, Chinese philosophy, Afro-Brazillian and Capoera movement, as well as contemporary and modern dance.

You have studied many different disciplines (dance, photography, physics). How did you become interested in both artistic and scientific fields?

Science and art are not too different to me. People usually think art is about intuition and science is about logic. My experience of doing scientific research is that it takes a great amount of intuition to know the direction and a great amount of technique to walk the path. Very often my intuition reveals to me the answer long before I can bridge a solution to get there. As a researcher, I found myself having never achieved scientific findings on things I was suppose to find. The findings always come at a surprise time and from a surprise place. Later on I had pretty much the same experience with art. I guess it was curiosity that lead me to both science and art.

Do you ever combine or overlap these disciplines? Does your physics background inform your choreography, performance, and photography?

My understanding in the physics of light helped to explore using infrared camera for dance photography. For a while I was working on a interactive video/dance project that involves infrared light source, infrared video camera, and computer coding.

I think my physics training helps me to see and organize the structure of my choreography. My research training helps me to research and develop materials for choreography. I know my approach in art is heavily influenced by my research training. But don’t think I can deliberate it. I think my research experience has taught me: a lot of trial and error, keep an open mind, be very diligent, be very focused, and be very patient. I guess they all apply to art practice very well.

Tell me about your new piece, “Metal, The Fourth Element.” What inspired this piece?

As a kid, I admired soldiers. As a college student, I was active in China’s democracy movement. Justice, pride, idealism always speaks to me and seems romantic to me. As I grow older, I start to see the price we are paying for the justice, pride, and idealism. Looking around Market Street between 6th and 7th, you can see many lost souls. I heard stories from Iraq and Bosnia that former friends, families split by religion or ethnicity, became enemies that sometimes had to kill each other. Same thing happened in China during the revolution. So this romantic notion by many young males of fighting for your country, for the democracy, contrasts strongly with the dark reality of unintended destruction to both civilians and soldiers involved. There is something very dark that we can’t hide from and we can’t shake it off. So that was the inspiration.

In ancient Chinese philosophy, Metal is the 4th of 5 elements. The others are water, earth, fire, and wood. Metal is associated with power, new technology, destruction, and sorrow.

What was your process like when choreographing “Metal, The Fourth Element”?

A lot of research. Thinking about it. Once I got the dancers together, things started to take shape. Dancers contribute a lot of materials. In fact, all duets and trios were created by the dancers themselves with my help. One of my mentors, Paco Gomez once told me the choreographer’s job is to create meaning. So my job as choreographer is more like an integrator that merges my vision with the dancers’ energy and creativity, and molds them into something that takes on the life of its own. To be honest, the vision itself is actually quite vague till we almost have the whole piece ready. Before that, it’s probably better described as inspiration.

Why did you choose to have all male performers in this piece?

The subject matter calls for an all male performance. Also it’s not often to see an all male piece. Although I had plans for a follow up section that will involve a female dancer. It may get developed later.

Tell me about your Taiji Lab for Movement.

I have been training in Chinese Internal Martial arts (Taiji is a form of it) for the past 8 years. I found many movement theories developed over the past 3 thousand years by generations of martial arts can really benefit dancers. So my main motivation is to share this knowledge with the dance community through this lab. Here are some examples: release techniques requires dancers to move with relaxed muscles, just like Taiji. A common thing is that the relaxation turns into a collapse. As a fighting technique, Taiji uses relaxation to achieve a strong martial power, so there is a set of methods to prevent trainees from collapsing. Another example is that Martial art has developed a quite sophisticated method of using the back, especially the lower back. This helps to free the hip joints, reduce pounding on the knees and lower spine, connect the upper and lower body. It could potentially reduce wear and tear and injury in dancing. Martial art went from external (hard, strong) to internal (soft, elastic and explosive) not only because the later could be a more efficient fighting technique but also to address many injuries caused by training in external style. I saw that a lot of this knowledge can be very helpful for dancers. Of course Taiji is a movement and fighting technique, by itself, it’s not a dance.

How did you begin to combine dance with martial arts?

Martial arts make movement more efficient, and intention more clear. To me it was just natural that once you learn both, they will go together.

photo: Weidong Yang dancers: Peter Chou, Indie Stan

Your photography often focuses on dance and movement. How have you explored portraying movement in still images?

To me photography is about finding movement in still images. Its like transition is as or more important than position in dancing, arguably. A picture has to paint in the viewer’s mind the frames that have not been captured. Those frames may never exist. But that is the fun part. I’m especially interested in exploring the internal movement through photography, you know, the energy that flows inside the body, the thing that we can feel but can’t quite tell. There are many techniques you can use to express movement, camera angle, focal length, framing, light, color.

To view Weidong Yang’s photographs, click here. For more information on the upcoming performance of “Metal, The Fourth Element” at the Alonzo King LINES Dance Center, visit the Bay Area Dance Week website. And to learn more about Weidong Yang’s Taiji Lab for Movement, visit the website www.taijilab.net.

The Dance Anywhere association has organized simultaneous dancing across the globe.

Attempting to stay out of the rain, participants in a ballet dance flash mob line up beside Book & Game and part of Macy’s on Main Street at noon Friday for a few songs as part of international Dance Anywhere day. Photo: Matthew Zimmerman Banderas

WALLA WALLA — On Friday, a downtown flash mob made up of students of Whitman College and The Dance Center had to be moved across the street at the last minute, but did not call off their dancing because of the rain.

Flash mob organizer Idalee Hutson-Fish said she planned to stage the impromptu dance performance at Land Title Plaza, but at the last minute moved the impromptu event under the canopies along the north side of the Die Brücke building.

So customers of Macy’s and Book & Game got to shop for shoes and books while watching 40 youths create a line of pliés on the other side of the glass.

A group of ballet dancers, organized by Idalee Hutson-Fish, lining windows on Main Street. The dancers were participating in an international event called Dance Anywhere where people around the world danced at the same time, wherever they were. Photo: Matthew Zimmerman Banderas

Source: The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

Dance Anywhere day: Why you might encounter a flash mob this Friday

by Maura Judkis

Glinda Torvik takes a turn with Bill Hamblin as they join other dancers with the Greater Memphis Square and Round Dance Association in February. (Jim Weber - Asscoiated Press)

Dance Anywhere is a simultaneous public art performance that encourages everyone to dance, wherever they are in the world, at a set time. This year, that time is 3 p.m. EST in the United States, which is equivalent to noon PST, and 9 p.m. in Paris. The event, now in its eighth year, was founded by artist Beth Fein.

Many of the dance groups that have added their Dance Anywhere performances to an interactive map are in California, with residents of San Francisco most likely to catch a performance on Friday. However, dancers as far away as Singapore, Buenos Aires, and Malmö, Sweden will participate. If you’re not brave enough to host your own solo act and there are no performances near you, check out this video of last year’s Dance Anywhere performances.

Source: The Washington Post – The Style Blog

Beth Fein & Dancers at Powell St BART Station , SF photo: Mike DiFilippo

Now that you have danced, share your experience with the rest of the dance anywhere community. You can upload your photos, videos, and stories directly to your profile. Log in to danceanywhere.org and scroll down to see your 2012 dance info. There are five icons next to each year you have participated. These icons will allow you to update your location and dance information, upload photos and videos, and share your stories of your dance anywhere experience.

It’s easy to share! 1. upload your videos to youtube or vimeo. 2. then from your profile page: just click on the triangle icon and then paste the URL of your video on youtube or vimeo. the video will show up automatically on your profile.To upload photos: 1. make sure that they are .jpg files, 2. then click on the photo icon and browse for the file on your computer. 3. Click upload and the photo will show up automatically on your profile. 4. You can also write about your experience by clicking on the pencil icon and sharing your stories.

Please post on your profile and share it on facebook and other social media!

by Ashley West

This Friday, March 30 at noon, celebrate a global improvisational experience that places dance at the forefront of the world’s consciousness.

Rejoice in the power of dance to link people in the sheer joy of shared movement. Check out the international overview and map for Dance Anywhere Day.

Come one, come all to this inclusive event at Stagebridge Senior Theater Company in Oakland. You need no dance experience. Greacian Goeke will direct a semi-improvisational routine created by her Rhythm and Moves class. Goeke has left open the possibility that planned movement may turn into spontaneous frolicking.

Dance Anywhere Day and Stagebridge are a perfect fit, as its seniors fearlessly claim their place daily in a youth-centric culture.

If the movement routine outlined here looks enticing, you may email Goeke for a complete movement plan.

The Dance

Participants will congregate at the First Congregational Church Atrium at noon sharp. Please show up rain or shine, as all will dance indoors if weather is inclement. Or, weather permitting, we will dance for a minimum of 30 minutes outdoors.

To prepare, dress in warm layers. Wear gloves and dress in bright, festive colors. Bring umbrellas, as they will be incorporated into the event.

Routine Overview

Goeke will call out the routine, so keep your eye on her.

Dancers will position themselves along an outdoor railing in front of the church, facing a partner. Make big, obvious movements that will make an impact from a distance.

Using the railing, do long, exaggerated dance stretches. At some point, you will pull colorful scarves from your sleeves. The whole crowd will perform the wave.

At a given signal, dancers who wish to perform solos will move away from the railing, shaping their bodies dramatically. The remainder of the group will react enthusiastically to the solos.

Participants should meet at the First Congregational Church at 2501 Harrison Street (across from Whole Foods). There is no charge for the event.

Stagebridge offers “affordable excellence” in the form of classes, performances and incomparable memories. Check them out today—Spring classes begin on Monday, April 2.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Celebrate ‘Dance Anywhere Day’ with Elder Flash Mob – Oakland Theater | Examiner.com

Theater Premiers: The Collection, Dance Anywhere & More

by Lily Ko

This Friday, Dance Anywhere will unite San Francisco at noon (PST), New York at 3pm (EST), Paris at 8pm, Rome, etc, with global hour of dance. In San Francisco, SFMOMA will be the stomping ground for this open dance-a-thon where everyone is invited to stop and do a little dance.

Source: SF Station, Spectrum

photo: weidong yang

Conceptual public art lovers: Friday at noon in San Francisco and major cities across the globe, dancers and dance lovers intend to pause to express themselves through movement. The event, “What If the World Stopped to Dance?,” is now in its eighth year. Dance anywhere creator Beth Fein explains, “Imagine if we all took a moment to dance. It changes your day, your mood. … When you stop to dance, you find inspiration and creativity you may have forgotten.”

Some of the San Francisco dances will be choreographed, others improvised. Among the professionals Friday noon are: Raisa Simpson & Push Dance Co. at the Oakland Museum of California; Kara Davis & Agora Project at San Francisco City Hall; Alyce Finwall Dance Theatre at the 343 Sansome Rooftop Deck; Beth Fein & Dancers at the Powell Street BART Station; RoCo Dance Youth Company at Depot Plaza Mill Valley; and Anne Bluethenthal Dance at SFMOMA. For more info: www.danceanywhere.org/participate.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/28/DDF31NPDQU.DTL#ixzz1qWyBNtr4

written by Keith Bowers

In two days, if you don’t know what’s coming, you might find yourself in a puzzling situation — here in San Francisco or pretty much anywhere in the world. Let’s say you’re taking your lunch break on Friday. You’re in line at an ATM when you notice someone dancing nearby. She’s really into it. She has no intention of stopping. “Oddball,” you think. Then someone cranks up a car stereo and joins her. Across the street in a courtyard is a group of people doing synchronized steps. Then you spot three more on a corner. Is there something going on you don’t know about? You bet. It’s Dance Anywhere, a coordinated effort to get people around the world to dance at the same time, wherever they are.

Dance Anywhere was created in 2005 by Bay Area resident Beth Fein, who says it has gained thousands of participants on makeshift stages such as train stations, museums, parks, and bridges. Organizers say people in 27 countries have joined the effort, and they have photos on a website to back that up. Fein is among dancers who believe the art form has become too separated from our daily lives, and this is a way to break down that barrier while also stretching the definition of what performance art is, and also to make a regular day seem really not so regular. Anyone, anywhere can dance at the appointed time, but the website lets Two-Steppers, Breakers, and Hustlers tell others where they’ll be and what they’ll do, so the whole thing can seem more puzzling and outrageous to those who don’t know about it.

Dance Anywhere starts Friday at noon. Check out its website to learn more.

“Dance Anywhere”

photo: weidong yang

The world is in the toilet, and at times it feels like a giant cosmic hand is just about to flush us all. But a glimmer of hope for humanity lurks amid events like “Dance Anywhere,” which advises even the two-left-footed among us to pause and bust a joyful move as part of a coordinated, global public art movement. Check the event’s website to line up your time zone (in San Francisco, it’s noon), and limber up for your solo macarena — or find your way to a free professional performance. Bay Area participants include Anne Bluethenthal Dance (at SFMOMA), Raisa Simpson and Push Dance Co. (at the Oakland Museum of California), and Alyce Finwall Dance Theatre (on 343 Sansome’s rooftop deck). In the words of Footloose: dance your ass off! (Eddy)

Noon, free

Various locations

www.danceanywhere.org