Modern dance show 'Free Man from the South' staged in Beijing
By Yu Fengsheng
02:37

Inspired by classical Chinese poetry, the modern dance show "Free Man from the South" debuted in Beijing on September 4. 

The show is the latest work choreographed by Willy Tsao, who is the artistic director of Beijing Dance/LDTX. He took inspiration from the poems written by the Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai 1,000 years ago. 

But Tsao says the show is not a reflection of the poet's life and works: "My work is inspired by his poetry, but it does not necessarily reflect the life of Li Bai or directly interpret the words itself. For me, I just took it from his lyrics and then translated into my own imagination. So I hope people will come to see and enjoy the work as it is, but do not try to relate it with Li Bai, they can not find Li Bai in the work." 

A still of the Modern dance show 'Free Man from the South.' /CGTN

A still of the Modern dance show 'Free Man from the South.' /CGTN

The show is the first performance open to the public by Tsao's company since the COVID-19 outbreak.

While many troupes were trapped by the lockdown, Tsao says his team used this quiet period to prepare themselves: "Actually we opened up our company since the opening back school period. And then we have dance rehearse and class everyday, so they came back to the studio as if this is their home. We are very glad that we have this quiet period, so that we can better prepare ourselves rather than running on road and try to do a lot of more performances." 

A still of the modern dance show 'Free Man from the South.' /CGTN

A still of the modern dance show 'Free Man from the South.' /CGTN

Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Tsao is one of China's pioneers in modern dance. His works were presented not only in China, but also at art festivals across the globe.

In 2005, he established the Chinese mainland's first privately-run dance company, BeijingDance/LDTX. The company then launched the annual Beijing Dance Festival and developed it into one of the most influential modern dance events in China.  

(A still of the modern dance show 'Free Man from the South.' /CGTN)