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Chinese Choreographer Nuo An Is Inspired By Tea

Company:
Nuo An Spiritual Dance and Arts Foundation

CHINESE CHOREOGRAPHER NUO AN
TO DEBUT SPECIAL FULL-EVENING DANCE WORK

INTRODUCING “SPIRITUAL DANCE”
The Integration of Ballet, Modern and Contemporary Dance
With “Authentic Movement”
Eastern Meditation, Zen Taoist, Tai Chi and Embraced with Love

NUO AN SPIRITUAL DANCE AND ART FOUNDATION
FRIDAY, MAY 11 AT 8PM
PETER NORTON SYMPHONY SPACE

Acclaimed Chinese dancer/choreographer Nuo An will present Nuo An Spiritual Dance and Arts Foundation’s debut performance with her international company of dancers in a new, full-evening work on Friday, May 11 at 8pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, in New York City.

Live and recorded music using the traditional Chinese “Zither” will accompany the performance, which explores Spiritual Dance in two segments: Universal Emotions and Spirit of Tea.

Nuo An is the founder of “Spiritual Dance,” a dance form which integrates the principles of ballet, modern dance, contemporary, folk dance and dance therapy. Launched in China and incubated in the U.S., Spiritual Dance is dedicated to connect all life in pursuit of a dialogue between body and mind, creating intensive collaboration among artists, communion between performer and audience, and a fusion of cultural traditions from around the world. Spiritual Dance is imbued with a global perspective.

According to Ms. An, “Spiritual art gives rise to an experience that is both aesthetic, authentic and transcendent. Participants describe it as feeling, sensation and emotion, a greater sense of unity both within themselves and between themselves and the outside world.

“At the Nuo Spiritual Art Foundation we focus primarily on Spiritual Dance. In keeping with Spiritual Art’s quest to form connections, we also intend to further the development of other art forms, including painting, sculpture and theater. We work closely with members of our community with the goal of expanding the scope and reach of spiritual art,” she said.

“Making the dance movement work with internal feeling”— Nuo An

VIDEO:

Nuo An, Artistic Director NUO AN SPIRITUAL DANCE AND ART FOUNDATION
 

PROGRAM:

Universal Emotions will represent the four basic human emotions - ANXIETY, LOVE, SADNESS AND JOY, explored in shadow and light. Though her background in dance therapy, Nuo An uses “Spiritual Dance,” to connect these emotions to our humanity through self-understanding and self-acceptance, with the goal of universal empathy. Audiences will have a chance to see their humanity as an observer. New elements of this work will promote thought, utilizing “Authentic Movement” to enhance the artistic realm.

Moving Through Tea will represent the “Spirit of Tea” by moving through senses of sight, smell, taste and feeling though body and mind. This work will explore China’s famed Green Tea, Black Tea, and Pu'er Tea, and their elements of peace, maturity and power. In development since 2014, Nuo An views this work as both a duty and mission of a dance artist from China. Through visits to tea production sites in the Si chuang, An Hui and Yu Nan provinces of China, meetings with Tea Scholar Dr. Dongmei Shen, and visits to black tea “Heritage,” Xuanwen Ming (tea) and the Pu’er Tea Plantation of the Fei Yan family, Nuo An has enhanced her combination of Authentic Movement, Zen and Taoist Meditation with impressions from those visits.

Nuo An Dance and Spiritual Arts Foundation is using their dancer training and rehearsal process as an experimental incubation period in the art of Spiritual Dance, encouraging the dancer’s personal growth as artists. Moving Through Tea was developed in a multi-step process and is being produced through the Foundation’s fundraising efforts specific to this event. *Read more about the properties of Green, Black and Pu’er Tea, below.

TICKETS:

$30 - General Admission
$25 - Children, Groups, Members, Seniors, Students
Expected Run Time - 120 minutes

ABOUT NUO AN:

Born and raised in China and now residing in New York City, Nuo An is a celebrated dancer and choreographer with experience in the field of dance since the age of four.

As a graduate of Beijing Dance Academy and the Pratt Institute’s Dance Therapy Program, for more than ten years Nuo An has focused on experimental dance and dance theory to create what ultimately became Spiritual Dance. Launched in China, incubated in the U.S. and imbued with a blend of Eastern and Western dance elements, Spiritual Dance integrates principles of ballet, modern dance, contemporary, folk dance and dance therapy into movement that is at once collaborative and healing to both body and soul. She is the author of the thesis “The New Dance Form: Spiritual Dance Art,” and an original founder of the art of “Spiritual Dance.”

Nuo’s recent works include Opera Dream (2014, New Theatre in NYC); Dance Work: Zen Dance (2015, Brooklyn Museum Theater, Metropolitan Museums, Asian Performing Art Center, New England Chinese New Year); New York Before and After (2016, Performance 15 Drama Festival); Tea Dance (2017, Dance in Italy) and Athene (2017, National Dora Stratou Dance Theatre in Athens, Greece); Lecture: “The New Dance Form: Spiritual Dance Art,” in 50th World Congress on Dance Research, in Athene and Harvard University, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Teaching students and offering dance therapy to groups in the community are also essential components of her work, as she seeks to impart lessons of spiritual dance to the widest possible audience. Nuo An is a certified Dance Therapist who has spearheaded programs at Phoenix House and Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. She has has a Bachelor's Degree in Choreography and Performance art from Beijing Dance Academy.

Nuo An is a member of the United Nations Council on International Dance (CID) and frequently travels around the world in an effort to infuse her work with a global perspective.
 

*ABOUT THE TEA:

Green Tea emphasizes Peace - Green tea is the earliest tea produced in the world, it is also known as "non-fermented tea" as the tea leaves are made without fermentation. Dried green tea leaves are dark green in color, brewed tea is golden green, and the tea leaves after brewing are fresh green. Green tea retains the most polyphenols and other natural ingredients during brewing that are beneficial to human health, while also providing a cool and refreshing drinking experience. Its freshness is comparable to the coming of spring, and its taste “is as short and sweet as one’s youth.” Green tea is often brewed with a transparent tea set so that anyone is able enjoy the gorgeous colors of brewed tea leaves dancing, and be able to fully embrace the aromas of the tea.

Black Tea emphasizes fermentation, formation and maturity - Black tea is a fully fermented tea, with tea leaves processed through four basic techniques - wilting, kneading, fermenting and drying. The dry tea leaves are mostly black, with the brewed tea color bright red. Black tea has a strong aroma and mellow taste, bringing the drinker warmth, sweetness, grace and spiritual radiance. These strong properties have led black tea to being the most widely produced and most consumed tea in the world.

Pu’er tea Emphasizes Power - Pu'er tea from the Yunnan Province of China is made using dried green tea leaves through fermentation. The fermented Pu’er tea leaves are formed into compact tea bricks making the tea leaves convenient for storage and transportation.  Pu’er tea includes naturally fermented raw tea leaves, as well as artificially fermented tea leaves. Pu'er tea's charm and attractiveness lies in its post-fermentation process, suitable for long-term storage - the older the tea, the better its flavor. After long periods of storage, its strong tastes converge, miscellaneous tastes are dissipated, and the aroma becomes mild and mellow. While waiting for the tea to age gracefully, the future is perceived as open and full of possibilities, with the completion of the tea akin to a gorgeous rebirth.