Artist finds the world is his stage

Chinese heritage plays vital role in creative work of mastermind behind Olympic opening ceremony, Chen Nan reports.

As a choreographer, painter and visual artist, Shen Wei is a global citizen who travels around the world to work with international artists on diverse art projects.

The New York-based artist is known for his work at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing by choreographing the breathtakingly beautiful dance piece, titled Scroll Painting, in which dancers performed on a constant changing LED scroll of Chinese ink-and-wash paintings, depicting the evolution of China since ancient times.

In 2021, he launched his solo exhibition, Painting in Motion, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, in the United States. In June, he was honored with an American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement. His dance piece Summary premiered during the ceremony along with his art piece Suspension in Blue.

In September, Shen arrived in Beijing. He was ready for a new project, Poetic Dance: Dongpo, featuring music, dance and visual arts, by working with China Oriental Performing Arts Group.

Shen plays multiple roles in the new stage production, including director, choreographer, scriptwriter, visual artistic director and set designer. After months of preparation, Shen and his creative team appeared in the capital on Jan 8 to officially announce Poetic Dance: Dongpo.

Though the exact date of the new production's premiere was not unveiled yet, it will tour around the country this year with more than 200 shows, according to China Oriental Performing Arts Group.