Yang, a member of the Bai ethnic group, was born and raised in Dali in China's southwestern province of Yunnan. At 11, he came to Beijing to study dance at Minzu University of China. He later studied contemporary dance and joined Guangdong Modern Dance Company, one of China's first professional modern dance performance companies. In 2002, he joined Hong Kong Dance Company and has been working as its artistic director for nine years.
"I first learned Chinese-style dance and then contemporary dance. Later, I returned to Chinese-style dance. I often ask myself the question, 'what is Chinese-style dance?' And I want to go deeper and look into its history and evolution. This three-year-long project has helped us learn the connection between Chinese martial arts and Chinese-style dance," says Yang. "Convergence is a team effort. Along with the dancers of the company, I hoped to create something new, although we had no idea where it would lead us."
The beauty of Chinese martial arts is in its power, strength and stillness, Yang says. For Chinese-style dance, the beauty lies in its elegance.
"What we learned from the project, especially regarding the philosophy of martial arts, allowed us to rethink about our body movements as dancers and gain a new understanding of the concept of beauty," he says.
