Shen Wei (; born 1968) is a

Chinese-American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, and

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He is known for founding Shen Wei Dance Arts in 2000 and for choreographing the opening segment of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony. Shen’s multidisciplinary work incorporates

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, and

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

. Critics have highlighted his syncretic style, combining elements of Eastern and Western aesthetics and blending performance art with visual installation. His original movement technique, which he terms "Natural Body Development," emphasizes breath, proprioception, and fluidity. Since 2011, Shen has expanded his practice to include large-scale multimedia productions integrating

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific art, site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior intervent ...

, video, and animation. His work has been performed in over 130 cities across 30 countries. He has received major commissions from the Park Avenue Armory,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, Lincoln Center Festival, and

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pres ...

, and has created works for companies including Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. In addition to dance, he has designed sets, costumes, lighting, and multimedia for fashion shows and art exhibitions. In 2008, he choreographed a haute couture show in Paris for Chinese designer Ma Ke. Shen Wei’s honors include the Nijinsky Award for Emerging Choreographer (2004), a

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...

(2007), and the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement (2022).

Early life

Family background and early education

Shen Wei was born in 1968 in

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

, China, into an artistically inclined family during the period of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

. His father was a Chinese

opera director Crossbreed is an American industrial metal band from Clearwater, Florida, formed in 1996. They were signed with Artemis Records before being dropped from the label in 2003. The band released two EPs and three full-length albums before disbandi ...

, performer, and

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

, while his mother worked as a

theatrical producer Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

. His two brothers also became

visual artists The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...

. At the age of nine, Shen enrolled at the Hunan Arts School (now Hunan Vocational College of the Arts) to study traditional

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

. From 1978 to 1984, he trained in voice, movement, and stage performance. Alongside this, he developed skills in traditional Chinese painting and

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. Between 1984 and 1989, he performed lead roles with the Hunan State Xian Opera Company. During the early 1980s, following China’s reengagement with the West, Shen became interested in Western classical art. He studied the works of artists such as

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...

, and

Lucian Freud Lucian Michael Freud (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. His early career as a painter was inf ...

, focusing particularly on oil painting techniques. In 1989, he discovered

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

and moved to

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

to study at th
Guangzhou Modern Dance Academy
China’s first formal institution for contemporary dance. His instructors included Ross Parks and David Hochoy of the

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1926, is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as " ...

, Betty Jones and Fritz Ludin of the José Limón Dance Company, Claudia Gitelman of th
Alwin Nikolais Dance Company
and Liz Walton from the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of M ...

. This program was supported by both the

American Dance Festival The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also ho ...

and the Asian Cultural Council. In 1991, Shen became one of the founding members of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, the first professional modern dance ensemble in China. He worked with the company as a choreographer and performer until 1994.

Early works

In the early 1990s, Shen Wei produced over ten original dance works and created numerous oil paintings, reflecting his interdisciplinary artistic approach. Notable choreographed pieces for the Guangdong Modern Dance Company included ''Still Child'', ''Racing With the Sun'', ''Colored Relations'', and ''Insomnia'', several of which entered the company’s active repertory. His experimental style positioned him among the early pioneers of avant-garde performance art in China. In 1994, Shen premiered a solo multimedia production titled ''Small Room'', which toured in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. That same year, he was awarded First Prize in both choreography and performance at th
National Modern Dance Competition
in China.

Career

Early New York life and work (1995–1999)

In January 1995, Shen Wei moved to

after receiving a three-month scholarship from the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab. Over the next five years, he engaged in artistic experimentation influenced by filmmakers and artists such as

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko ( ; Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903February 25, 1970) was an American abstract art, abstract painter. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular reg ...

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French artist and Humanist photography, humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 135 film, 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

, and

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

. He also explored release techniques in dance, which informed the early development of his signature choreographic style. During this time, Shen performed with Murray Louis and participated in four productions by Martha Clarke. He also began choreographing for the

and Alvin Ailey II. In 1997, Cloud Gate Dance Theater presented a revised version of his work ''The Bed'', originally commissioned by the American Dance Festival in 1995. He toured his solo production ''Small Room'' at venues including the Palace Theater in London, the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

in New York, and

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

in Virginia.

Philosophy

Shen Wei describes himself as an artist deeply engaged with the human body as a medium of expression. In a 2011 interview with Bloomberg, he stated that "dancers should show expression through their body movement. They're not actors." He developed a choreographic method called "Natural Body Development," which integrates breath, proprioception, visual focus, weight, and gravity into the movement process. Shen emphasizes that movement can originate from breath or internal energy ( chi), and that external and internal energies continuously interact through the body. He challenges dualistic philosophies, advocating that dancers develop both their physical and mental capacities. "I don't use dancers to copy movement," he said. "Human beings are not just puppets. A dancer has to have a really open mind and be willing to take a risk." Shen's creative process often includes structured improvisation, encouraging performers to explore intuitive responses within choreographic frameworks. His 2003 work ''Rite of Spring'' incorporates guided improvisations that result in a balance between choreographic structure and spontaneous movement. In discussing his artistic motivation, Shen has stated that his primary goal is to inspire others. He has emphasized the importance of innovation, clarity, and emotional connection, remarking: "When you're an artist... you want to make things that have never existed before... you want people to feel these things are new, make them communicate, become part of the culture, and to inspire other human beings."

Select works

''Folding'' (2000) * World Premiere: Guangdong Modern Dance Company * Concept, Choreography, Costumes, Set and Make-up Design: Shen Wei * Music:

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious music, religious works. Among his best known works are ''The Lamb (Tavener), The Lamb'' (1982), ''The ...

and Tibetan Buddhist Chant * Lighting: David Ferri ''Near the Terrace-Part I'' (2001) * World Premiere:

* Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music:

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

* Lighting: David Ferri ''Behind Resonance'' (2001) * World Premiere: SUNY Purchase * Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music: David Lang * Lighting: David Ferri and Shen Wei ''Near the Terrace-Part II'' (2002) * World Premiere:

* Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music:

, Benjamin Iobst, music of Mangkunêgaran * Lighting: David Ferri ''Rite of Spring'' (2003) * Concept, Choreography, Costumes, Set and Make-up Design: Shen Wei * Score:

* Musical Recording:

Fazıl Say Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970) is a Turkish pianist and composer who has worked internationally. Life and career Say was born in Ankara in 1970. His father, Ahmet Say, was an author and musicologist. His mother, Gürgün Say, was a pharm ...

* Lighting: David Ferri ''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition'' (2003) * A series of Paintings created in conjunction with his abstracted ''Rite of Spring'' was first exhibited as part of the company's New York City debut at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2003 ''Connect Transfer'' (2004) * World Premiere:

* Concept, Choreography, Set, and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music:

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

, Kevin Volans,

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; , ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde composer, music theorist, architect, performance director and enginee ...

* Lighting:

Jennifer Tipton Jennifer Tipton (born September 11, 1937) is an American lighting designer. She has designed for dance, theater, and opera. She is known for working on many productions of American Ballet Theatre. Life and career Tipton was born in Columbus, Ohi ...

''Map'' (2005) * World Premiere: Lincoln Center Festival * Concept, Choreography, Costumes, Set Design: Shen Wei * Music:

* Lighting: David Scott Bolman ''The Second Visit To the Empress'' (2005, 2007) * World Premiere:

2005 * Direction, Choreography, Set, Make-up and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music: Traditional Chinese Beijing Opera * Lighting:

''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – Movements'' (2005) * Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival with Chambers Fine Arts in New York 2005 ''Re-Part I'' (2006) * Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei * Music: Traditional Tibetan Chant * Vocals: Ani Choying Dolma * Lighting:

''Re-Part II'' (2007) * Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design; and Sounds and Images recorded at

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; , "City/Capital of Wat, Temples") is a Buddhism and Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring within the ancient Khmer Empire, Khmer capital city of Angkor, it was originally constructed ...

: Shen Wei * Music: John Tavener's "Tears of the Angels," with Traditional Cambodian Music, and Original recordings by Shen Wei * Lighting:

* Projection Design: Shen Wei & Daniel Hartnett ''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – Movements'' (2007) * Chambers Fine Arts in New York 2007 ''Fashion Show at Paris Haute Couture-WUYONG, by the Chinese designer Ma Ke'' (2007) * Direction, Choreography and Co-installation design for 40 performing artists at the Palais Royale in Paris: Shen Wei ''The Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony "Scroll" Segment'' 2008 * Direction and Choreography: Shen Wei * Original Score: Chen Qi-Gung * General Director of the Opening Ceremony:

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

''Re-Part III'' (2009) * Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design; and Sounds and Images recorded on China's

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

: Shen Wei * Original Score: David Lang * Recorded Violinist: Todd Reynolds * Lighting:

* Projection Design: Shen Wei and Daniel Hartnett ''7 to 8 and'' (2010) * World Premiere: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo * Choreography and visual and projection design: Shen Wei * Original Score: Dirk Haubrich ''NYC Guerilla-Site Specific Work'' (2010) * Sites:

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

, Union Square, 42nd Street, outside of

New York Public Library Main Branch The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (commonly known as the Main Branch, the 42nd Street Library, or just the New York Public Library) is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system in the Midtown Manhattan, Midtown neighborhood ...

, outside of The

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and

Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...

* Concept and Choreography: Shen Wei * Performed by: Shen Wei Dance Arts ''Still Moving'' (2011) * World Premiere:

* Concept, Choreography, and Visual Design: Shen Wei * Original Score: Daniel Burke * Costume: Shen Wei and Austin Scarlett ''Limited States'' (2011) * World Premiere:

* Concept, Choreography, Video and Animation Design: Shen Wei * Original Score: Daniel Burke * Lighting: Shen Wei and Matthew F. Lewandowski II * Costume: Shen Wei and Austin Scarlett ''Undivided Divided'' (2011) * World-premiere: Park Avenue Armory * Concept, Choreography and Visual Design: Shen Wei * Original Score:

Sō Percussion Sō Percussion is a Grammy winning American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationa ...

* Lighting:

* Video and Animation: Josh Horowitz, Layne Braunstein and Blair Neal * Costume: Austin Scarlett * Sound Design: Lawson White ''Exhibition-Solo Exhibition and Installation Performance'' (2012) * Mana Contemporary in New Jersey, USA. March 11 – June 11, 2012 ''The New You (2012)'' * World Premiere: The Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX * Concept, Direction, Choreography and Visual Design: Shen Wei ''Carmina Burana (2013)'' * World Premiere: Teatro San Carlo, Napoli, Italy * Concept, Choreography, and Direction: Shen Wei * Program Carl Orff: Carmina Burana / Anonymous, Four Cantiones profanae (orchestrated by Jordi Bernácer) * Director of Music: Jordi Bernácer * Chorus Master: Salvatore Caputo * Director of Ballet: Alessandra Panzavolta * Director of Children's Choir: Stefania Rinaldi * Sets and costumes: Shen Wei * Angela Nisi, soprano; Valdis Jansons, baritone; Ilham Nazarov, countertenor * Soloists from Shen Wei Dance Arts: Cecily Campbell, Cynthia Koppe, Evan Copeland, Alex Dean Speedie * Orchestra, Choir, Ballet and Children's Choir of the Teatro di San Carlo ''Sacre Du Printemps (2013)'' * World Premiere: The Amsterdam Music Theatre * Commissioned and Performed by: Dutch National Ballet * Choreography, Set, and Costumes: Shen Wei * Music: Igor Stravinsky, ''Le Sacre du Printemps'' * Accompaniment: Holland Symfonia conducted by Matthew Rowe ''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – "Shen Wei: In Black, White and Gray'' (2014) * Miami Dade College Museum of Art + Design in Miami, Florida. December 5, 2014 – February 1, 2015 * 11 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas ''Untitled No. 12 – 1 (2014, 2016)'' * Concept, Choreography, Costumes: Shen Wei * Sound Design: ''Metronome Collage'' by Shen Wei, played live by dancers * Performed alongside painting exhibition, ''Shen Wei: In Black, White and Gray'', at Miami Dade College Museum of Art + Design 2014 * Performed alongside painting exhibition, ''Shen Wei: Dance Strokes'', at Asia Society Hong Kong Centre 2016 ''Untitled No 12 – 2 (2015)'' * Concept, Choreography, Direction, Set and Costumes: Shen Wei * Music: Echoes from the Gorge, Chou Wen-chung * Sound Design: Metronome Collage by Shen Wei, played live by dancers * Lighting Design: Christina Watanabe-Jensen * Projection Images: Selections from Black, White, and Gray painting series by Shen Wei * Projection Realization: Rocco DiSanti * Commission: Spoleto Festival USA, American Dance Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music ''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – "Shen Wei In Black, White and Gray'' (2015) * The Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona. October 9 – December 6, 2015 * 5 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas * Hosted simultaneously with Shen Wei Dance Arts performance ''Exhibition-Group Painting Exhibition – "Performance and Remnant'' (2015) * The Fine Art Society, London, UK. October 9 – 31, 2015 * 3 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas * Other artists included: Justin Davis Anderson, Jo Broughton, Ori Gersht, John Giorno,

Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy (born 25 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural or urban settings. Early life Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire on 25 July ...

, Rashaad Newsome, Michael Petry, and Geraldine Swayne ''Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – "Shen Wei: Dance Strokes'' (2016) * Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, Hong Kong. March 20 – April 4, 2016 * 7 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas * In conjunction with Shen Wei Dance Arts' Untitled No. 12 – 1 and Untitled No. 32 (Bodies and Rooftop) ''Untitled No. 32 (Bodies and Rooftop) (2016)'' * Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, Joseph Lau and Josephine Lau Roof Garden * Site-specific * Concept and Choreography: Shen Wei * Performed by: Shen Wei Dance Arts * Set and Production: Andy Y.O. Tsui * Music: Echoes From The Gorge by Chou Wen-Chung ''Neither (2016)'' *Brooklyn Academy of Music *Choreography: Shen Wei *Performed by: Shen Wei Dance Arts *Music: Morton Feldman, Samuel Beckett ''Everything is Connected (2018)'' *Film *Nowness *Concept: Shen Wei ''Integrate (2021 & 2023)'' *West Bund Dome, Shanghai, China *Site Specific *Exhibition, Film, Dance (live performance) ''Summery(2022)'' *R. J. REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES THEATER *American Dance Festival Footprints Commission *Choreography: Shen Wei *Performed by: Footprints Students *Music: Arvo Part ''Dong Po: Life in Poems (2022)'' *Chorography: Shen Wei *Performed by: China Oriental Performing Arts Group Co., Ltd. & Meishan Song and Dance Theatre

Awards and distinctions

* Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Choreography (2022) * International Society for The Performing Arts’s Distinguished Artist Award (2022) *

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

Artist-in-Residence Fellow (2012) * Artist to Artist Award for Exceptional Merit in Contribution to the Arts (2011) * Park Avenue Armory Artist-in-Residence Fellow (2011) * Algur H. Meadows Prize (2010) * Asian American Arts Alliance Award (2010) * Young Global Leader Honoree,

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

(2009) * MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2007) * US Artist Fellow (2007) * The John F. Kennedy Performing arts Center Five Years Artist in Residency (2007–2013) * Les Etoiles de Ballet at the Palais des Festival (2006) * Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia: Best Ballet or Dance Work (2005) * Nijinsky Award for Emerging Choreographer (2004) *

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

(2001) * New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2000) * Asian Cultural Council Fellowship (1995) * First Prize at the National Modern Dance Competition, China (1994)

References

External links

Company Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shen, Wei 1968 births American choreographers American male dancers Chinese choreographers Chinese emigrants to the United States Chinese male dancers Chinese dancers Film directors from Hunan Contemporary dance choreographers Living people MacArthur Fellows Artists from Changsha Artists from New York City Chinese film directors Film directors from New York City

Early life

Family background and early education

Early works

Career

Early New York life and work (1995–1999)

Philosophy

Select works

Awards and distinctions

See also

References

External links