Under Siege by Yang Liping Contemporary Dance

mariahardcastle
Nov 4, 2016
2 min read

Sadler's Wells Theatre, London

Yang Liping brings a savage and heart-breaking battle to life in Under Siege. She takes on the ambitious task of translating the 2000 year old Chinese tale of the Han and Chu War, a bloodbath of epic proportions which ultimately changed the course of Chinese history.

With the help of visual director, Tim Yip, Liping creates a visual spectacle. In a tribute to Beili Liu’s art installation, The Mending Project (2011), Yip suspends a thick blanket of scissors precariously above the stage. This is lowered throughout the work to periodically divide the performance space. The interactive nature of Yip’s set continues with a dense carpet of red feathers. Visually dazzling effects are created as the dancers tumble through the expanse of blood stained quills.

Yip’s extravagant set enhances Liping’s choreography, but the movement vocabulary itself is very iconic. Liping uses a complex fusion of old and new by combining tai chi, kung fu, ballet, hip-hop and Peking opera acrobatics. This experimental language showcases Liping’s impressive cast who achieve a stunningly virtuosic performance. With the exception of the tender moments by Yu Ji, the remaining work exudes an aggressive tonality which builds anticipation for the imminent battle. When war breaks out the choreography seems to dip in dynamism. The limited amount of dancers, in combination with the decision to strip back the set during these scenes, sees Liping struggle to command the vast space of the Sadler’s Wells stage. As such she did not do justice to the epic proportions of this historic battle.

Under Siege introduces the western world to an epic Chinese legend, which although may not be perfectly translatable to all, encompassing the hostility of the time whilst evoking an almost Bauschian humanity which transcends the tale.

The Mending Project by Beili Liu: