Chengxin Wei

My Q & A with Chengxin Wei appears in this week's WE.

Q & A with Chengxin Wei of Moving Dragon
By Andrea Warner

What are some of the challenges choreography presents?
This piece, LuminUS, is my first full-length work, so creating an engaging and cohesive hour-long dance is a challenge. Plus, I am a dancer in the work, so it is sometimes difficult to gain an outside perspective.

What are you attempting to communicate with this work?
The two main themes in this piece are the relationship between the dancers' bodies and the lighting, and the relationship between the dancers with one another. The lighting plays an integral part in the work, framing the movement and creating an environment which reflects the dancers' internal worlds.

What are some of the hardest physical demands of dancing professionally?
Obviously, on a physical level, it's important to keep yourself in shape, and to take care of your body by eating well, resting well and minimizing injury. From an emotional level, creating and performing your own work can be very stressful, and I think it is important to stay emotionally healthy by focusing on the work and by staying true to yourself.

How did you get involved with dance?
This is a long story. I was selected by the Beijing Dance Academy when I was eleven years old. They came into my elementary school to recruit students, and I was the only boy from my city who was accepted that year. I have been dancing ever since then.

What do you do in your down time? How do you unwind away from the stage?
I love to read and watch Chinese kung fu movies. I also try to meditate everyday.