DANCE
The Age
Saturday March 6, 2010
WHAT Shanghai Beauty WHERE State Theatre, The Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Road, city WHEN Today, 8pm; and tomorrow, 5pm COST $39-$89.theartscentre.com.au, 1300 182 183 LI CUNXIN may be Mao€™s last dancer, but Jin Xing lays claim to an equally impressive fi rst. At age 26, Jin Xing €” a former colonel in the People€™s Liberation Army €” underwent sex reassignment surgery to become the fi rst transsexual recognised by the Chinese government.She is also one of the country€™s most successful dancers and choreographers and the director of its biggest independent dance group, the Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai. Jin Xing and her ensemble make their maiden visit to Australia with Shanghai Beauty, a collaboration with German dance company Rubato that explores themes of new versus old, individuality versus conformity and east versus west via 14 dancers, all moving as one. Shanghai Beauty is the fi rst event in the Kenneth Myer Asian Theatre Series, a new biennial program from the Arts Centre that is a showcase for contemporary Asian works.
© 2010 The Age