Near the Terrace (2000)
Concept, Choreography, Set and Costume Design: Shen Wei
Music: Opening Score by Daniel Burke; Fur Alina and Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt
Original Lighting Design: David Ferri
Running Time: 30 minutes
Commissioned By: American Dance Festival
“Near the Terrace was created in 2000 during a period when I was questioning everyday movements and exploring their connection to different sensibilities of dance technique and performance. I began detailed work on simple center-controlled movements in relationship to spatial, temporal, and visual elements. My research of this concept first led to the creation of Folding (2000). Several months later, I continued to examine the movement concepts I began in Folding while also studying the work of surrealist Belgian painter Paul Delvaux, whose paintings became the inspiration for Near the Terrace. On many levels, I feel his art connects to the sensibilities I was searching for in my own art during this period.”
—Shen Wei
Press/Reviews
“This is dance that must be savored moment by moment."
—Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times
"Beautiful, haunting images—as resonant and spare as the Arvo Pärt music."
—Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice
"A cherished classic in modern dance...I particularly miss this world, each time its performance ends. I cannot advise you to fall in love with a world which only exists for about a half-hour, at irregular intervals, in darkened rooms, in cities far apart. Nor can I advise you on how to keep from doing so."
—Byron Woods, Indy Week, Durham, North Carolina
“Wondrous…I don’t think one could see it too often.”
—Kate Dobbs Ariail, Classical Voice of North Carolina