Re-(II) (2007) 

Concept, Choreography, Set Design: Shen Wei

Lighting: Jennifer Tipton

Music: John Tavener Tears of the Angels; Traditional Cambodian Music; original recordings by Shen Wei

Sound and Images recorded at Angkor Wat by Shen Wei

Projection Design: Shen Wei and Daniel Hartnett

Running Time: 30 minutes

“My 2006 visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia inspired this work. It reflects impressions of the temples and the trees, the sounds of the land, the children and the culture of that place. I recorded sounds and images from the jungle surrounding the temples for use in this performance, and have chosen traditional music played by local disabled artists, the Moon Light Band, who use handmade instruments at the foot of trees near Angkor Tom.”

—Shen Wei

Press/Reviews

“In Part II, Shen Wei's intensely personal journey has reached Cambodia, and again there is the elegiac note of intrinsic heritage being eroded, destroyed, by invading forces...the choreography matches the mystical beauty of Tavener's 'Tears of the angels', a reverie for man-made monuments brought low by the time and nature."
—Mary Brennan, The Herald, Edinburgh, Scotland

"As we pondered this evocative and poignant tableau, and the beauty and fragility of it all—time simply disappeared."
—Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post

"The single most ravishingly beautiful moment of Spoleto Festival to date occurred midway through the second of three extraordinary performances from Shen Wei Dance Arts at last night's Gaillard premiere of 'Re-Parts II, II, and III'. Staged against a monumental backdrop of Cambodian jungle and crumbling ruins, one of Shen Wei's impossibly tall dancers lay on the floor, painted milk white. In a spotlit pool of brilliant white light, she bend her head back and arched her torso, legs crossed, so that she appeared to be sculpted from alabaster, literally statuesque. The work Re-(II), unfolded almost in slow motion, evoking the dilated passage of time at Cambodia's ancient Angkor temples and drawing heavily upon the choreographer's own experiences there. It was an achingly gorgeous stunner of a moment in an evening that was packd with such moments"
 —Patrick Sharbaugh, Charleston City Paper

"A tour de force with the seductive power to change the way we see dance, the human body, even nature itself. This is an artist at the height of his powers reaching still further, to take his audience in a fond embrace...this piece alone is worth the price not just of admission but of several repeat visits. And much, much discussion afterward." 
—Jon Santiago, Charleston City Paper

"The scene ended in a frozen tableau that mingled horror and beauty: each body was caught in mid-writhe, seemingly in pain yet frozen... The image is destined to stay with you forever. The essence of Shen Wei's gift is his ability to make such moments iconic, not melodramatic." 
—Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register