Memories, energy, feelings. Shanghai-based Xie Xin on choreography, Ripple and the BalletBoyz

Chinese choreographer tells David Mead about her creative process and Ripple, now touring as part of the BalletBoyz’ Deluxe double bill.

“Moving, natural and transparent. A memory like an ocean.” That’s how multiple award-winning Shanghai-based dancer and choreographer Xie Xin (謝欣) describes Ripple, a work that explores movement inspired by the memory of a person, and the energy that such memories possess.

Originally planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the all-male ensemble in 2020, the work’s live performances had only just got underway (read Róisín O’Brien’s review from Glasgow) when they were interrupted by the pandemic, although the Deluxe programme it was part of was one of the first adapted for digital broadcast, screening online and on television. But now, it’s back.

The seed for the collaboration was sown in Autumn 2018 when the BalletBoyz were in Shanghai to perform Life at the Shanghai International Dance Center, where XieXin Dance Theater (謝欣舞蹈劇場) is based and where the choreographer is an Associate Artist. She explains that they were interested in collaborating with a local choreographer, and she was one of the people they wanted to explore the possibilities with. Contacts were made and a workshop held, after which she says artistic directors Billy Trevitt and Michael Nunn came to her and said, “It’s you, the way your movements link seem to happen so naturally. It’s wonderful. We definitely want to collaborate with you. Let’s discus a schedule.”

In many ways, Ripple is a good example of Xie Xin’s dance vocabulary, soft and giving, and full of flowing connections and circular movement. “It flows out of shape with a forced release and the force is wrapped up in the breath. It’s primitive and full of energy,” she says. “With young dancers, I inscribe 100% of what I have, my requirements and expectations. Throughout the whole process they are synchronised with my idea. With more mature dancers is balance is more 50-50. Giving them trust and space is the smartest way to collaborate. With dancers like that I will retreat back to giving 10% of the instruction, only giving necessary direction, and their wisdom can take me to places beyond my own reach.”

There are also differences between Chinese and Western dancers, she considers. Chinese dancers are increasingly growing and opening up, thanks partly through participation in international projects, which have helped develop their own thinking and our creativity. “Most dancers in Europe are mature, good at collaborating, have self-awareness and completely independent thinking.”

But no matter where they go, an original choreographer can bring inspiration into any environment, she adds. “Good choreographers can always create something unique, made specifically for the dancers in the room. I think my biggest inspiration is always observing the dancers I am working with. My process responds to them. I try to use the precious opportunity that comes through the collaborative process to stay current, present and in the moment.”

Xie Xin found the BalletBoyz dancers a delight to work with. She has previous said that she has found that foreign dancers sometimes struggle to give up and relax the weight of the body into the floor. Not here. “Because of their experience of collaborating with many different choreographers in many different styles, they were all very open, both with their bodies and with their minds. They’re incredibly professional and full of potential. I found them very inspirational throughout the creative process.”

She explains that process happens through continuous discovery, day after day. While the essence of it remains the same, working with the British dancers in an unfamiliar environment definitely gave stimulation, she believes. “Intuition, observation, thinking, action!”

A female choreographer working with an all-male troupe also brings something different, Xie Xin says. “There’s that the magical ‘chemical reaction’. The melting process of men and women, the East and West, will always bring about new things.”

Male and female dancers do often bring different energies and dynamics to the space, though, and she admits to having to adapt her ideas to suit an all-male group of dancers. “They are the first all-male dance group I’ve collaborated with. I found that their physical energy is balanced 50/50, rather than the 30/70 split often seen in mixed male/female dance groups. I needed to find my own perspective in this new balance of power.”

Ripple is performed to an original score by composer Jiang Shaofeng (姜少峰). “He understands my soul so he transcribed the atmosphere I wanted to create through music. The music he wrote for Ripple made me feel very free,” she says. What comes first varies for Xie Xin, although most commonly she imagines the progression of movement first, then chooses music later in the process. For Ripple, she explains, “The picture and the inspiration came first, then the composer created music for it. I then met the dancers and could focus on the body, the movement and the interpretation.”

What should the audience look for from the work? “I want the audience to see themselves. Sometimes memories hit us uncontrollably, creating ripples.” It’s the heart that makes a piece come alive, she adds.

Ripple is joined on the Deluxe double-bill by Bradley 4:18 by Maxine Doyle, the choreographer behind immersive theatre trailblazers Punchdrunk. Performed to live jazz music composed specially for the piece by Cassie Kinoshi and inspired particularly by Kate Tempest’s poem, Pictures on a Screen, it explores insomnia and modern western masculinity.

Deluxe by the BalletBoyz is now touring. Next venues are Cambridge Arts Theatre (March 20-22, 2022); Sadler’s Wells, London (March 24-27); Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (March 28); and Storyhouse, Chester (March 30-April 1).
Visit www.balletboyz.com for subsequent dates, venues and ticket links.