He Qiwo (ErGao) | 2019 Residency
Switzerland | Dance
Jan.3-Mar.29, 2019 — Dance
Nationality: China
Residency location: Zurich
Partner organization: Rote Fabrik
He Qiwo (ErGao), multi-media dancer/choreographer whose work uses dance, film, installation and other creative strategies, graduated from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He founded ErGao Dance Production Group (EDPG) in 2007 in Guangzhou, with a focus on dance theatre, dance film, community art and dance education. His productions continuously see the body as the primary medium of work and the site of artistic investigation, using diverse strategies to explore Chinese social and cultural identities, sex, gender and other topics. His major works include “Disco-Teca”, “Salty Roast Crane”, “Super Tight”, “Everyday Dance Movement”, “This is A Chicken Coop”, “Lucy”.
Between 2008 and 2012, ErGao was invited to participate in multiple projects in collaboration with international dance companies and festivals, including Rubatu Tanz Company (Germany), Angie Hiesl and Roland Kaiser (Germany), Limitrof Company (France), Emio Greco | PC (Holland). After 2012, ErGao accepted multiple commissions from different arts organizations and art festivals, including Ibsen International (Norway), Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Jumping Frames Dance Film Festival, Guangdong Modern Dance Festival, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, DPAC Dance Company (Malaysia), Hong Kong Dance Art, Guangdong Times Museum, Shanghai Ming Contemporary Art Museum and other organizations. In the recent years, ErGao has proactively pursued dance education work, hosting lectures, workshops and other events at China Academy of Art, Guangzhou Academy of Art, Musee de la Danse France, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhejiang University, DPAC Dance Company (Malaysia), LDTX Dance Company (Beijing) and other institutions. In 2015, German’s “Deutsche Welle” named Ergao “one of the bright stars of contemporary dance in China”.
For his residency project “Fafa: disappearing everyday gesture”, ErGao is going to shape a fictitious character “Fafa”. “Fafa” was a childhood friend of ErGao’s father, and it’s also the name of ErGao’s younger brother, the meaning of which contains the expectation to earn lots of money. During the three months, ErGao is going to work on the research and interview with the local senior and children. He will record the locals’ everyday gesture and their bodies under the influence from pop culture, leading to the issue on the self-consciousness of the youth nowadays. As a final demonstration, Ergao hopes to give a showcase with video presentation as well as live performance.
(Portrait courtesy of Gu Tianchang)
