Moves and numbers

Born in Chongqing, Tao, now 33, was sent to a local dance school to learn classical Chinese and ethnic dances by his grandmother when he was 12 years old.

"My body was very flexible, and I imitated the dancer I saw on TV to do the splits, which impressed my grandmother," Tao says.

Before founding his own dance company in 2008, Tao had worked with Jin Xing Dance Theater and Beijing Modern Dance Company.

"When I was a dancer, I just did the moves that the choreographers told me to do. But then I became a choreographer and I have been trying to articulate my own dancing vocabulary and philosophy－that is, to understand the movements of my body, to explore all possibilities and to push the limits of movement," Tao says.

"The process is very personal and challenging. For me, dancing is about the logic of body movements. It goes beyond techniques."

Duan, 41, who was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, danced with Akram Khan Company in the United Kingdom and the New York-based company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and returned to China in 2008. The first dance piece she performed with Tao Dance Theater was a solo dance in Weight X3.

"It was the first dance piece that Tao choreographed for me. It's very special, and he told me to forget about my past experiences of working with other choreographers," recalls Duan. "It's a work that surprised me since I pushed my limits as a dancer."

The solo dance had not been performed for a long time because Duan and her husband hadn't found a dancer to replace her until Zhang Qiaoqiao joined Tao Dance Theater last year.

Now, with 12 dancers in its fold, the group has toured more than 40 countries. It was the first Chinese contemporary dance company to perform at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2012. Sadler's Wells, a British dance company, has commissioned Tao to perform at the event for three consecutive years since 2016.

Speaking about Tao and his choreography, Lin Hwai-min, founder and artistic director of Cloud Gate, a well-known Taiwan dance company, says: "He is the most promising contemporary dancer on the Chinese mainland. His works belong to the 21st century. They amaze (people) and provoke deep reflection."