Sang Jijia is hailed as the first Tibetan dancer to perform modern dance on a professional level. He traveled with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company for five years until 1998. During this time, he won the Paris International Modern Dance competition, and has already achieved fame when he was hailed “the star of the next century” by the Guangdong province. He joined CCDC in 1999, a reputable Chinese dance company, and in 2002 he began acting as protegé to world famous dance choreographer William Forsythe. He stayed with the Forsythe company until 2006, acting as a choreographer and dancer. By 2007, Sang Jijia’s works (such as “Comrade”, “Stay Still”, and “Show You Colors”) have been featured in dance festivals all around the world. He is currently working on a documentary film that will bring into focus the dance culture of Tibet.
Sang Jijia is going to present his solo piece entitled “Snow” in the NYC Fall For Dance festival. “Snow” is a piece that begins with a minimalist choreography, but grows to encapsulate the artist’s emotions and personality, opening him up to the entire audience. It debuted in the U.S. in 2008.
There were many facial expressions that we saw during the course of the piece. The frustration of the dancer as he glided across the stage, his admiration of the falling snow, and the facial “peace” that he landed in towards the end of the piece. This progression helped us, as the audience, travel through the emotions that he felt. It was beautiful to be able to relate to his feelings.