Tanztreffen der Jugend: Schwarz

True black is rare—and becoming ever rarer. It is something extraordinary: the sum of all colours and the absence of light; the coexistence of certainty and uncertainty. Black is the primordial state. It is where everything begins, and where everything will ultimately end.

In this performance, which bears that profound title, I reveal the many meanings of black through movement: death, coldness, rebirth—and the subjects we rarely choose to speak about. Drawing on krump, waacking, breaking and Chinese martial arts, I use these movement practices as expressive tools to convey these ideas through poetic and evocative imagery.

The work is structured around the “Twelve Stages of Life” (十二长生) in Chinese yin–yang philosophy, where the dramatic arc does not follow the familiar trajectory of the hero’s journey but instead unfolds as a continuous cycle. Rather than fixing every movement in choreography, much of the performance is improvised, making each presentation a fresh challenge, both physically and mentally. It is an experimental journey that I undertake together with the audience.

Production and Ensemble

It’s almost three in the morning as I type this text on my screen; everything around me is black, even my screen, which is set to night mode. But strictly speaking, that statement is actually false. Not everything is black—in fact, nothing is black: the Wi-Fi router glows green, the outlet glows red, and yellow light seeps in through the window. Even where no direct light shines, nothing is black: everything is gray, just like the cats on the street at this hour—without exception.

By and starring

• Zhechang Yuan (袁喆畅) AKA Mr. Chaos