Internationally acclaimed dance theatre troupe Scottish Dance Theatre returned to China in 2018 with their four productions, including Dreamers, Process Day, Innocenceand TuTuMucky.They performedin Shanghai International Dance Centre and Shaanxi Grand Theatre Opera House on 31 October to 10 November. Collaborating with NFA International, Performance Infinity participated in the management of SDT’s tour in both locations and provided necessary assistance with our understanding of the Chinese performing arts industry and market. The performances on both sites gained positive reviews and feedback.

Rabbit Hole is a play written by David Lindsay-Abaire. It was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered on Broadway in 2006, and it has also been produced by regional theatres in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This version of Rabbit Hole is produced by Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Centre in collaboration with professor Brain Kite from UCLA theatre department.

Twelfth Night is a production which was put on at Guangzhou Arts Centre from 12 October to 21 October 2018. Twelfth Night is part of The Shakespeare Folio Translation Project, the project is an initiative led by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the celebrations for the upcoming 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s first folio in 2023. The project aims to translate the entire works of Shakespeare into Mandarin drawing on the expertise of Chinese translators, theatre makers, actors, directors and playwrights from both the UK and China.

Partnered with the London based theatre company Chickenshed and our Chinese partner Elite Group, and supported by the funding from British Council China. The Lotus Lantern was a special and meaningful project in order to bring the arts and theatre to disadvantaged young children. The artists of Chickenshed Theatre Company together with undergraduates of the Hebei Institute of Communications who are training in Theatre in Education developed original music, choreography and staging to present this work, and also visited the Bo Ai School in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China to introduce its inclusive approach to different environments through this inter-cultural initiative. With professional assistance from Performance Infinity, we ensured the success of the visit by Chickenshed and received positive feedback from our partners, parents and students due to the creation of this memorable experience.

After a triumphant run in 2017, Lebensraum by the legendary theatre artist Jakop Ahlbom and the rock band Alamo Race returned to 1862 Arts Centre in Shanghai, China. Acting as the presenter for this China tour, Performance Infinity oversaw all the communications between the company and China partners, tour schedules, technical preparations, media campaigns, and various other works related to the tour.

Guo Degang is one of the most famous and influential cross-talk masters in China with over 67 million followers on his Weibo (China’s Twitter). Recently, he was also named by National Museum of Australia (NWA) to become the museum’s cultural ambassador in China. Mr Guo and his performing group, De Yun She, are one of the most active crosstalk groups not only in China but also across the world in different major cities.

Performance Infinity was proud to provide our professional expertise in production to our partners at every stage which included venue searching, marketing strategy, technical support and on-site management. We ensured the smooth and successful run in London and Manchester, drove high box office and received very positive feedback from the audience.

It is Performance Infinity’s second year working alongside China Performing Arts Agency, Shandong Grand Theatre and Shandong Arts Academy to find international artists to collaborate on a dance production. We received great support from well-known Czech physical theatre company, Spitfire company, inviting Czech choreographer Jiri Bartovanec and musician Martin Hůla to join and provide their professional expertise to the production.

“Zhouyi”, also known as the Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text and the oldest of the Chinese classics for studying the order and rhythm of the nature of the universe. The dance theatre “Folding Shadow” is inspired by the process of studying and researching “Zhouyi”, based on its philosophical thoughts and aesthetics. This piece aims to present the research subjects of “Zhouyi” to the audience, letting its nature speak and interact with the audience through the dancer’s body movements.
Combining contemporary dance techniques with classic Chinese moves and the rhythm of Taichi, the core ideology of this performance is to express the greatness of natural spirits and praise the harmony between nature and human beings. The production premiered on 2^ndNovember 2018 in Shandong Grand Theatre and hosted a showcase in December in Brussels.

The Wuzhen International Theatre Festival is an annual theatre event founded in 2013 in China. Within 6 years, the festival has already become one of the most pioneering festivals in China and Asia. Following last year’s presentation of Portraits in Motion (Germany) and Water Stain (Brazil) at the festival, Performance Infinity brought Via Berlin’s unique production to the ancient thousand-year-old town.

Via Berlin is a musical theatre company founded by Dagmar Slagmolen and Rosa Arnold. Using a unique combination of world-famous classical music and original words, Via Berlin tells, in its own way, very personal and recognisable stories that symbolise universal, societal and current themes such as war, illegality, ageing and our consumer society.

This year’s China Changing Festival was the final edition of Southbank Centre’s three-year festival showcasing contemporary China, and its creative connection with the UK, through cutting-edge art and culture. It was also the second year that Performance Infinity was invited to contribute our insights and ideas to the festival curating team, following lastyear’s successful presentations of Little Soldier Zhang Ga and Sink. This year we introduced and co-presented two productions, The Sea and The Injustice to Tou O at the festival.

Designing for kids, The Sea is directed by the Chinese director Liu Xiaoyi. Through the eyes of a little paper puppet fish, The Sea reveals a live underwater world using film, movement and interaction with the audience, through puppetry and physical theatre. Following the adventure of this little fish,The Sea makes kids fall in love with the sea again.

The Injustice to Tou O is directed and performed by the promising theatrical artist, Ding Yiteng. It is a stunning reimagination of a 13th-century supernatural tale of love and intrigue, false accusations and the making and undoing of curses. Employing traditional Chinese art forms and blending in with western touches, the story is masterfully presented through physical performance, text, film and live music.

Both productions gained extensive positive feedback from local British audiences.

Inspired by the Energy Show, which is directed and co-written by Martin Lamb, and premiered at London’s National Science Museum in 2014, Performance Infinity saw the potential of this production and bridged the British creative team together with China’s Beijing Elite Group to develop an original Chinese production, Science Detective (Chinese: 能量密室). It was directed by Liu Xiaoyi who is known for works such as the  Chinese version of National Theatre’s War Horse. The Science Detective was premiered on 9th August 2018 at Beijing Poly Theatre and was immediately followed by a tour across 22 cities in China.