Exploring the Application of the Concept of “Xu-Shi” in Yin-Yang Theory within Choreography / Yidie Liu (2024)

In this paper, I attempt to address the question of how the ‘Xu-Shi’ concept of Yin-Yang theory can be applied and what impact it can have in the context of Contemporary dance creation. ‘Xu-Shi’ stands as one of the basic tenets of Yin-Yang Theory that captures the emphasis on the harmonious coexistence between two self-destructive states, absence of motion and presence of motion, for instance, stillness vs. action or hard vs. soft. This study seeks to explore the factors that inform the application of ‘Xu-Shi’ in a Contemporary dance choreographer by first contextualizing, examining the philosophical underpinnings of the ‘Xu-Shi ’concept and how it has been employed in Tai-Chi and relevant theories of Laban’s movement analysis system, 1947 (Maletic, 1987). Leaning towards a combination of case study and practice-based research approaches, this research conducts a closer examinations of Shen Wei’s work ‘Folding’ and the practice of my own work, in order to look into the particular ways ‘Xu-Shi’ is used in the contemporary dance choreography. Standing on both theoretical and practical grounds, the study examines exhaustively how ‘Xu-Shi’ is applied in Contemporary dance actions, space arrangement of the stage and in particular, how this concept assists in framing the composition meaning and form through moves and choreography. Analysis of the findings indicates that the concept of ‘Xu – Shi’ demonstrates particular effectiveness when applied to Contemporary dance not only in fracturing the dance movements and configurations of the stage scenery but also providing alternatives for narrative structures in dance. Since stories and emotions are embodied through movement and choreography, the ‘Xu-Shi’ concept shapes narrative concepts that illustrate strong opposition and smooth transitions, evoking more audience involvement and understanding of the performance. Hence, this paper show how ‘Xu-Shi’, part of Yin-Yang could be used in 2 creating contemporary dance by providing new approaches for choreographers. In the future, we wish that the ‘Xu–Shi’ concept will be extended to other art works and encourage interactions and creativity of different cultures.