Yin Mei Explores Memory, History Through Dance

The 2007-08 Performing Arts Series continues on Friday, Sept. 28, with a multimedia dance-theater work by acclaimed choreographer Yin Mei. She and her company will perform Nomad: The River at 8 p.m. in Goodhart Theater.

Born in China, Yin began her career in Chinese traditional dance during the Cultural Revolution. She came to the United States to study modern dance in 1985, funded by a grant from the Asian Cultural Council. She has since developed an avant-garde dance style that draws from both Asian and Western performance styles, often collaborating with visual artists, musicians and practitioners of other movement-based disciplines such as martial arts.

Nomad, said the Village Voice, "brushes our mind with images whose poetry ensnares us, whose enigmas taunt us." The piece explores the impact of memory, history and cultural traditions as Yin plumbs her experiences as a child during China's Cultural Revolution. Nomad invokes two fabled rivers: China's Yellow River and the Ganges in India, both of which can swiftly change from life-giving to death-dealing forces. Audiences and critics have praised the piece for its evocative, dreamlike imagery and the powerful connection it creates between dancers and audiences.

Tickets to individual events in the Performing Arts Series are $18 for the general public, $15 for senior citizens, free for Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore students, faculty and staff, $10 for students of other schools, and $5 for children 12 and under. Subscription packages offer discounts, mix-and-match ticket flexibility and priority seating. For tickets, call the Office for the Arts at 610-526-5210.

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