Inspired by the East Wind draws inspiration from the wisdom of seizing the moment and the carefree, poised spirit embodied by the legendary strategist Zhuge Liang in the classic tale of “borrowing the east wind."Through this lens, the work expresses the fighting spirit of young Chinese people today—seizing opportunities and riding the waves of their era—while projecting a confident, composed, and visionary attitude toward the world.

 

 

 

Rooted in the energy and groove of hip-hop, locking, house, popping, and waacking, the piece preserves the authentic essence of street dance while breaking through traditional expressive boundaries. It fuses Eastern aesthetics with the dynamism of street dance, transforming the form from street performance into a refined professional theatre art.

 

The work has been selected for the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival Rising Artists’ Works, China Dancers Association’s 2025 “New Dance Talent Exchange & Promotion Support Program”, and the 2025 CHINA FOCUS program at the Edinburgh Art Festival. During its run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, it received a four-star review from the internationally renowned The Scotsman, which praised it as: “A trove of talent, well worth the hunt.”

CREATIVE TEAM
Presented by: Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (SIVA)
Project Planner: Yao Yao
Directors: Rao Yuhong, Ye Zheng
Choreography Director: Chen Jungi
Media Design: Mu Ji, Li Ruihan
Multimedia Execution Team: Chen Sipei, Ma Shiying, Yang Shiyu, Zha Hengye, Zheng Yinuo
Musie Production: Yan Ruochen
Lighting Design: Zhu MeiyuVisual Design: Zhang Jixing
Costume Design: Cleo Tao
Graphic Design: Liang LiangChoreography and Dancers: Zheng
Danni, Ye Lida, Xu Jingbo, PangGuoqiang, Yang Jiapeng, Xu Yujie,Tu Keyi, Pan Zhiheng, Huang Botao.Pan Guanhua, Lan Bowen, ZhangXinyi, Chen Fangyun, Liao Fan, SurCaini, Wang Zihao, Wang Jiawen,Wang Tianyi
Projeet Coordinators: Liu Yi, Zhong
Mengdi, Chen Yueyao
Stage Managers: Yang Ruijie

 

Choreographer: Rao Yuhong
Graduated from the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy, and completed bachelo’s, master’s, and doctoral studies consecutively at Beijing Dance Academy
Commissioned artist of the “Rising Artists Project” at China Shanghai International Arts Festival
Lecturer in Popular Dance, School of Drama, Music and Dance, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
Certified judge for the China division of Hip Hop International (HHI) World Street Dance Championship
Recipient of commissions and grants including the National Arts Fund, the “Rising Artists Project” of China Shanghai International Arts Festival, the “New Talent Exchange and Support Program for Dance Artists” by the China Dancers Association, the “Focus on China” program at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (commissioned by China Shanghai International Arts Festival), and the SIDCT Young Choreographer Incubation Platform at Shanghai International Dance Center Theater
Choreographed and directed works have been performed at major platforms including China Shanghai International Arts Festival, Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Macau Arts Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Shanghai Tourism Festival Closing Ceremony, and the China International Import Expo

 

Choreographer: Ye Zheng
Chinese street dancer and street dance culture promoter
Program Director of Popular Dance, School of Drama, Music and Dance, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
International Elite-Level Judge for Hip Hop International (HHI) World Street Dance Championship
Representative of Team China at KOD 2025
Commissioned artist of the “Rising Artists Project” at China Shanghai International Arts Festival
Founder and Captain of street dance crews Wiiksymphony and WiikFamily
Deeply involved in street dance culture promotion, serving as organizer for street dance events such as BreakBorder, and host of BlackChiise and MellowJuice

 

Choreography Director: LilyChan
Director and Choreographer of PROJ, a renowned Chinese choreography crew
Director of Shanghai Dance Force
Lecturer in Popular Dance, School of Drama, Music and Dance, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
Choreography Director for the commissioned work of the “Rising Artists Project” at the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival (2024)
Served as planner and executive for the World Of Dance competition during 2024–2025
Choreographed works placed 4th in the Professional Division of World Of Dance 2023 and 2nd in the Youth Division of the same competition in 2024
Served as choreographer and choreography director for prominent Chinese dance variety shows including Asian Super Young, Great Dance Crew, Dance Born, and The 13 Monks of Shaolin

 

Multimedia Designer: Mu Jin
Director / Multimedia Artist
Associate Professor of Digital Media Art, School of Fine Arts, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
Recipient of multiple international film and video art awards, including:
Best Director at the Madrid International Film Festival, Spain (2012)
Grand Prize at the VIDEOFORMS International Art Film Festival, France (2012)
Nomination for the Porsche “Biennale Artist” Award – Special Project of Shanghai International Arts Festival (2019)
Selected as an artist for the UNESCO “Art and Social Change” program (2020)
Works have been featured at prestigious international festivals including Cannes, Toronto, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as museums and art fairs worldwide; also engaged in art curation in recent years
Academically, has been invited to speak at summits in Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong (China), and elsewhere; has delivered lectures at venues including Shanghai K11, Minsheng Art Museum, and Yuz Museum; and has hosted multiple international art summits and municipal-level cultural and artistic projects

 

Music Producer: Yan Ruochen
Master’s degree from the Department of Music Engineering, Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Music producer, recording and mixing engineer, songwriter, and music director
Lecturer in Popular Music, School of Drama, Music and Dance, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
Music Director and Sound Engineer for Zhejiang TV’s The Voice of China (2012–2018)
Music Director for iQiyi’s Weekly Rapper
Music Director for the China Online Audiovisual Annual Gala (2022–2026)
Mixing Engineer for Dragon TV’s Chinese Dream – Our Song (2018–2024)
Music Producer for Zhejiang TV’s The Treasured Voice

 

Lighting Designer: Zhu Meiyu
MFA in Lighting Design from Shanghai Theatre Academy

Lighting design credits include: dance theater works The Big Dipper, Soliloquy, Touch • Shadow, Empty Room; musical The Flowers of War; and stage plays Traces in the Snow – The Observer's Technique and Old-Style Comedy

Visual Designer: Zhang Jixing
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Stage Art Department of Beijing Dance Academy
Productions designed or co-designed have received the Lotus Award for Dance Drama, Provincial Wenhua Award for Outstanding Production, and multiple productions have received grants from the National Arts Fund and commissions from domestic and international arts festivals
Additional project experience includes stage design for CCTV and Hunan TV multi-platform and online/television programs; exhibition space design; and cultural tourism performance space design. Specializes in diverse genres and styles, with a focus on interpreting and carrying forward traditional aesthetic spirit through contemporary visual language

Costume and Styling Designer: CleoTao
Creative practice spans fashion imaging, character styling, and stage visuals
Long-term involvement in theater, dance, and cross-media artistic creation, approaching theatrical contexts from a fashion perspective with a focus on the visual expression of character, body, and space
Stage costume design credits include Borrowing the East Wind, Empty Room, Red Herring Night, Siren, and When Fall Comes, We Meet Again
Works have been featured at platforms including China Shanghai International Arts Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Aranya Theater Festival, and Macau Arts Festival

 

Graphic Designer: Liang Liang
Host and MC of SauceParty events
Director of TwinkiiaDesign
Certified designer on Huaban (a Chinese design platform)
Has been engaged in design work for the dance industry since 2015; involved in graphic design for OneParty university tournaments, Unbeatable Sense Japanese locking tournament series, ForLive band competitions, and numerous street dance workshops