Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Ao Dingwen returns to the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater with The Wall, a contemporary ballet that pushes beyond traditional forms to explore the boundaries—both physical and emotional—that shape human experience. Inspired by the cyclical nature of life and the shifting seasons, the performance reflects on themes of confinement, struggle, and ultimate liberation.

Director and choreographer Ao Dingwen—best known for her work on The Jade Hairpin and one of China’s brightest rising dance talents—returns with The Wall, a contemporary ballet that reimagines movement, structure, and emotion on stage.

Breaking away from traditional ballet forms, The Wall examines the delicate balance between aesthetic perfection and raw human experience. Using the physical and metaphorical concept of a “wall,” the piece explores life’s inevitable barriers and breakthroughs, charting an emotional arc from isolation to liberation. A reflection on personal growth, the performance captures the colors of the inner world through shifting seasons and evolving emotions.

About Ao Dingwen

A principal dancer of the Liaoning Ballet Theatre and a National Class-A Performer, Ao Dingwen brings a quiet intensity and a deep artistic vision to the stage. Always seen with a bright smile, she carries an unshakable inner resolve. The birth of her child gave her time to pause, reflect, and channel a new perspective into her art. Now, with her fourth original work, The Wall, she steps onto the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater stage once again—this time, as both artist and mother. This piece is a personal meditation on change, passion, and the ongoing pursuit of artistic expression.

Through her career, Ao Dingwen has woven her life experiences into dance, seamlessly connecting past, present, and future through movement. The Wall is an extension of that journey.

About The Wall

A production supported by the SIDCT Youth Incubation Platform, The Wall takes the audience through an introspective journey, using the physicality of a wall as a metaphor for life’s obstacles and breakthroughs. Structured around the cycle of seasons, the performance moves through themes of enclosure and rupture, construction and collapse, order and chaos. Enclosure represents security and separation, while rupture marks the moment of rebellion, change, and transformation. Though physical walls stand the test of time, the inner walls of the human spirit define the true colors of life.

The Journey

Enclosed — Born from the Void
Spring. A lone figure stands, surrounded yet separated. Others gather, forming walls around them. Light filters through—warm, alive, hopeful.

Broken — Struggling for Breath
Summer. Confined and suffocating, a crack appears in the wall. The outside world calls—lush, vibrant, teeming with life. Desperation builds. A helping hand reaches out. The walls tremble, then collapse. A rush of heat, movement, and freedom follows.

Undulating — Silence After the Splendor
Autumn. The energy fades. Uncertainty lingers. But the walls return in a new form, shifting, fluid. Fear gives way to understanding. The movement is no longer resistance but adaptation.

Boundless — Blossoming into Life
Winter. The walls dissolve into the snowfall. No longer confined, individuals find their own rhythm, their own expression. In the vast white expanse, color emerges—not from walls, but from life itself.

Director & Choreographer: Ao Dingwen

An acclaimed dancer and choreographer, Ao Dingwen has been recognized as one of China’s outstanding young artists. Currently the principal dancer of Liaoning Ballet Theatre and a recipient of multiple international ballet awards, she has continuously pushed the boundaries of classical and contemporary ballet.

Honors & Projects

• 2024: Selected for the National Arts Fund’s "Young Artistic Creation Talent Program."
• 2024: Choreographed The Jade Hairpin for the China Shanghai International Arts Festival’s "Rising Artists Program."
• 2025: The Wall selected for the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater’s "Youth Incubation Platform."

Major Choreographic Works

• Roles (2021) – A music-dance theater piece for Liaoning Ballet Theatre.
• Sundial (2023) – A poetic ballet work.
• The Jade Hairpin (2024) – A modern ballet for Shanghai Ballet Theatre.
• The Wall (2025) – A contemporary ballet.

Awards

• Special Jury Prize at the 3rd Tokyo International Ballet Competition.
• Silver Medal at the 7th Helsinki International Ballet Competition.
• Gold Medal at the 6th Shanghai International Ballet Competition.
• Wenhua Award, China’s top government arts honor.

Creative Team

• Produced by: Shanghai Yuxiu Cultural Development Co., Ltd.
• Director/Choreographer: Ao Dingwen
• Media Directors: Jin Muye, Shen Huizi
• Playwright: Fan Zhou
• Executive Choreographer: Wu Can
• Performers: College of Dance, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music
• Co-organizers: Shanghai Yuxiu Cultural Development Co., Ltd., Shanghai International Dance Center Theater

SIDCT Youth Incubation Platform

A launchpad for China’s emerging dance talent, the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater Youth Incubation Platform provides funding, creative resources, and exposure for young artists. By fostering original works, it aims to bring new voices to the stage and introduce them to the global dance community. The Wall is one of the latest projects to emerge from this initiative, offering audiences an innovative, deeply personal contemporary ballet.