Meaning In Movement

Many turn to Australia for a new life and new opportunities but in Chen Wen's case, Australia turned to him. In 2004, the Chinese national was poached by Sydney Dance Company's artistic director at the time, Graeme Murphy, inviting him to Australia to join the prestigious company of just 18 dancers. “They brought Sydney Dance Company to China and I was a principal dancer for the company they were collaborating with at the time,” Wen, who has been a professional dancer for 11 years, explains, “but after that event Graeme offered me a contract. He said, 'Come to Sydney Dance Company and work with us, come and experience this wild corner of the world', so I thought, why not?”

Wen has gone on to perform in a number of productions with the Sydney Dance Company and is currently touring nationally with the award-winning show, 2 One Another. The piece utilises music, movement and bursts of colour to demonstrate choreographer Rafael Bonachela's introspective take on human interaction. “My personal understanding is that Rafael was really focused on human relationships in a very narrative-driven context. I think it's really about exploring human individualities amongst one another. The right lighting, the costume design, the right dancers, the right relationships, placement, human interactions – there are a lot of stuff that have to be right for it to work and we're lucky that it all fits together so well.”

2 One Another has been an ongoing production since 2011 and returns to Perth as part of the 2014 national tour. After winning numerous awards, selling out seasons and a recent tour to South America, the show is now stronger than ever. “No one's stressed; we're all really relaxed… It's quite peaceful right now! I think early on mistakes were made, things came up that we never would have thought of but as the show progresses there are a lot of stuff that we've fixed or worked on, tweaked and changed. It looks better than ever.”

The opportunity to continually revisit the production has enabled the dancers to approach the choreography from different angles in different roles, allowing for a greater understanding and more depth to the piece. “Learning other parts explores a lot of intricate details that might not have otherwise been noticed. Before, it was just a project with the goal of delivering it with fierceness but now it's part of my body and part of my brain. I'm dancing with my intellectuals; it's not just physical – it's more.”

Wen believes the intellectual, interpretive and abstract nature of contemporary dance is part of the appeal of the contemporary artform, facilitating its rise in popularity within Australia. “We're not there to limit people or set rules; we're there to say this is who we are and this is what we do. It's a very free and accessible art form,” Wen suggests. “Whatever people take away from the messages we're writing with our body is for them to decide… That's what is so magical about it.”