Method in the madness

It is a room where furniture, electronic appliances and other items float while people panic and run around helplessly.

This is a dream choreographer Yang Wei had a few years ago after she had visited two earthquake-hit regions－Tangshan in Hebei province and Wenchuan in Sichuan province.

Since that dream, Yang had been thinking of doing a dance work based on it.

Now, after a year of preparations, Earth/Quake is being staged in Beijing.

"What I want to depict is not just the fear and desperation of people, who suffer in natural disasters, but also the hope and rebirth after what they have gone through," says Yang.

In her 30s, Yang is known for her grand choreography, including dance drama Princess Wencheng, which tells the story of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) princess Wencheng who married King Songtsan Gampo and promoted economic, social and cultural exchanges between the Han and the Tibetan ethnic groups, and Mei Lanfang, a dance show focusing on the late Peking Opera master of the same name. She has also choreographed national events, including CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the most-watched annual TV event in China.

However, in Earth/Quake, she does not use elegant design and lighting but simply reconstructs her dream, hanging chairs and tables high above the stage against a dark backdrop. She also places a giant tilted clock on stage, recreating the scene she saw at the Tangshan Earthquake Ruins Memorial Park.