Get to Know Iconic Dancer and Choreographer Yang Liping

January 9, 2020 |

Her Work

Yang Liping became known as the famed “Peacock Princess” after her 1986 award-winning dance performance in Spirit of the Peacock, a work inspired by the lithe arm and finger movements of the Dai peacock dance.

After her rise as an international dance legend, Liping turned to choreography with 2017’s Under Siege and a trilogy that includes Dynamic Yunnan, Echoes of Shangri-la, and Tibetan Myth.

Upbringing and Influence

Liping is a member of the Bai ethnic minority and grew up in Dali, a village in China’s southwest province of Yunnan. With no formal training, the technique and elegance found in Liping’s dance and choreography is instead informed by her village’s folkloric dance traditions and her attention to the natural world. Once into her dance career, Liping returned to various villages throughout Yunnan to study the local dances and folk songs.

A Masterpiece of Ancient and Modern Dance

A culmination of Liping’s choreographic skill, Rite of Spring is a stunning reimagining of Stravinsky’s work that combines Tibetan concepts of life with folkloric influences from Yunnan. The touring production of The Rite of Spring comes to Stanford Live on February 21 and 22.