Spoleto Update: Festival gears up for second weekend with Shen Wei and Warhol

Spoleto continues with dance, opera, theater and music

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  • Alex Pines
  • The performance of Shen Wei Dance Arts will be among the highlights of the second weekend of Charleston’s Spoleto Festival.

Charleston’s Spoleto Festival is getting set for the second weekend of its 17-day run. The annual festival of the performing arts runs through June 12, and although weekdays still remain busy, the weekends offer the fullest schedules as new acts come in and visitors throng to the city for performances that run from mid-morning to late at night.

Spoleto will be welcoming the New York-based company Shen Wei Dance Arts for two performances at the Gaillard Auditorium this weekend. We were lucky enough to run into the dancers of Shen Wei at the bar of their hotel (There’s a bar in Charleston that serves free drinks to guests at happy hour. Who knew? Charlestonians keep the hour very happy indeed). The performance of Re- sounds fascinating. The program is divided into three parts, each part examining some aspect of the concepts of return or renewal. Chinese-American choreographer Shen Wei based the dances on a series of journeys to Tibet, Cambodia and China from 2005 to 2008. The final piece in the program Re- (Part III) incorporates Wei’s experience as the choreographer of the memorable Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, contrasting Asian concepts of social unity and cohesion with the Western drive for individuality and independence. The two performances are Friday and Saturday nights.