Duan Ni

The choreographer and dancer couple Duan Ni and Tao Ye co-founded the Tao Dance Theater in 2008. The troupe soon became the most exciting contemporary dance company in China, and has since toured over 40 countries worldwide. Tao Dance Theater is the first Chinese company invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Art Festival (in the United States), Edinburgh International Art Festival (UK), Sydney Opera House (Australia) and Theatre de la Ville (France).

The minimalist purity and the one-of-a-kind aesthetic of the couple and their dance pieces have drawn the attention of the fashion industry, bringing on a series of cooperation and crossover projects with different brands, magazines and famous photographers. In 2015, Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto invited the troupe to collaborate on Y-3’s SS16 show at Paris Fashion Week. Her partner Tao Ye was invited by Hermès to participate in the 2018 spring/summer menswear campaign.

Photo by Xi Fan.