Spoken Word

Wall Street Journal Series Kicks Off With a Bang

Discussion with choreography and pyrotechnics masters to be held

by Helen Cooper   |   Jun 25, 2009

Wall Street Journal Series Kicks Off With a Bang

Shen Wei Dance Arts

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The Wall Street Journal is hosting a new series that’s sure to embody the attention to diversity in arts and culture that readers of the publication have come to appreciate. Summer Scoops: Live with the Wall Street Journal begins Wednesday, July 1st and features discussions with a wide range of artists. The Wall Street Journal’s acclaimed writers host the discussions, which feature artists from the worlds of dance, music, film and theater.

First in the series of six is “East Meets West on the Upper East Side” a conversation with choreographer Shen Wei and installation and pyrotechnic artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The artists, whose groundbreaking pyrotechnic displays were featured in the 2008 solo retrospective at the Guggenheim, have garnered attention worldwide because of their performance at the Beijing Olympics. Shen Wei and Cai Guo-Qiang will be discussing their choice to build a career in America instead of their native China, what it means to make a political statement through art, and how it felt to return to their homeland to create some of the most memorable features of the 2008 Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. Described as “a conversation about border-crossing and barrier-breaking,” the discussion will be held by former Wall Street Journal China reporter Geoffrey Fowler.

Shen Wei, a highly decorated choreographer, has received the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and has been commissioned by the American Dance Festival a record eight times. Cai Guo-Qiang’s solo installation at the Guggenheim was the best attended visual arts show in the museum’s history. The discussion will accompany performances by Shen Wei Dance Arts July 9–11 at the Lincoln Center Festival. To stay updated on the rest of the series, follow the Wall Street Journal Summer Scoops on Twitter at twitter.com/wsjlive or search “summer scoops live” on Facebook. Ticket information can be found at wsj.com/live.