An ethnic Tibetan from Gansu province, Sang spent his childhood herding on the Sangke prairie. He studied at the Minzu University of China and became a professional dancer with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company in 1993. In 1996, he won the gold medal at the Paris International Modern Dance Competition and began his career as a star dancer/choreographer.

Sang won the Asian Cultural Council fellowship and the American Dance Festival Scholarship in 1998 and studied in the United States for a year. He next worked at the City Contemporary Dance Company and The Forsythe Company of Germany, before returning to the Chinese mainland in 2007. He still often choreographs for international dance groups. His next project will be with Norway's Carte Blanche.

Sang's works have been presented at South Korea's Chang Mu Dance Festival, the Swiss International Dance Festival and the Holland Dance Festival.

"I think this new work, Layer Mode, will be quieter than my previous works, but the energy will still be there," he says.

Mobile dividers segment the stage during parts of the show, while live video is projected on the walls. Sang hopes the multimedia presentation will provide insight into urban living conditions.

Founded in 2005, BeijingDance/LDTX is the first nongovernmental professional dance company in China. The group has toured many countries, including the United States, Israel and South Korea.

"China's contemporary dance scene is quite vibrant, but only insiders know about it now," Sang says. "I hope more people will come to appreciate contemporary Chinese dance."

muqian@chinadaily.com.cn