gnosis

Gnosis dancer Michael Leavell never ceases to amaze us with his endless enthusiasm and ever-growing list of dance endeavors…

In addition to his work and play with Gnosis Dance Collective, Mike has recently joined fellow dancers Peter Cheng, Peter Chou, Peadar Cremin, Vin Eiamvuthikorn, R. Jefferson Joseph and Indie Stan to form an all-mens’ performance group. Led by dancer/choreographer Weidong Yang, the group recently debuted their new piece titled, “Metal, The Fourth Element”.

According to Ancient Chinese philosophy, the world is comprised of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. As the fourth element, metal is associated with courage, grief and destruction, and often serves as the symbol for war. Similarly in African mythology, the Orisha of war, Ogun, is also the Orate of metal and technology. Inspired by these myths and symbols, “Metal, The Fourth Element” reveals how the discovery of metal marked the greatest leap of warfare in human history.

The sinuous and powerful choreography of this piece is inspired by the dancers’ past work with Paco Gomes and Weidong Yang’s lifelong explorations in multidisciplinary dance, Taiji, and martial arts movement. Combining the strength and fluidity of Modern and Afro-Brazilian dance with contact-based movement evocative of battle and hand-to-hand combat, the dancers embody the dual potential of man to create and to destroy. In Yang’s own words, “Metal perfectly symbolizes young warriors – their honesty, bravery, strength, romanticism, grief, and destruction.”

Click here to view some of Weidong Yang’s own images of the dancers in action, and sign up for free to see “Metal, The Fourth Element” as part of Kathy Mata Ballet’s presentation for Bay Area Dance Week, April 22nd and April 29th at Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center.