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Since its founding in 2008, TAO Dance Theater has taken China's dance world by storm. Having collaborated with leading Chinese artists across genres including theatre, music, film, visual art and installation, TAO has performed across the world, from New York's Lincoln Center to the Sydney Opera House, and undertakes a continuous role in dance education in their homeland. In 4, four dancers appear to be moved by a magnetic wave, in turns pulling them apart and drawing them together without ever touching. They are accompanied by the music of Chinese Indie-folk-rock composer Xiao He, who also collaborates on 5, in which five dancers do indeed physically touch each other; never separating, moving in an indistinguishable mass. These works are a continuation of choreographer Tao Ye's minimalist experimentation, exploring the potential of the human body as a visual element, devoid of story-telling or representation. In 2012 TAO Dance Theatre was named a Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate.