End-of-Semester Art Shows Bid Farewell to Century Avenue

In the midst of final exams and packing, NYU Shanghai students lit up the stage with a series of performances and exhibitions showcasing their achievements. The end of semester shows took on a more sentimental feel as the NYU Shanghai community bids farewell to the Century Avenue campus. In the December 11 dance performance, Angela Xi ’26 showed off her solid dance skills in the traditional Chinese ribbon dance “Willow Flute.”

Inspired by their experiences during lockdown earlier this year, Assistant Arts Professor of Dance Zhao Yuting and students from the Contemporary Dance class included their daily routines and emotions in the work Bedroom Requiem. “I encouraged the students to seek within themselves for natural and authentic expressions instead of ‘performing’ a role to show off techniques or entertain others,” Zhao said. “This idea is core to this class and to their creative process. ”

In their Mongolian-style dance “How Far Have We Gone,” students from the Dance of Northern China class used powerful dance moves to capture how people on the grassland merge, separate, and interact. “Though some of the students had no experience in stage dance, I think they did a good job.” said Assistant Arts Professor of Dance Tao Siye who choreographed the dance.

Xiao Jingchen ’23, Sha Jiayun ’23, and Wang Sunboyu ’23 (study away from NYU Gallatin) expressed their thoughts on the concepts of protection and safety through their work Shelter My Little Wanderers. “Everyone can be a wanderer in this uncertain time,” Wang said. “For wanderers, ‘shelter’ is not a settled destination, but the process of wandering and the connections [they make] between people.”

Students leapt gracefully during their performance of pieces from The Nutcracker, choreographed by George Balanchine and reconstructed by Professor Tao Siye.

NYU Shanghai’s music groups provided a feast for music lovers on the evening of December 12. Directed by Clinical Associate Professor of Arts Cheng Yue, the Chamber Orchestra opened the concert with Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No.1,” followed by several classical Chinese music pieces and a Christmas song.

The Chamber Singers added some holiday flair to the concert, as they performed Straight No Chaser’s “Christmas Can-Can” while dressed in festive sweaters. Under the direction of Clinical Assistant Professor of Arts Katherine Girvin, the chamber singers and a cappella group wowed the audience with a series of familiar hits, including “Speechless” from the movie Aladdin, the Avengers Assemble theme song, and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker.

The NYU Shanghai Jazz Ensemble brought a chill vibe with five lighthearted music pieces composed or arranged by Clinical Assistant Professor of Arts Murray James Morrison, including the romantic “Kiss Me Right Now” and the festive “Santa Baby.”

The concert reached a climax as the NYU Shanghai Chorale, the Chamber Singers, and the A cappella group performed “Abba Forever” from the hit musical Mamma Mia!. The chorale also rocked the house with their performances of “Another Day of Sun” from LaLa Land, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the Disney animated film Encanto, and “Can’t Take My Eyes off You.”

In a concert held jointly by Clinical Assistant Professor of Arts Chen Wei’s piano class and NYU Shanghai Reads, piano students performed classical pieces that were selected using the book, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, as inspiration, including “Serenade” by Schubert, “Rêverie” by Claude Debussy, and “Danza Argentina Op.1 No.2” by Alberto Ginastera.

Hu Jinyuan ’25 and Sun Zhuhui '26 performed Igor Stravinsky's piano duet “Five Easy Pieces." The two are students in the Art of Music Composition and Performance class, taught by award-winning composer Bright Sheng, Adjunct Instructor of Arts Lishan Xue and Ni Chenkang.

Wes Firestone from the same class showcased his electronic guitar solo “Tracks” composed by himself.

After over three months of study and practice, students from the Guqin Beginner class performed Sichuan folk music Love Song in Kangding at “Salon Chinois”, a showcase of traditional Chinese instrument performances, on December 14.

The Erhu class played an Oroqen folk tune to the audience.

Students from the Bamboo Flute class played NYU Shanghai Alma Mater to commemorate the time they spent at the Century Avenue campus.

The Foundation in Visual Arts class by Clinical Assistant Professor of Arts Maya Kramer launched its gallery on December 9 showcasing sculptures, paintings, and sketches from eight students. Xu Qiongzhi ’25 (study away from NYU Tisch) visualized her feelings towards the blend of reality and imageries of dreams and the concept of parallel universe in Haruki Murakami’s work through the sculpture “Parallax.”

Xu Qin ’25 in her acrylic painting “Hammock in Summer” depicted a randomly captured scene where a kid lied on a hammock and a farmer passed by. The anonymity of the characters put the emphasis on the harmonious and cozy atmosphere the painting created. “I hope whenever I see this work, I’ll remember the happiness and peace in mind.” Xu said.

Participants of the IMA (Interactive Media Arts) show took part in a group photo remotely. The show attracted around a hundred students and faculty in the evening of December 16 to enjoy creative works from some twenty IMA classes, ranging from Immersive Design for Video Game, Creative Coding Lab, to Digital Arts and New Media.

Dong Xuwen ‘23, Sha Jiayun ’23, and Tiffany Lin ’24 from the Responsive Environments class taught by Associate Arts Professor of IMA Stavros Didakis presented their light installation art piece, Enmeshed Tinge, to visualize Shanghai’s real-time traffic data. While the metal wire mesh’s serpentine structure mirrors the complexities of the data and the intersections of roads, the different light patterns illustrate the distinct degrees of congestion in the city’s districts.

To engage kids more in coastline environment protection, Zhuang Feiyang ’23, Fan Jiayin ’23, and Xu Xiaoying ’23 in their group project, Captain Beach, designed a degradable toy set made of recyclable bio-materials. The project was based on the Industrial Design in Action class instructed by Clinical Instructor of IMA Andy Garcia.