On the stage of modern dance, the husband-wife duo of Li Hanzhong and Ma Bo are familiar figures. Their challenging works, including Kun Lun and All River Red, have been hailed for exploring the twisted psyches of people under pressure. On Tuesday night, another of their projects, Rear Light, shone at the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

Dim lights, steel frame, and silver overcoats -- a sense of cool pervades the air even before the first note. The music is from the 1982 movie The Wall, which is in turn based on the 1979 double album The Wall by British hard-rockers Pink Floyd. The movie is about building a wall of isolation, the dance is about breaking through it.

Li Hanzhong, Exec. Artistic dir. Of Beijing Modern Dance Company, said, "When we were planning this dance. I thought we'd been using classical and folk music all the time. So how about something different, how about rock music? And I remembered a movie I'd seen long ago, The Wall. But for my project, I didn't make much reference to the original lyrics or pictures. Rather, we just listened to the music and choreographed based on what it happened to mean to us."

Beams of light are projected towards the audience. Nearly all that's visible are the outlines of the dancing figures. This is a darkness that exists in the hearts of many, and a darkness that choreographers Li Hanzhong and Ma Bo want to penetrate.

When the dance premiered in 1992, dancers performed on a stage which was in the middle of the venue. This time, it's a conventional stage.

Ma Bo, dancer & choreographer of Beijing Modern Dance Company, said, "Both have their pros and cons. In the original version, the audience was seated on either side of the stage. So when the lights were on, people saw dancers as well as those sitting opposite to them. And every audience member is at the same time part of the backdrop -- the effect is amazing. But it's difficult to please them all, for you are seen from all directions and have to turn your back to someone. That problem is solved instantly once we move to a regular stage."

Ma Bo's pregnancy prevents her from performing. A student is dancing her role. But she'll be ready to take her place in the Rear Light when the dance travels to the US next year.

(CCTV August 6, 2004)