Dancers from the TAO Dance Theater perform 9 and 7, two of choreographer Tao Ye's creations. His latest work 9 will premiere at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Nov 3. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Beijing Modern Dance Company hosts a festival every year. There, some foreign choreographers who loved Tao's work offered him a chance to travel abroad with them. But Tao declined the invitation.

Then, in March 2008, he and his girlfriend, now his wife Duan Ni, and another dancer Wang Hao, formed TAO Dance Theater.

They started with a performance for three dancers Weight x 3, which premiered in Beijing in September 2009. They made it into a DVD and sent it to some festivals.

His unique choreography soon attracted attention and drew invitations.

The Singapore Arts Festival, the Norrland Opera of Sweden and the Dansmakers Amsterdam of the Netherlands commissioned him to create 2, for Tao and Duan.

Then, he started to explore other numbers. And the young company soon became the most sought-after Chinese contemporary dance company world-wide.