ABOUT THE EVENT

The Clarity in Heart - 明心见性 is a ritual of self-discovery and survival, where Luyan Li transforms private healing into a shared experience. Carrying fresh flowers, sage, and a Buddha statue, she prepares the space with deliberate care—cleansing, grounding, and invoking stillness. Movement follows, not as performance but as necessity, each gesture an act of renewal, a quiet confrontation with impermanence. Rooted in Buddhist philosophy, this work embodies the fragile journey of becoming, a meditation on presence, acceptance, and the weight of choice. This is the final programming component of the MA Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere 24/25 exhibition, Steep, Alter, Ritual.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Luyan Li is a dynamic and expressive Chinese female dance artist based in New York, known for her fluid movement language and emotionally charged performances. With a diverse movement foundation, she blends International Latin dance, House, Contemporary, Krump, West African, etc, with raw and expressive freedom to create deeply personal works. Deeply valuing spirituality, Luyan approaches dance as a means of self-discovery and transformation. She explores rhythmic and grounding movement as a way to find home, express authenticity, and bridge the physical and emotional realms. Luyan’s artistic path defies convention—she moves beyond traditional structures to create work that is intuitive and vulnerable. Whether performing, teaching, or exploring new movement languages, she remains committed to dance as a living expression of truth and freedom.

WHEN + WHERE

Monday, March 31, 5:30pm.

Rooftop of USC Roski Graduate Building, 1262 Palmetto St, Los Angeles, CA 90013