Drawing on contemporary dance-theater, diasporic women’s poetry, and abhinaya (emotional expression in Indian dance), this solo exposes the horrors and possibilities of bilingualism in the context of Taiwan’s history of linguistic colonization. Poetic storytelling, garbled soundscapes, and broken gestures evoke how a first generation American and her immigrant mother struggle with and express love for their mother tongue of Taiwanese.

choreography and performance: Cynthia Lee
text: Cynthia Lee and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
sound: sound manipulation by David Karagianis, “Bird’s Eye View from a Chamber” by Wang Xin Xin, “Free China. 10 years On Formosa” (1959) from Universal Newsreel

photo: Jorge Vismara

photo: Jorge Vismara

photo: Jorge Vismara