Dance Theatre Womanhood

A Shift in Time, a Dance of Herstory

Dance Theatre Womanhood, a work that “touches the very heart”, explores how women discover and realise themselves in contemporary society. Four performances will be held at the Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 12 to 14 May 2023. As Mother’s Day is approaching, this work embodies the expression of the sincerest love towards the greatest women in the world.

Xie Yin, former Assistant Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Dance Company, has collaborated with the dance company as a freelance choreographer for the first time, creating a delicate and moving piece of dance theatre focusing on women. The choreographer shares her inspiration for the piece: “The name of this work originates from ‘Shadows Living with the Shape’, a phrase that encompasses dual meanings. One is to compare ‘shadows’ to memories, which means that memories forged in the past will always co-exist with life at present. The other meaning is that ‘shape’ is reminiscent of the dancer’s body, implying that the choreographer and the dancer need to consider how to use the body’s movement and dialogue to interpret those unspeakably rich emotions that seem so far, yet so close."

Five female dancers from different cities, with distinctly different backgrounds and life experiences, manage to cross paths with their former selves again through the common theme of “memory”. In that space between light and darkness, the reflection of the light leads the women on a journey through time, revealing a deeper understanding of their heartland, their family, themselves, and dance, and narrating the evolution of women at different life stages through their own experiences, feeling their joy and their sorrow.

Looking back at the past is not intended to encourage regret or stubborn nostalgia but is an attempt to let go of contradictions and entanglements from the past and prepare the mind for a new journey. In the words of Michelle Yeoh when she became the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress: “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”