Body / Language
An eight-minute solo on the negotiation between two cultures.
- Client
- Joffrey Fellowship — Original Work
- Role
- Choreographer · Performer
- Location
- Chicago
- Year
- 2025
Overview
Commissioned as part of the Joffrey emerging choreographer fellowship. The piece reads Mandarin and English calligraphy through movement, performed solo to a live cellist.
The challenge
Translate a deeply personal narrative — being raised between Shenyang and the American South — into a piece that lands for an audience of dance professionals without becoming literal.
Approach
- 01
Six weeks of studio research pairing classical Chinese dance vocabulary with contemporary release technique.
- 02
Collaborated with composer Nia Roberts to score the piece for solo cello and field recordings from both cities.
- 03
Self-produced lighting and projection design to keep the piece tourable as a one-person show.
The result.
3 of 3 nights
Standing ovations
5
Touring offers received
Jacob's Pillow shortlist
Festival selections
Sold-out 3-night premiere
Run length
Press & Recognition
- · Dance Magazine — 25 to Watch
- · Chicago Tribune feature
- · BET Her spotlight
Selected frames.
