REPUBLIC OF

[reboot]

XIAO KE ✕ ZI HAN PublicPublic square square dancing dancing guǎngchǎngguǎngchǎng wǔwǔ

Republic of Dance is a performance around the massive phenomenon of public square dancing (), which originated in Northern but has since spread out to the whole country. Guǎngchǎng wǔ was initially accompanied with drums and Chinese horn, but as it became prevalent country-wide, suona and percussions have been replaced by pop music.

This dance not only uses normal jumping and twisting, but also mixes different Chinese dance styles, from loyalty dance (dating back from the era) to disco, from yānggē village dance to aerobics, and is as such especially suitable for community mass fitness. Any person can develop their own , using style of music: there is no restriction as long as you can move with the rhythm and share it with their fellow dancers. RepublicRepublic of of Dance Dance wǔdǎowǔdǎo gònghé

When one tries to review China’s dance history, one realises how deeply it is connected to historical events and movements. Chinese dance borrows as much from local practices from all around the country as it mirrors the evolution of national education and state of mind: the postures and gestures not only reflect the aesthetics of a nation, but also embody them.

Republic of Dance borrows from the individual stories of dancers from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Through those personal accounts, we follow them navigating through a rapidly evolving society. The performance combines dance, story-telling, documentary videos, to revisit Chinese body memory through four generations of history and education. ForeverForever blooming blooming and & happy happy yǒnguǎnyǒngyuǎn zhànfàng zhànfàng yǔyǔ kuàliè

Forever blooming and happy is the core value and attitude of Chinese public square dancers. By staging a happy public dance square set in a plastic floral installation, we question the reasons that make us dance—and move us. We enlist local amateur dancers to join us on stage and thus look into the happiness and introspection resulting from public gatherings and communal actions.

Besides the stage performance itself, Republic of Dance also includes events in the public space to engage local audiences and juxtapose different dance cultures into an interactive performance, which encourages a dialogue about using and sharing the public space. We also developed a documentary video installation to retell the background of public in China and paint its landscape, offering more context to the audience as well as an insight into a realistic part of Chinese everyday. A rebooreboot

Republic of Dance premiered in August 2016 in Weimar and was then shown in , where it was censored, cancelling the subsequent tour and forcing us to move on to another project. Looking back at this piece, we understand how valuable and still relevant it can be, and decided to take it off the shelf, blow the dust away, and present it to new audiences.

Rather than simply re-performing it as it was, we also want to seize this chance to pursue the development that would have naturally arisen, had it had more presentation opportunities back then. Of course, Chinese society has changed rapidly over the past few years, and it is likely that these changes, if they have not directly impacted public square dancing, can at least be perceived in this practice. Building up a dialogue with an ever younger generation and discussing their happiness and their own physical interpretation of China’s history remains at the core of the project as we will replace the youngest dancer of the 2016 version. XIAO KE ✕ ZI HAN

After twelve years of dance training and education, Xiao Ke started her own artistic practice while she was studying at Fudan University of Shanghai. She graduated in journalism in 2000 and has since been a professional performer and choreographer. She expanded her practice into visual arts and beyond, setting up different collectives to pursue her artistic ventures. Zi Han's professional background lies in photography and audiovisual production, but he has broadened up his artistic horizon to include endeavours in visual and performance arts. Together, Xiao Ke and Zi Han have produced and directed five stage projects through a strong interdisciplinary process, and have been performing internationally quite regularly since. Their work is resolutely conceptual and often features a clear social—sometimes documentary— dimension, often involving local artists in their projects, and/or taking the projects to the public space. In 2018, they have embarked on CHINAME, a three-year research project through Asia and beyond and will generate various artistic outcomes during the process. Besides their own artistic practice, Xiao Ke & Zi Han deploy an important artivism to support the independent performing arts community in China. They have been organising various festivals and artistic events, and have also founded the iPanda network to bring artists together and bridge them to potential partners abroad. Video link

https://vimeo.com/306558789 password: chinasquaredance

Touring informations

The tour timeframe for Europe runs from late April to early June 2020. 5 persons on stage, 7 persons on tour, all freight in extra checked in luggage Technical rider on request

Production & Diffusion

Stéphane Noël ✣ [email protected] ✣ +852 5305 0125