Dance a Dance from My Body

How do humans empower themselves for survival?  
And what do they sacrifice for freedom?   

Why do lives shift, and why do they settle down here?  
Why drift, and why take roots?  

Where do I come from, and why do I dance here?  
Where will be the hopes of my future?  

We are born and raised somewhere between an island and a land in Asia  
We move along the differences between colours and languages 

Acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer Chou Shu-yi and a regional team of artists from Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, embark on a journey to find out why we dance, in an exploration of Asian Chinese identity through time, discovering the different places from which dancers emerge. 

Where did we live? Where did we come from? All our bodies carry timestamps of history and humankind, records of the choices we make at every stage of our lives. Moving from dwelling to dwelling, humankind evolved as we made colossal movements and migrations through the eras. 

In Dance a Dance from My Body, Chou invites you to imagine our futures through the movements of our bodies and our lives. Chou delves into the relationships between dancers and the lands they come from to find out where they began dancing—why this place, and where exactly is it? 

Singapore and Taiwan—islands teeming with people of a variety of races, melting pots of diverse cultures. The openness of both countries has encouraged the endless flow of exchanges with the world outside, and it is this open-mindedness that Chou wields in Dance a Dance from My Body. 

Co-commissioned and co-produced by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts Weiwuying.  

Choreographer: Chou Shu-yi (Taiwan)
Set & Lighting Designer: Lee Chi-wai (Hong Kong)
Music Designer: Wang Yu-jun (Taiwan)

Performers:
Chiew Peishan, Chua Chiok Woon, Hong Guofeng, Ng Zu You, Tung Ka Wai (Singapore) 

Cheng Chih-chung, Liang Chun-wen, Yang Ya-chun, Yu Yen-fang (Taiwan) 

Graphic Designer: Winder Chen (Taiwan)
Photographer: Bernie Ng (Singapore)

Chou Shu-yi will be conducting Start from the Body: Body Movement Workshop focusing on the exploration of body movements and improvisation.

Special thanks to KARMA Medical for wheelchair sponsor.