BA WANG BIAN

Concept

Ba Wang Bian is an international collaboration born from a dialogue between Greek producers Attiki Cultural Society and British producer Farooq Chaudhry (Fengling Productions). This live dance and music performance was specially created for the 2023 Eleusis European City of Culture, in the frame of the Conference with the World Human Forum. The premiere took place in the unique outdoor setting of the Old Olive Mill Amphitheater of Eleusis in Greece.

Inspired by the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, the original story centres on Demeter's sorrow over Persephone's abduction by Hades, which led to barren winters until a compromise allowed Persephone to split her time between her mother and the underworld, giving rise to spring and autumn.

Ba Wang Bian is not a literal retelling; instead, it reimagines the story through the perspective of ancient Chinese culture. At its heart lies a mother and daughter separated by time and distance, with a cellist acting as a bridge between the past and present, her back turned to an unseen future while facing the lived past. The singer, a farmer from Yunnan province in China is the dancer’s real mother, her earthy voice echoing memories of ancient worlds.

This performance delves into themes of longing and belonging, loneliness and defiance, love and compassion, as well as sadness and exaltation. At its core, we explore the duality of darkness and light, weaving these elements into a rich emotional tapestry that invites the audience to experience the complexities of the human condition through movement, music, and storytelling.

Ba Wang Bian , while rooted in the folk dance traditions of the Bai ethnic minority from Yunnan province in China, also addresses contemporary themes and issues. Originally created in 2017 as part of the Akram Khan Company's Portraits in Otherness initiative, which sought to discover exceptional artists merging distinct physical languages, Ba Wang Bian embodies the essence of seeing the familiar through a fresh lens, much like Marcel Proust's assertion that discovery is about perceiving the known anew. This captivating solo draws inspiration from the "Whip Dance," a beloved folk dance of the Bai people, who reside in Yunnan province in southwestern China. Like the other 74 folk dances in the Bai repertory, the "Whip Dance" is infused with the community's history and customs, embodying their humor, simplicity, elegance, and vitality. While only a few Bai people know the most traditional version, "Whip" offers a modern and personal interpretation, breathing new life into this time-honored dance tradition and representing the aspirations of many from Maya Jilan Dong's homeland.

Whip takes its inspiration from the “Whip Dance”, one of the most popular folk dances of the Bai - an ethnic minority living in the Yunnan province in southwest of China. Amongst seventy-four other folk dances, the “Whip Dance” is charged and knitted with Bai’s history and customs. It represents their humour, primitive simplicity, elegance and energy.

Only a few Bai people know the most primitive version and Whip is a modern and personal interpretation instilling a new breath into a secular dance tradition. It represents Maya Dong’s homeland and conveys the aspirations of many people. Whip is an international collaboration directed by Farooq Chaudhry with choreography by Maya Jilan Dong and an original composition by Hong Kong Composer Joanne Clara

CREDITS

Artistic Director: Farooq Chaudhry

Choreographers/Dancers: Maya Jilan Dong

Composer and Musician: Joanne Clara

Singer: Zhang Fumei

Original Lighting Designer: Fabiana Piccioli

Adopted Lighting Engineer: Zak Macro

Costume Design: Marie Cantenys

Sound: Fred DeFaye

Co-Producer Elefsina: Attiki Cultural Society

Original Co-produced by Akram Khan Company & Peacock Contemporary Dance Company

·Trailer·

“Dong is a riveting performer whose quiet intensity held the audience. Her costume, her hair and a long pole all became part of the dance...an evocative blend of tradition and modernity”

- Seeing Dance, June 5th, 2018

“Whip is an aesthetically stunning piece of extremes. Taking the audience from precarious balance to frenzy”

- London Theatre, June 5th, 2018

“Drawing on a folk dance from the Chinese Bai people, Whip has a hypnotic intensity. Dong can switch from delicate movement to huge, bold steps, but always within a larger pattern of movement.”

- The Independent, June 8th, 2018

“An authentic and sometimes near breath-taking embodiment of sensual yet spiritual possession as well as a practical demonstration of skills and sheer presence.”

- Pulse Connects, July 2nd

“Maya Jilan Dong's Whip was both the "unknown quantity" and the highlight of AKC's Portraits in Otherness programme. Jilan Dong combined a magnetic, mythic presence with tensile strength and striking music and visuals. She did what a soloist should: command the stage, and the audience.”

- Sanjoy Roy, dance writer, The Guardian

“Maya Jilan Dong showed in her performance ‘Whip’ how she draws on the traditions that have formed her as a dancer and performer but to take these influences and transform them into a contemporary language. She has incredible power as a performer assured and confident whilst drawing you into her world at the same time.”

- Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, artistic director Sadlers Wells Theatre, London

"Inspiration and energy are vital for artists and cultural leaders. The performance of Bawangbian exemplified earnest effort, creative talent, and a profound pursuit of sharing traditional Chinese culture with Greece and beyond, fostering better mutual understanding. This beautiful dance work brings together inheritance and innovation. “

- Ambassador Xiao Junzheng (Greece)