TEN THOUSAND TONS OF MOONLIGHT
Merging the languages of poetry and dance

Ten Thousand Tons of Moonlight is a compelling dance-theatre production that draws inspiration from the thought-provoking poems of Yu Xiuhua, a female celebrated contemporary Chinese poet. The production brings to life Yu Xiuhua's reflections and questions on love, beauty, disability, and the societal expectations placed on women

Conceived and directed by Farooq Chaudhry, Ten Thousand Tons of Moonlight, merges the languages of poetry, dance and visual design to explore the dualities and contradictions that inhabit Yu Xiuhua and all of us. The performance raises questions about the role of personal struggles in finding our authenticity. It asks whether stepping out of the shadows and embracing our true selves is the key to finding liberation, or if these shadows hold a deeper meaning? Could these poems, serve as a doorway to an alternate reality where our essence can flourish and our souls can find freedom?

Ten Thousand Tons of Moonlight is currently in production for world premiere in autumn 2024

Research and Development, Huanio Island & Shanghai, September 2023

Pictures by Oliver Hoo

Resolution

Deep are the furrows on my forehead
Yet, not enough
My ten thousand tons of moonlight have sunk into the depths of the ocean
Yet, not enough
Before you I had written a thousand love letters —
Yet, how are these enough?

I have tidied away the times that longed for consolation
I have also tidied away the tiger inside my body
I depart from dusk
And one by one dust away
Those fragrances of flowers those raindrops and those tears of children

My dearest, should you stand under that streetlamp at the corner
Should you be waiting for my young self
I would brush your face with my left hand
Should you be waiting for my aged self
I would
with my disability
caress this life of yours
full of ardor and solitude

决心

我额头的沟壑已如此深
但，还不够
我的万吨月色已经沉入海底
但，还不够
在你之前，我已经写下千篇情书——
这些，哪够？

我已经收拾好了，那些需要安慰的岁月
我也收拾好了我身体里的老虎
我从黄昏出发
那些花香那些雨水那些孩子的哭泣
我将一一掸落

亲爱的，如果你站在拐角的那盏灯下
如果你等的是年轻的我
我就以左手抚摸你脸颊
如果你等的是年暮的我
我就以我的残疾
摩挲你热忱而孤独的一生

“I am very excited to collaborate with Farooq Chaudhry on this performance project. Poetry is an art of imagination, and for the past few decades, my physical disabilities have always accompanied me. However, poetry has been a pair of wings that have helped me take flight and ascend to unpredictably vast places. I know that another version of myself has lain dormant in the shadows, ready to spring forward at any moment. When poetry encounters the body once again, I am eager to see how this journey of imagination will unfold on stage.”

Yu Xiuhua, Poet

“In 2017, I chanced upon Yu Xiuhua's poetry, and it immediately captivated me. Her words fearlessly and unflinchingly leapt off the page, conveying the vulnerability and struggle of a woman seeking acceptance from both her inner and outer worlds. I found that I could relate to some extent, having grown up in the U.K. as an immigrant and constantly feeling like a shadow in a society that refused to accept me. As a teenager, dance “gave me wings” that set me free in a similar way that writing poetry did for Xiuhua.

For reasons I cannot explain, and with no clear destination in mind, I feel compelled to embark on this journey with her and our creative team. I hope that we may take flight together and soar into "unpredictably vast spaces.”

Farooq Chaudhry, Artistic Director