In a distant, fictional Vietnam, the echoes of pop music on cassette tape reverberate against the sounds of modern Vietnamese rap. Châu Kim-Sanh inhabits this space, metamorphosing through bodily states generated by the presence of coloured neon lights. Of this evening blue erupts a purpleness: “bầu trời màu tím xẩm” – an uncertain translation. Eyes closed, the neon haze returns her to the sensation of her ancestral land. Saigon, like many cities in South-East Asia, is flushed with these vivid lights. Here, embodied memory and the imaginary take a ride on a Honda Dream II motorcycle, across a humid sky whose wetness whips the face.
This solo is performed in its entirety from the squat position – a typically Asian posture. Audio recordings bespeckle the choreography, navigating between fantasized nostalgia, loss of language and sexual objectification – all three widely experienced by Asian diasporic populations. In Southeast Asia, rap culture is increasingly popular – giving a voice to a population marked by silence. Rap here is a prayer.
Kim-Sanh Châu est chorégraphe-interprète et réalisatrice. Elle s’intéresse à l’émergence de paysages imaginaires à travers le corps; distillés de rêves lointains, de souvenirs ensevelis et réminiscences psychotropiques. En tant que chorégraphe, elle a été présentée au MAI, l’Arsenal, l’Écart, Tangente, et à travers plusieurs festivals internationaux, dont SIDance (Corée) et Krossing-Over (Vietnam). En 2022-23, elle danse avec les compagnies Katie Ward, Carpe Diem /Emmanuel Jouthe et Mandoline Hybride. Châu est aussi Codirectrice artistique et générale du Studio 303 et diplômée en danse (MA UQAM) et en finance (MA ASB Danemark / Harvard É-U).
Choreography and performance
Kim-Sanh Châu
Music
Hazy Mystic Mountain, JONAIR, Rắn Cạp Đuôi
Rehearsals
Louise Michel Jackson
Dramaturgy
Be Heintzman Hope
Technical and Lighting
Jon Cleveland
Supporters
Nguyen Kim Phuong, Chuong Trinh (Lil Waterboi) and Vladimir 7Starr Laurore