the real
Dance theatre of real people
The words of Meng Fan:
My dance theatre practice is not limited to theatrical shows. What I am most into is how dance theatre is created. So if imagery is more suitable, I will use that instead.
From “aunties’ dancing spaces” to “children's dancing spaces”, I am interested in ordinary people's bodies, and how they express themselves theatrically in their own spaces. In the creative process, I ask them or give them a clear task that they have to use body language to answer. I observe and record their feedback, which then becomes key creative material. This way of dance theatre method also applies to professional dancers.When I speak of “dance theatre of real people”, “real people” is not an exact defnition. The dance theater method helps me understand people better. “Real people” creates clarity as a concept of its own. My theatre wants to record real people, and in the process they become “real people”.
The words of Meng Fan, Da Zhuang, Zhao Tong:
Let’s not talk about recording theatre, instead talking about catching chance incidents. We will watch a rehearsal several times, using our own eyes to feel out an organic picture, a draft of a feeling. When the actor's action and the location of the cue point are like a familiar street, you can clearly build a four-dimensional model in the mind, and then begin to shoot. Even if the structure of the play is quite familiar, this process is still exciting. Because when an object is settled, it is always the only time, and the uniqueness of this treasure should keep us sensitive.
The photographs and images appearing in the exhibition are neither accessories to theatre, nor merely records. We hope that they may stand as independent works if separated from the context of the theatre.
