The Treasure

This work, consisting of two dancers, and a live musician performing original music composed specifically for the piece. It explores the behaviors of two people intimately and inextricably caught together. It opens up and re-embodies precious moments in their relationship. I wanted to present the study in much the same way we might show or display an artifact or treasure in a gallery.

In Treasure this conceptualization of the relationship between feminine and masculine blends with my understanding of emotion and leads to explorations of levels within various emotional states, such as comfort, play, exclusion, support, dissonance, compromise, passiveness, initiative, care and mutuality. They became the basis for developing scores for improvisation - identifying and further manipulating key movement from the different sexes bodily energy. From the way of Yin (hidden, passive, receptive, yielding, cool, soft, feminine) and the way of Yang (evident, active, aggressive, controlling, hot, hard, masculine) came the relative physical qualities for the performance.

In my knowledge of Chinese philosophy, yin and yang have never been associated with specific moral or aesthetic values. What is Chinese beauty or beneficial is neither yin nor yang but the dynamic balance between the two.

It is my contention that human relations are not as simple as white or black; lover or enemy. Mostly it stays within a dynamic state - a balance - neither pure Yin nor Yang, and may not be hot or cool. It contains many different tastes - sweet, salty, spicy, and acid. I found that subtle senses can be beautifully drawn by very fine strokes of body language.

• Choreographer
  • Feng Feng Wang
• Composer & Musician
  • Gus Macmillan
• Lighting Designer
  • Alexandre Malta
• Dancers
  • Suhaili Ahmad Kamil
  • Nick Sommerville