ABSTRACT Title of Thesis: EQUINOX & SOLSTICE Allen Chunhui Xing, Master of Fine Arts, 2018 Thesis Directed By: Patrik Widrig, Associate Professor, Dance This paper documents Xing's research and creative process of building Equinox & Solstice, an abbreviated evening-length dance production performed in the Dance Theater at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center March 9-11, 2018 as requirement for the Master of Fine Arts Dance program at the University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. With a foundation in Chinese classical dance, new found freedom of modern dance, and a drive to create his unique aesthetic that would appeal to many by building bridges and connecting individuals, Xing incorporates movement research, technique training, and social evaluation to define a vision. He then chronicles his creative process from concept to performance, defining his thought process and interactions with designers and dancers, weaving his personal story to provide context and insight for his decisions and thought processes. EQUINOX & SOLSTICE by Allen Chunhui Xing Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts 2018. Advisory Committee: Professor Patrik Widrig, Chair Professor Sara Pearson Professor Alvin Mayes © Copyright by Chunhui Xing 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The opportunity to produce Equinox & Solstice has been so meaningful to me as an artist who has been working to define myself in America. The support and encouragement I have received is beyond words. From the day I auditioned, through the realization of this project, I have learned so much from so many. Thank you to my family and friends for never questioning my time in the studio, to the dance faculty for challenging me to try new things, for the dancers, designers, and production team for making my vision a reality. Thank you to the TDPS team for creating a program that allows artists of different disciplines to learn together and create together. Thank you to the Clarice team and the Smith Family for your continued support. And finally, thank you to my thesis committee, Patrik, Sara, and Alvin, you have provided mentorship and guidance that is a model for who I hope to be as a teaching artist. ii Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. ii INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF CHINESENESS .................................................................... 3 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 7 MOVEMENT RESEARCH ........................................................................................... 11 MODERN DANCE ............................................................................................................... 11 CHINESE CLASSICAL DANCE ........................................................................................... 13 CHINESE CLASSICAL + MODERN = MY AESTHETIC ....................................................... 15 REVIEW CHINESE CLASSICAL DANCE 17 COMPARE MODERN DANCE TECHNIQUE 17 WEIGHT SUPPORT IN FLOOR MOVEMENT 18 BALANCE 19 SHAPE 20 MY THEORY OF DIFFERENCE 21 SOUL ................................................................................................................................ 23 WHERE IS MY VOICE ....................................................................................................... 23 CREATING A STORY LINE................................................................................................. 26 PERFORMANCE CONTENT ...................................................................................... 29 CREATIVE CONCEPT ................................................................................................. 51 iii CASTING AND REHEARSAL PROCESS ................................................................. 59 GROUP DANCERS .............................................................................................................. 60 INDIVIDUAL DANCERS ...................................................................................................... 61 CHINESE CLASSICALLY TRAINED DANCERS ................................................................... 62 DUET DANCERS ................................................................................................................ 63 SOLOIST DANCER ............................................................................................................. 64 COLLABORATION....................................................................................................... 65 SOUND DESIGN ................................................................................................................. 65 ABSORBING SOUNDTRACKS 65 INSERTING CHINESENESS INTO MUSIC 66 SOUND DESIGN 67 LIGHTING DESIGN ............................................................................................................ 68 PROJECTION DESIGN ........................................................................................................ 70 SCENIC DESIGN ................................................................................................................. 72 COSTUME DESIGN ............................................................................................................ 77 BLACK THEME 78 WHITE THEME 84 RED THEME 86 A NEW BEGINNING ..................................................................................................... 88 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 90 iv Introduction Equinox & Solstice was a culminating production leveraging comprehensive research and study over the last three years as I pursued my MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland, College Park. The research was comprehensive because it encompassed multiple projects that could be evaluated on their own accord, but when done so cohesively, the result became something much more. • It was a movement research project to determine how I could combine Chinese classical dance and modern dance to create my unique aesthetic. • It was a collaboration project with my designers, dancers, and production team. • It required an understanding of how the theory of the afterlife is perceived through the circle of life of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism. • It was a research project to engage the local Chinese-American community through dance. I recall conversations as I began my journey at UMD where the merit of a two versus three- year master curriculum was debated. As my time in the program comes to an end, I attest that three years is needed. To determine a valid area of research takes time. To cultivate the research takes time. To formulate the hypothesis and test the results both take time. I began the research in my first year, focused on processing the thesis production in my second, and defined movement creation in my third. The program builds in a systematic way that reminds me of an old saying, “it takes one woman nine months to give birth to a baby, but that does not mean a group of nine women could ever give birth in one month.” 1 Equinox & Solstice begins at death and follows the soul after death through the journey to start a new life. There are four main sections that follow the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter in terms of design elements, with the Equinox & Solstice representing the lightest and darkest days of the year. The five elements from Chinese feng shui theory – water, fire, wood, gold, and earth – are used to highlight the Chineseness in this piece. While the thesis concert and this paper are the culmination of efforts in terms of my MFA program, it is important to lay the foundation of how this research project came to be and to understand that this is just the beginning. 2 The Importance of Chineseness Dance has power and impact. It has voice and audiences. I have seen chorographers in the United States use dance to represent their voice to direct attention and derive political impact. I feel there is a need for me to use dance as a tool to share Chinese culture and engage the larger community. I began to process my thesis during my first semester of study at UMD, as I knew that all too soon, I would be producing a thesis concert. In my research class, Professor Miriam Phillips asked me what on the surface seems to be two simple questions. "What things are important to you? And, why are they important?" I could have easily responded in a cavalier way, as anyone could quickly list things they found important, but when coupled with the follow up question of "Why?", I contend the responses should be much more thoughtful and even thought-provoking! Phillips not only opened a door but she opened every door and window that had been closed for years. I felt I wanted to embrace this fresh air, this new thinking. In 2011, I arrived in the United States to continue my education. While as a young student in China, I had English classes, once I chose to attend a dance focused boarding school at age 14, English quickly faded as there was no time in a schedule that began at 6 am and often did not finish until 10 pm. Over the last seven years as I established my life in the United States, I not only learned the vocabulary and grammar of English, the culture and spirit of Americans, but also, I have learned the words of racism, exclusivity, and intolerance. I have also seen love, acceptance, and support. I have come to realize the two polarizing ideologies are not mutually exclusive. 3 The first weekend after arriving in the United States I went to a local Chinese Christian fellowship church in Salisbury, MD with my new Chinese friends from school. When I entered the church, there were about twenty-five Chinese and Chinese-Americans already in attendance. Half of them were not Christian regardless of the fact it was a Christian church. The leader of the church contacted the community each week to join in fellowship. The church provided food and hosted a bible study session. Some of the people had lived in the United States for decades. Some of them only a few years. Or like me, a few days. The fellowship was conducted in Mandarin because most attendees did not speak English well or at all. A middle-aged couple sat next to me. I asked them, “Where are you from?” They shared their story which was very interesting to me. They came from Shanghai. They had a small company and had made enough money to immigrate to the United States. After a long application process, they had finally received their green cards. They had moved to Salisbury earlier that year, a decision they made because a friend was already living in the area. I asked them, “Are you Christian?” They answered, “No.” I then asked them, “Why do you come to this fellowship?” They said, "Because there is free food and there are other Chinese people to meet." They did not have many friends and they could not speak English well. This was the only time they met Chinese people, made friends, and built community. I asked, “Why did you come to the United States?” They replied, “Everybody in China said America is a great country. We saved all our money and finally got green cards and came to the United States.” Many Chinese people have come to the United States to pursue their own American dreams most likely choosing to live together for support. In 2015, there were over 4 million 4