Special thanks to :
Lucie Morel, Chen Wang, Mirjam Tröster, Ching Hsiang Matthias Liang,
Morten Mehrer, Alex Wilke, and other students of Sinology/Modern East Asian Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt.
Photo : Yun Tian
Introduction about the performance
“Als ihr bleicher Leib im Wasser verfaulet war Geschah es (sehr langsam),
daß Gott sie allmählich vergaß Erst ihr Gesicht,
dann die Hände und ganz zuletzt erst ihr Haar.
Dann ward sie Aas in Flüssen mit vielem Aas.”
— Bertolt Brecht “Vom ertrunkenen Mädchen”
（Painting “Ophelia” from John Everett Millais. Reference : wiki)
The title Her Face, The Hands, Finally Her Hair is quoted from Bertolt Brecht’s poem Vom ertrunkenen Mädchen (About the Drowned Girl), which uses the image of Ophelia’s drowning to reflect on the death of revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg.
To me, a woman’s face, hands, and hair are not only physical features, but also carry symbolic meaning.
My focus on women’s hair and the body began with hearing my grandmother’s experience––during the Cultural Revolution, her hair almost got violently shaved into a “Yin-Yang head” in the Cultural Revolution. She resisted fiercely but ultimately lost her long braid, now wears a short, clean haircut.
I ask : Why are women's heads shaved? Under what historical conditions?
(Poster from the Film “Narrow Street”(1981), female protagonist’s head got violently shaved, for being a daughter of an “Anti-Revolutionary”)
The body language of my grandmother in the interview reminded me of the revolutionary females on stage in the 1960s and 70s. For example, Tie Mei (铁梅）from the play “The Legend of Red Lantern”(《红灯记》）, who holds her long braid as if it’s a whip against enemies.
My grandmother is the one who taught me “If someone hurts you, you should fight back”.
To me, she is Tie Mei without the braid.
(Poster : Revolutionary Modern Peking Opera “The Legend of Red Lantern”)
Yinfu's hand gesture study. Photo : Yun Tian
In this dance performance, I start with analysing and learning body movement from the revolutionary female character Tie Mei to see “What revolution happened on the theater stage responding to the political movement” ?
By sharing my movement exploration and presenting grandmother’s interview, I try to question :
What is revolution? What is the revolutionary woman?
Her Face,
the Hands, Finally Her Hair
Team :
Concept / Production / Performer : Yinfu Gao
Dance Dramaturgy : Patscharaporn Distakul
Sound : Sara Trawöger
Light : Simon Lenzen
Camera and Poster design : Yun Tian
Translation : Ching Hsiang Matthias Liang, Morten Mehrer, Alex Wilke, and other students of Sinology/Modern East Asian Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt.
