This project was born when two female artists from completely different cultures met in a small city in Germany. In this encounter they shared experiences on the living topics of immigration, feminism, violence, heartbreak, exclusion, etc. The support they found around those topics was only possible for one reason: Female friendship.

 

In this project, we turn our gaze at our own backgrounds (from China and Brazil) to understand the practices of friendship carried out for generations, and place those practices in today’s world.

 

From the Chinese background, we will investigate into “Laotong老同”-- a form of relationship in which two girls without any family connection would create eternal bonds as sisters. Through generations, women developed “Laotong” by using specific forms of writing in order to create a secret communication, one of which is “Nüshu女书” - the world's only surviving alphabet made exclusively for and by women. Nüshu was used to write on fans which, once opened, became a medium through which women could exchange their thoughts. When the fans were folded, the thoughts remained secret. This is how a space of care was created.

 

In the Brazilian background, female friendship is found in old indigenous traditions of women’s circles, storytelling, herbalism, and the work of traditional midwives who share their knowledge from sister to sister, friend to friend. This form of relating also holds secret information that is passed through generations and that protects women against violence coming from a partner, an institution, aspects of the western healthcare system, or other forms of aggression.

 

What happens if those two cultures meet in the frame of dance and performance in Central Europe in 2024? What social and political implications do they bring to a multi-cultural context?

 

During a 60-minute performance, the audiences are invited to sit in a half circle around the performers on stage. We will offer practices of cleansing and breathing with herbs, followed by a reading of multiple stories/letters combined with dance improvisation. Towards the end, we bring out attention back to the audience, as we guide them into fan origami making and writing wishes to each other, following the traditions of Nüshu. The performance is participatory and the dramaturgy of the piece is built in a way that people feel invited, calm, and welcome, to use their hands and minds in the folding of fans and exchanging blessings.