Event

Fuelled by the desire to bridge the distance between their hometowns – the harbor cities of Hamburg and Shanghai – the Germany-based composer Zhou Dong and the Chinese dancer Jess Chiayi Seetoo decided to join forces for an artistic project. Together they search for new forms of narration and collaboration.

The two artists draw their material from their individual but in parts paralleling biographies. Since their family histories have been shaped by both western and Chinese musical traditions alike, they soon discovered the potential for a multifaceted performance. Several people in Seetoo’s family were musicians, her grandaunt who led the cellos in the Chinese National Orchestra used to be a master-class student of the famous Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Her death in May 2021 marked the end of this direct branch in Seetoo’s family tree. Zhou Dong also stems from a musical family. Most important for her was the traditional music of silk and bamboo instruments (Jiangnan sizhu).

Their performance combines a recorded choreography by Seetoo with electronic sounds by Zhou Dong. Significant elements and material from their biographies and family backgrounds are being molded into a collage to show their interconnectivity. This video project with live music offers a perspective on the lives of different generations between Asia and Europe. Frequently, film snippets receive their comments and reflections by the additional use of musical live sequences and improvisations, played on a western violin and its Chinese counterpart – the knee violin erhu. The conclusion to this experiment remains yet to be seen, it’s more of a reflection on how to create a new space for artistic collaboration – virtually, physically and in between.

Electronic music: Zhou Dong

Dance and choreography: Jess Chiayi Seetoo

Chinese erhu: Liao Tzu-Ning

Violin: Zhou Dong

Concept: Zhou Dong, Jess Chiayi Seetoo

Konfuzius-Institut at Heidelberg University

In cooperation with:

KlangForum Heidelberg