Cultural identity and intangible cultural heritage of Yangge in techno-choreography

Xu, Z ORCID: 0000-0002-7819-4517 (2020) Cultural identity and intangible cultural heritage of Yangge in techno-choreography. In: Performance Knowledges: Transmission, Composition, Praxis, 11 - 13 March 2020, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.

Abstract

The engagement of dancing bodies and digital technology such as software, sensor, sonic equipment, camera and projection, raises questions about new forms of choreography and the issues of cultural identity, when such dancing bodies are mediated by computer programming. In the context of techno-choreography, I look into the existences of digital dancing bodies and Chinese folk dance Yangge which constitute multisensory and multimodal performative entities in a performative living space. Following the study of Revolutionary Bodies (2019) by dance scholar Emily Wilcox and the notion of the extended choreographic by digital performance scholar Johannes Birringer, I utilise movement idioms and props Gaoqiao (stilts) of Yangge to engage with software and interactive technology from the perspective of a choreographer/practitioner trained in Chinese dance traditions. Embracing a transdisciplinary perspective, this paper thus seeks to re-examine the configurations of dancing bodies associated with technology considering hybrid identities and the intangible cultural heritage of Yangge in digital technology. This paper aims to provide a solid foundation for choreographic praxis to explore the concept of dancing bodies working as sensors and the transmission of Yangge in immersive environments. It is less relevant to the history of dance technology and involves little concerns of Yangge as propaganda in the wartime. The model of techno-choreography suggested here, will be presented through the examination of the author’s recent dance project X-Body, a full-length digital dance work. The emphasis is placed on the intervened dancing bodies that draws attention to how Chinese dancing bodies generate knowledge in digital performance and how to perceive Yangge in the technological era. Therefore, I suggest an inquiry into the field where cultural heritage and computer-mediated dancing bodies co-exist and provide an insight into a chorographical method in performing arts.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Divisions:	Bath School of Music and Performing Arts
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2023 18:20
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2023 05:30
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/15390

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