Two Hands
云手
“The Two Hands embrace and form a Circle, which are symbols of the Unity of Life - Heaven and Earth, East and West, Man and Woman, which are connected in harmony” - Hua Hua Zhang
Two Hands is sharing Hua Hua Zhang’s journey and reflections on living in the Eastern and Western worlds (China and the United States), and is a continuance of her previous show, "Reflections". This show marks the first time that Visual Expressions has collaborated with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D), based in Philadelphia, KYL/D is a contemporary dance company that has been noted for its "outstanding" choreography and "fierce dancers" (Philadelphia Inquirer). Both Visual Expressions and KYL/D have strong roots in Chinese culture and believe that the balance of can bring a peace to our lives. The process of creating Two Hands is a very exciting and innovative. This show has not only represented a new approach for Hua Hua’s expression, but has been an interesting experiment in modern puppetry.
Hua Hua Zhang lived in China for most of her life. The Chinese culture and eastern philosophy have, of course, had a profound influence on her. Two Hands is intended to be a visual, performing arts production which utilizes Taoist philosophy as its shaping inspiration. According to Taoist belief, keeping the balance and harmony of nature is the core requisite for a rich life:
“Man Follows The Earth, Earth Follows Heaven.
Heaven Follows The Tao, Tao Follows What Is Natural…”
“Ten thousand creatures cannot turn their backs to the shade
without having the sun on their bellies.”
- Lao Zi, a Chinese philosopher from c.581-500 BC
The Tao encourages us to strive for balance. One can do better. The possibility of change is ever present.
Two Hands is intended to encourage the audience to distinguish between Western and Asian values and to see how they both contrast and embrace each other. It explores how people deal with balance, desire, power, wonder and confusion in their lives. The essential concept of the production is to give the audience a broad invitation for questions and discovery while reflecting on their own experiences and feelings. The production is composed with several vignettes - each with a unique message. The vignettes are: Cycle; Soft Water; Traveler; Not Rush About.; Dreamer; Who are you? Super Idol; Double; Emperor‘s Prayer; Two Hands.
Two Hands blends puppet arts, dance, music and theatre with Eastern and Western cultural aesthetics to present a classical, elegant, dream-like performance. It will awaken our consciousness for reflection of what is the true value of our lives? How do you find an inner peace for facing your life’s challenges and how do you deal with it in a peaceful way.
Hua Hua Zhang - Creator; Artistic Director; Mask & Puppet Sculptor. Kun-Yang Lin - Choreographic Consultant. Bart Roccoberton - Creative Consultant; Technical designer, Production Manager. Liang Liang, David Darling and Eve Kodiak - Composers. Stephen Petrilli - Lighting designer. Heidi Barr - Costume Designer. Sebastienne Mundheim - Collaborator. Performing by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Hua Hua Zhang, Sebastienne Mundheim.
Two Hands is premier at Annenberg Center of Performing Arts on October 14, 2011
“Soft Water”
“Not Rush About”
“Double”
“Dreamer”
“Who are you?”
“Super Idol”
“Emperor‘s Prayer”
“Two Hands”
Janet Anderson for The Broad Street Review wrote:
"Two Far East expatriates now based in Philadelphia- the Chinese puppeteer Hua Hua Zhang and choreographer Kun-Yang Lin- joined forces for a program that was enthralling from beginning to end....These two talented artists created a subtle work, extremely beautiful and poetic.”
Audiences Comments
- … stunning masks, movement and lighting.
- A beautiful and inspiring performance. Looking forward to the next.
- Wonderful concept: beautifully executed!
- Good! Abstract!
- Fascinating!! The choice of music, light, materials, and movements were so creative and emotionally powerful! Loved it!
- Very moving – the puppets were so expressive – the way they moved.
- Excellent! The puppets are magical! Great dancing! Music and lighting all merged with great performers.
- WOW! What a stunning show. The lights, music, movement and puppets blended together to create theater magic! Thank you!
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-I thought I’d seen it all and now find another art form emerging – old as the rivers of China but brilliantly new in its power of evocation, cross referencing of other disciplines and the incredible presence of the puppets who are so many things - mysterious, beautiful, broodingly resonant, sweetly expressively gentle, extra intelligent, wise, impassive, distantly alive - so much more than extensions of the puppeteer’s skill. I was amazed by the wonderful transference from live actors into inert puppet whereupon the puppet came alive and the actor became the puppet and then back again. The shadow relationship of two entities working in such close and dynamic consort and based on mutual love opens fascinating lines of query. I enjoyed spending time with these emissaries from another place; a kingdom of imagination and time who stopped by for an hour before returning to a magical sleep until summoned again…
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-The performance of "Two Hands" at the Annenberg Center, created by Hua Hua Zhang, was one that engaged all the senses making for a very rich, satisfying and beautiful experience. Visually, the textures of materials, the flow of movement, the wonderful puppets, created images that are unforgettable. The music was such an integral part of the experience. It reflected the mood of each piece and was really lovely. There were many layers of meanings and one is encouraged to have experiences and feelings that may or may not have been the original intent of the creator. But exploration is something Hua Hua encourages. This needs to be seen more than once!
“Cycle”
Photos by Bill Hebert
