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Having a Blast with the Past

Ask Helen Lai for an explanation of the relationship between ancient scripts and contemporary writing. The acclaimed choreographer of the Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) was inspired by both to create HerStory, which premiered at the Hong Kong Cultural Center Studio Theater, last
month.

The ancient script in this case was "nushu", literally "women's writing". It was a unique form of written language developed 400 years ago by the women of Jiangyong County, Hunan province, to communicate in secret. Lai learned about it 10 years ago in a Chinese magazine article.

"I was intrigued and instantly thought of creating a dance about it," Lai says. "But the topic was typically Chinese, involving an ancient tradition and people; while classical or folk dance doesn't feature in my background. Also, due to the circumstances, 'nushu' often conveys a strong sense of
being suppressed. This was not the sentiment I was interested in expressing through my work."

So the idea was dropped, and was only picked up again when Lai encountered some writings last year by contemporary local female authors, Wong Bik-san and Xi Xi.

"It was then that I realized the term 'nushu' could also mean 'women's writing' in its broader sense. In that case, it is not an arcane language, but part of a constantly expanding and evolving vocabulary for women."

This revelation allowed Lai to transcend the pages of the ancient texts and create a powerful dance about modern women searching for their own identities.

This is not the first time that Lai and her fellow choreographers at CCDC have made something decisively contemporary out of an idea that has been in existence for hundreds, or even thousands, of years. Lai's Revolutionary Pekinese Opera was created 10 years ago, for Hong Kong's handover to China.

"The title was originally given by a Japanese composer for his musical creation. That piece is a crazy collage mixed up with everything from Western music and revolutionary Chinese songs to radio advertisements and newscasts - in both Chinese and Japanese. The cacophony of sounds and jarring notes
made my heart speed," Lai says.

"I felt this piece of music captured the prevailing mood of the Hong Kong people before the handover - anxiety mingled with fear and expectation."

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