Tangram x LSO: Bound/Unbound
By Alex Ho and Sun Keting
Friday 9 & Saturday 10 August 2024
LSO St Luke's, London
New music, new movement, her stories. Join trailblazing Associate Artists, Tangram, for the premiere of a new music theatre piece by Alex Ho and Sun Keting interweaving the stories of two of China’s 19th century heroines: Afong Moy and Qiu Jin.
The Programme
Growing up with bound feet in the feudal Qing Dynasty, Afong Moy in 1834 became the first Chinese woman to be brought to America, where she was displayed before the public as a ‘Chinese Curiosity’. Half a century later, Qiu Jin, a young revolutionary, challenged the stifling Manchu culture and changed the fate of women by unbinding her feet and taking up the art of sword fighting. Poet, author of manifestos, and leader of a revolutionary community, Qiu Jin was determined to save her country from the corrupt Qing government. These two women, bound and unbound, together compose a symphonic dance, a protest against the world of patriarchy into which they were born.
The Performance
Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s
Bound/Unbound
Haegee Lee soprano
Yining Chen dancer
Beibei Wang percussion
LSO Musicians
Alex Ho and Sun Keting directors
Alex Ho and Sun Keting composers
Yining Chen choreographer
Chang Meng and Ke Peng visual designers
Xiaolu Guo, Alex Ho and Sun Keting Writers
Yilin Wang Qiu Jin translator and consultant
Based on an original script by Xiaolu Guo
Co-produced by Tangram and the LSO with generous support from the Bagri Foundation and Arts Council England