Sat 7/15 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EDT
As part of the Crossing the Threshold art theme, Green Acre and Theater for the People present BOLT, a multidisciplinary performance uplifting femme voices from the Asian-American diaspora. BOLT will explore themes such as belonging, identity, and heritage: a merging of past and present. Featuring choreography by I.J. Chan (陳加恩), Jeryl Palana Pilapil Brown, Artistic Director and founder of Art UnEarths, and Olivia Moon.
Hi, my name is I.J. Chan—also known as Tangayan in Cantonese—and welcome to BOLT.
BOLT is a dance show featuring three female Asian choreographers in Boston: myself, Olivia Moon and Jeryl Palana [Pilapil Brown]. There aren’t many Asian choreographers in Boston; there aren’t many Asian female choreographers, period. So to have the three of us collaborating on a show—and also dancing together—is a really powerful testament to our community and also our strength as people.
We spent a lot of time thinking about what we should call the show—and I don’t remember who suggested BOLT—but “bolt” can mean many things. What comes to my mind is a thunderbolt, or a lightning bolt—that electrifying energy that’s very quick, and that’s not necessarily associated with Asian women—but that power does reside within us and it’s not always shown. But also it also has a different meaning, like “bolt” as in running really fast, or a sudden burst of speed. And then the third [meaning] that comes to mind is an actual “bolt” which fortifies or holds things together. There are multiple meanings to that, and I also see those three meanings as symbols of strength.
Hi, my name is Olivia Moon and welcome to BOLT, a show consisting of three amazing Asian American choreographers. We have Geryl, we have I.J. and we have myself—all choreographing from the lens of being an Asian Femme person in America.
You don’t see a lot of Asian representation in media. I definitely did not see a lot of it growing up, and so this is a great opportunity that we’ve been presented to be able to showcase our work and have our voices heard.
I’ve been dancing in Boston now for about six years. I went to college at Boston University, and started dancing my freshman year with the company that’s based in Boston—where I’m at I.J. I’ve known I.J. for quite a long time, and then shortly after met Geryl… these people have been role models to me in the community… it’s really an honor to be able to present work next to them, and also an honor for them to see my work as something that’s valuable.
I’m currently trying to work on blending contemporary dance with pole dance, and this has provided a space for me to do that—a safe space for me to do that—in a sort of more experimental way.
