Elizabeth Mochizuki, the Asian American Ballet Project’s artistic director, distinctly remembers what was going through her mind during the group’s first time on stage.
“I remember being like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s really happening. It’s just us. We’re doing ballet,’” Mochizuki told the Sampan of the all-Asian-American performance. “It was something I’ve never seen before. I just wanted to bring people together to create this idea, share our stories and our experiences.”
Prior to the debut, Mochizuki said, she felt isolated as a dancer, because of the lack of Asian Americans in dance. Asian American directors were nowhere to be found and she knew of only a few choreographers and some dancers. “So my idea was to bring a group of people together to create (a) community.”
The group’s show, “Intersections,” which comes to the Boston Center for the Arts later this month, now aims to bridge cultural divides by offering a mixed bill of four uniquely Asian-American ballets. Under the broad banner of “Asian American,” the ballet project uses the dance as a medium to express authentic stories and transform how audiences see Asian Americans in performance.
And, the dance company believes, when all-Asian American artists come together, the labels behind identity suddenly disappear.
“Depending solely on your physical identity to be seen as valid, is, frankly, exhausting,” said Zoe Mueller, one of the choreographers behind “Intersections.” “I think this company here is already kind of a refuge in the sense of like, we are all Asian American here, therefore we can be seen as multidimensional.”
The show’s four pieces are:
La Bayadere: a Desi Retelling is a reimagining of the 1877 ballet, centering on India and reinterpreting the traditional piece with modern language of classic ballet. “It was set in India, but it was done by a French choreographer who was in Russia. So it’s really like an imperialist colonialist perspective on Indians, and it’s sort of stereotyped. We are trying to mix the classical ballet and Indian classical dance and see how we can keep this ballet alive for the future,” said Mochizuki of the work.
Lon Po Po: Little Red Riding Hood is a story ballet. Based on the ancient Chinese story, characters like girls and the wolf come to life for fun, especially for the kids in the audience.
Reclamation is a multidisciplinary work, featuring original spoken word cut by artist Kathy Eow, live music played on the ajeeng, a Korean string instrument, and dance to explore one trans-racial adoptee’s journey reclaiming family legacy.
On the Way is a story of pilgrimage and meditations on home, set to heart-pounding original music by Zhanat Baidaralin from Kazakhstan.
Mueller, as one of the choreographers of “Reclamation,” said the work resonates deeply with her. “I get to be more than just an Asian adoptee, or Chinese American, or any physically presenting features that people associate me with. I’m more than that in this space,” said Mueller.
As a returning intern, Mueller said she truly values being part of this project. “I’m prioritizing the significance of the process, remaining sensitive to whose voices are being represented, who’s creating this work, who’s producing this, who’s literally directing the whole project. Even behind the scenes, I think it’s really important who gets to say what is seen on stage, as opposed to being dictated by whiteness.”
After debuting with a show titled “Beginnings” at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center last year, it was easier for Mochizuki to assemble an all-Asian American crew this year. She had conceived the idea of the Asian American Ballet Project long before.
Identity has been a significant reality in the careers of Asian Americans in ballet. “Other companies might hire an Asian-American choreographer, very rarely, but sometimes. Then the dancers, they’re still working with white dancers, mostly. So I think it’s really important that we’re telling our stories, and we’re the bodies,” said Mochizuki. “Here you don’t have to think about that, it’s exhausting being in a company and second guessing myself, ‘Am I getting cast because I’m Asian?”
“If we can do ballet, then sky’s the limit,” said Mochizuki. “We want to share more of our stories and get people thinking about what they’ve seen of Asian bodies on stage before and how it can be different, especially with an Asian American company.”
The performance runs June 29 and 30 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. Tickets for “Intersections” can be purchased by phone 617-933-8600, or at www.bostontheatrescene.com/shows-and-events/intersections/.