Wen Hui/Living Dance Studio: RED

A Documentary Performance 

During the Cultural Revolution, there were just eight permissible theatrical works in China, one of them being The Red Detachment of Women, a ballet premiered in Beijing in 1964. In this performance, choreographed by Wen Hui, extracts, documentary footage, interviews with original cast members and live dance are brought together in a remarkable response to a tumultuous period in history.

Beijing-based Wen Hui, described as a 'figurehead of China’s contemporary dance scene' by Le Monde, makes her first UK visit in ten years. RED is a collaboration with Living Dance Studio, the first independent dance company in China. 

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RED is the newest work by the Beijing-based Living Dance Studio. Recounting the story of Wu Qionghua, a peasant girl who flees enslavement to join the Red Army-led women’s detachment in Hainan Province to fight the Nationalist troop, this nationally renowned ballet was once hailed as an impeccable fusing of revolutionary ideology and artistic mastery, blending Western ballet techniques with the fundamentals of Chinese classical and folk dances.

Creative Team
Choreographer : Wen Hui
Text : Zhuang Jiayun
Dramaturg : Kai Tuchmann (Germany)
Performers : Li Xinmin, Li Yuyao, Liu Zhuying, Wen Hui
Lighting Designer : Edwin van Steenbergen (Netherlands)
Interviewers : Wen Hui, Zhuang Jiayun, Zou Xueping
Music : Wen Luyuan
Translation : Guo Rui, Xu Qian

A co-production between the Beijing Living Dance Studio and the Goethe-Institut China. Presented in collaboration with Dance Umbrella.

Photo by Richy Wong