Saturday, September 15, 2018

MI(X)G

MI(X)G was going to be brilliant from the get go. Khun Pichet decided that the only way it would work was to invite 6 dancers from all over Asia and spend time in the most local part of Bangkok. I mean even my mum's Thai friends were shocked that I was so localised in that particular area. An area where foreigners are almost never seen. We showed up and stayed in their space, ate in their markets, commuted in their minivans. We were as local as you could get. Imagine how the locals felt? 9 of us, wondering around for a total of 3 weeks. Most of them didn't even know where Chang Theatre was.

It was a social experiment. There was adaptation, exchange, acceptance. Note: I said acceptance and not tolerance. We were in the front row seats of our very own production. We experienced it in real life.

We learned about the different cultures. We shared ghost stories, counted our birth dates so we could find out our destiny number. We spent genuine time with each other, which enriches the process and work so much.

A lot of left baggage, emotional. We worked through everything that was going on in our lives at that moment. Especially for me. I am in the process of moving back from being away for two years. This production is everything I am feeling right now. Anxious. Nervous. Unsure. Uncertain.

But I danced it all away. I danced 7 hour days. Therapy. Bliss.