Double bill Echo / Random Goodbyes

ECHO

Moya Michael & Jin Xing Dance Theatre 

Echo is a creation by choreographer and KVS face Moya Michael, made in 2013 for 7 female company dancers using a sound arrangement by Anyal Zhang. The focal point of this piece is a group of women, occupying space. Each woman has an individual story that is intertwined with the group, yet each woman has her own voice. This is not a form of isolation. Recognition is placed on the female gaze and specifically on how change can be experienced through each of their lives. This perspective gives them a greater sense of how they relate to other women and to society as a whole. Their stories echo and their lives reflect similar struggles. They can empower themselves by being true to who they are as individuals and even more so by uniting with each other as group. This is a shortened version of the larger original work and also an introduction to the brilliant Jin Xing Dance Theatre. 

RANDOM GOODBYES 

Moya Michael, David Hernandez & Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai/Paris 

Everyone carries a story under their skin, just as unique and varied as a fingerprint. What connects us and defines our humanity are the inevitable things: love, life, and death.

From king, politician or businessman to servant or sage: behind every face in the audience hides a story, a collection of all their helloes and goodbyes, and the myths they become. What they do and what is done to them, random but still specific in all its intimate detail, each isolated in their desire for belonging.

Random Goodbyes is a collaboration between Moya Michael, David Hernandez and Jin Xing Dance Theatre that opens a window into a landscape full of intermingling lives and cultures. The collaboration between both choreographers by invitation of the Jin Xing Dance Theatre started in the summer prior to the pandemic. Because the world went into lockdown for the three following years, the creation finally premiered in November 2023 in Shanghai. The work has resurfaced as a reflection and commentary on the global crises and their broader implications. The cast is a mix of Chinese and local performers, and a collection of both personal and communal stories.

Interviewwith Moya Michael and David Hernandez