Gefei Liu
School of Theater – MFA2 – Creative Producing and Management
Collaborators:
Di Hu, Arts, MFA 2, School of Arts
Giada Jiang, Choreography, MFA 1, School of Dance
Olivia Xing, Acting, MFA 2, School of Theater
Chujun Jiao, Experimental Animation, MFA 2, School of Film and Video
MarKate Glenn, Acting, MFA 2, School of Theater
A few years ago, an ostrich was spotted running on the highways of Beijing, the police car chasing the large bird and hoping to prevent it from blocking the local traffic. The news went viral and many people felt similarly caged in society and longed to break free. A symbol of hope and rebellion, the runaway ostrich ignited hope in an era of strict state surveillance and oppression. Our project “Runaway Ostrich” is a performance installation inspired by the news — it is a nearly 7 foot tall ostrich puppet model within which actors dance and perform and traverse the space. Both the making of the puppet and the dance techniques echo “dragon dance”, a traditional Chinese dance. However, the imitation of the form is to rebel this tradition: we are not the stereotypical old dragon that represents authority, but the young and free ostrich, just as majestic and fierce.
