Nai-Ni Chen - Reflections on Tianji - Dragons on the Wall

I began working on this project in March 1998. My intention was to create the third work about the Art of Chinese Calligraphy. The first two were based on the motion and energy of the stroke, and the contrasted between Ying and Yang. Both works were abstract. I was hesitating to start the third piece and wonder if I could find a different approach this time. Joan La Barbara suggested that dancers use their own voice to accompany their movements for this project. So, I started from there to see if I could find a new direction on this subject. By working with group of talented dancers, I found that utilizing their own voices while they are moving actually enhanced the movement quality. We developed a lot of interesting materials based on improvisation. Because dancers are used to using only their physical bodies to express feelings, they are often shy about using their voices. That was the first breakthrough for them and for me as well. We spent many hours in the studio to open our voices and our mind, breaking the restrictions, and letting our hearts drive the movement, allowing the movement to connect with the mind and speak the truth in our mind. Many times, I took them on a long journey to a very deep place inside their hearts to examine themselves. It was very exhausting after each rehearsal. But, the material that we got out from those experiences was very rewarding. It felt as if we were on a vision quest but each step brought its own difficulties and complications. Freedom seemed to be an indefinable and unattainable goal.

Bei Dao joined this project by the end of 1999. His poems provided so much imagination and took us to a different dimension. It became a second strong creative force for this work. I gave dancers freedoms to find the connection between themselves and the poems. As an individual, each dancer has a strong personality and their own goals in life. Encouraging individual creativity and strength to emerge became central to this dance.

After viewing my work in progress, Shen Chen, an Artist and Chinese Calligrapher introduced to us by Bei Dao, felt the theme of energy and space, restriction and freedom appearing in my dance connected with his work. As he described "it is just like how the ink works on paper, when one drop of black ink is breaking through the paper and spreading out, penetrating the paper powerfully." He brought his visual design perspective based on the same experience he found in classical Chinese Calligraphy. It opened up another dimension for this piece. As I was developing this work, I started with Calligraphy, and then explored the places in mind, and yet came back to Calligraphy. Finally, I realized Calligraphy is a great art form. Not just about line and shapes, motion and energy, but the movement that connects with the energy of our lives and every breathing experience.

To me, the Dragon symbolizes power and tremendous energy. How does it get trapped on a wall? Is this a statement about my own experience as Chinese American? Or is it a reflection of all the people on earth? The mind is the most powerful muscle of a human being. As individuals, looking from the outside, we may live in harmony and happiness. Day by day, we follow the routines of our lives and let the invisible force control the outcome of every matter. But, our minds, with their tremendous force and energy, have the ability to change this condition.

Bei Dao gave a Chinese name - "Tianji" to "Dragons on the Wall". Tianji is the mysterious force which controls the outcome of human events. Although this force is beyond our knowledge, we have our powerful minds, and limitless wills which can control and anticipate outcomes. How do we find the harmony between nature's way and ourselves? It's a great mystery that links our life to the society and to the universe.

In the process of creating this dance, we revealed many questions. This is certainly not an answer, but just a beginning for a whole set of new works to come.

Joan La Barbara

In composing the music for "Dragons on the Wall", I have blended aspects of natural elements: air, water, metal, wood, earth, animal and bird, into the soundscape, interweaving live instrumental and vocal gestures into the sonic fabric. The dancers' voices and breath are integrated into the texture as are fragments of poems by Bei Dao. Enabling the dancers to release energy into sound and breath as they move has been an exciting aspect of this process. My overarching concern has been to articulate, punctuate, counterbalance and enhance the movement through my music.