Artists for Dream Project II

The Multicultural Arts Center uses its space to present multicultural visual and performing arts programs to educate the community about diversity, and make its facility available to artists or groups that might not otherwise have access to a professionally equipped facility or the cultural mainstream.

​

In 2014, Chun Jou “Dream” Tsai founded the Dream Project. A dance artist from Taiwan, she trained extensively in classical Chinese dance, and started developing a curiosity toward enhancing the diversity of her dance expression by fusing her classical background with Western modern dance and improvisational techniques. Her English name, Dream, perfectly embodies her dreams and ambitions as a dancer and choreographer living in a foreign country. Last year, she successfully produced her first evening-length concert, and this year she is ready to share more of her dreams through Dream Project II, LUNA SOUL. This project continues to explore different aspects of Eastern and Western cultures and styles, fusing these elements into an evening’s worth of storytelling through the language of contemporary modern dance.

​

LUNA SOUL is inspired by the legend of Xi Shi, one of China’s Four Greatest Beauties. She changed the fate of two warring nations when she was offered as tribute by one kingdom to another. She was given a mission to secretly seduce the king and distract him from his state affairs, giving her army the perfect opportunity to attack and defeat the enemy. Dream takes the offering of Xi Shi as the seed of inspiration for this project. Traditional Chinese society has always been centered around men, and women are viewed as less valuable. Sons are preferred to daughters, and women are expected to be subordinate to their fathers, husbands, and sons. They are instructed to be subjects of men, and through the story of Xi Shi we see the constraints of the female existence symbolized by her role as tribute. Xi Shi had no choice in her involvement of the mission, as she was seen merely as a pawn, and yet without her there would have been no victory.

​

Women are often deemed insignificant by society, and do not have the freedom to possess their own individuality. They are constantly being limited by double standards, and are also expected to accept them. This project explores the inner struggles of the woman; how she copes with the values placed on her by society, and the pressures and expectations that come with them. She questions her purpose and tries to find a sense of belonging within the push-pull of society, striving for balance amidst chaos. LUNA SOUL takes these traditional values, which are still affecting the modern woman, and presents them through the experience of Xi Shi, with an abstract visualization of the process.  This Project explores the different aspects of Eastern and Western cultures and dance styles, fusing these elements and possibilities into an evening's worth of storytelling through the language of contemporary modern dance.