"Prelude to Mountain Ghost" draws its spirit from the ancient Chinese poem The Mountain Spirit, part of Nine Songs by Qu Yuan (343–278 B.C.). The ethereal confluence of longing and mysticism of that poem has long mesmerised me. It speaks to the liminal spaces where we dwell—those we are bound by, and those we yearn to transcend. It has often left me pondering:

How long is ‘now’?
How did we come to be?
The only place I can never lose myself, is in myself.
Alone yet moving,
In the rhythm of beginning, middle, and end.
Are we simply the stories we tell?

In Prelude to Mountain Ghost, I seek to unravel the mystery of identity—an entity in constant flux, hovering between the masculine and feminine, the divine and the human, the physical and the spiritual. Inspired by the shifting perspectives in The Mountain Spirit, the performance is an attempt to liberate the self from the chains of gender norms and societal repression. Is identity fixed, or is it forever fluid? This question, both ancient and modern, is at the heart of the work.

The piece is rooted in my personal exploration of belonging, queerness, fluidity, and identity. Its development has included a residency at Trauma Bar und Kino, a work-in-progress presentation at WANT TO DANCE FESTIVAL in Spring 2024, and culminated in its premiere in October, followed by five additional performances through December. We had over 600 audiences for the six open performances.