Sit, Eat and Chew 五味杂陈
Sit, Eat and Chew is a guided immersive dance tour through Chinatown. It uncovers personal stories in secret sites, ranging from funny to outrageous, adventurous to traumatic, unfolding in public and private locations throughout Chinatown. The Chinese proverb – Wǔ Wèi Zá Chén 五味杂陈 – references the five traditional tastes of cooking (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty) to describe the complex emotions in life’s ups and downs. These stories that have become the creative and emotional inspiration for the dance theater performance.
CREDITS:
Sit, Eat & Chew conceived by: Mei-Yin Ng伍美燕
Sit, Eat & Chew Co-conspirator & Consultant: Dr. Jane Gabriels.
Sit, Eat & Chew @ Montreal Creative team:
Choreography by: Léa Tremblay Fong and Mei-Yin Ng伍美燕 in collaboration with Martine Castera, Léna Demnati, Geneviève Duong, Charles Gao, and Phi Nguyen
Tour guide: Parker Mah 馬世聰
Performers: Martine Castera, Léna Demnati, Geneviève Duong, Léa Tremblay Fong , Charles Gao, Parker Mah馬世聰, Mei-Yin Ng伍美燕 and Phi Nguyen
Community performer: Women’s Club of Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal 滿城華人服务中心 – 婦女會: Elaine Chan 陳士玲, Thelma Chan 陳士貞, Feng Ming Chen (Mingly) 陳鳯鳴, Hsiu Yun Chen (Susan) 陳秀雲, Yun Ling Cheung (Carol) 張潤玲, Yen Ngoc Hoang (Josephine) 黄燕玉, Helen Jong (Ping Yip Tom) 譚萍葉, Monique Sui 孫敏兒, Mery Zhang 張衛慈
Music/Sound Design by: Parker Mah馬世聰
Additional music composed and sung by: Ai- Hua Feng 冯爱花
Rehearsal Assistant with community performer: Charo Foo Tai Wei 符岱微
Community outreach and project coordinator: Wai Yin Kwok 郭慧妍
Project Advisor for Montreal Chinatown: Parker Mah馬世聰, Walter Chi-yan Tom.
The project Sit, Eat & Chew @ Montreal is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts as well as the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and thanks to the material support of Centre Yee Kang 怡康中心, of Rocio Machorro – Yoga Plus, of the restaurant Dobe & Andy楓林燒臘茶餐厅 and the GALLIM Parent Moving Artist Residency program, Roberta Ferdschneider, Elizabeth St Clair, Benita Welch, and David Sherman.
| Premiere: | May 27, 2023 |
| Cast/Crew: | 8 performers, 1 community dance group, 1 sound artist. |
| Length: | 90 min |
PERFORMANCE ARCHIVE:
| 2023 | Site-specific performance in Montreal Chinatown |
ARCHIVE:
Site #1 Gum San, Gold Mountain at Sun-Yat-Sen Park.
Site #2 Lea’s story at Sakura Park (Video)
Site #4 Geneviève’s story inside Guy-Favreau complex.
Site #5 Birds coming back to root, but all the trees have been cut down inside Guy-Favreau complex. (Video)
PREVIEW: