Chinese Arts Space Present PROJECT NEW SUN Double Bill

Project New Sun is a double bill exploring Chinese culture in modern day British society, bringing together the contemporary and the traditional, through dance, music, and comedy. The evening will open with Julia Cheng's Orlando Warrior, a solo performance that draws on contemporary and street dance styles blended with traditional Chinese martial arts and live, original music. The piece explores the mythology of the gender-bending Orlando of the West, fused with the legend of Mulan of the East. Questions of identity and belonging in present day British society are expressed through Wushu martial arts and Waacking (a dance originating from the 1970's gay club scene in LA) in an exploration of being a British Chinese Woman today. Julia is a professional dance artist with over 10 years' experience and Creative Director of House of Absolute, a cross-art performance collective.

In the second half of the evening, Chris Chan will present a new one-man show that uses comedy, insightful songs and digital technology to interrogate common stereotypes about East and West and how the two societies view one another. Inspired by American stand-up and Chinese cross-talk comedy duos, Gongs, Songs & Hong Kong Thongs is packed with comic banter and wicked songs about the weird and wonderful quirks, attitudes and misconceptions found between British and Chinese cultures. With tongue firmly in cheek, hear Chris wax on (and wax off) lyrically about Asian stereotyping in a show that's part culture guide, part biography and part parody. Chris is an actor, music director and songwriter. He studied music at Oxford, and is a two-time Semi-Finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition. As an actor, he has played the West End, UK touring and international touring productions.

Project New Sun is the final chapter in a trilogy of work exploring the British Chinese experience, following Project New Moon and Project New Earth. Chinese Arts Space (CAS) presented Project New Earth in the first programme of Southbank Centre's China Changing Festival, an international festival showcasing contemporary China and exploring its creative connection with the UK, which launched in December 2016. CAS returns for the festival's second year this October (7th) with Project New Sun.

Christine Yau, CAS's Chairman, says, "In Project New Sun we express our hopes for a new generation of exciting artists blending cultures, heritages and stories to encourage greater cultural and social understanding and empower a cultural dialogue which is diverse and accepting".

Chinese Arts Space exists to commission British Chinese and International Artists working in the performing and visual arts fields, to encourage transnational collaborations, to mentor the next generation of British Chinese cultural leaders and to showcase excellent contemporary work with universal appeal to the widest possible audience, live and digital.

Learn more at www.casuk.org.

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