A whimsical and poignant theatrical journey into the world of identity, duality, and self-discovery. Drawing on the personal experiences of a diverse ensemble, the show weaves spoken word, live music, Bharata Natyam dance, and Chinese dragon dance into a story about straddling cultural identities, navigating racism and immigration, and the courage to be your authentic self. One of the organization’s most ambitious and visually rich productions.
A humorous and poignant journey about identity. What’s YOUR hyphen? Quirky, poignant…. and dragons! What’s YOUR hyphen?
Living on the Hyphen is true to its name, a multi-cultural tale that’s humorous and hard-hitting at times.
“Using the vehicle of humor and various performance art forms, I want to illuminate our commonality of being different.” (Leng Wong, Director)
In this whimsical and poignant theatrical journey into the world of the Hyphen, various characters straddle dualities, cultural identities and question relationships. Drawing on the personal experiences of the cast and director, this tale of self-discovery and empowerment incorporate spoken word, live music, Bharata Natyam dance of India, Chinese dragon dance, and more.
Based on the duality of the Asian-American experience, Living on the Hyphen touch on the universal truths that we all face as we straddle the hyphen of life. The residents of Hyphen address personal and social topics such as racial identities, health conditions, forms of communication, immigration, racism and consumerism. Oh, did we mention a commissioned full-size Chinese dragon puppet has travelled across the world to its new home in Austin, and will see its debut as one of the main characters in Hyphen?
Directed by Leng Wong. Dance and choreography by Anuradha Naimpally. Written and Performed by The Ensemble. The Ensemble is JooHee Ahn, Soumya Ashok, Purna Bajekal, Jay Byrd, Jeffery Johnson, Jesus Valles, Anu Naimpally and Leng Wong.. Live music by Eddie Hsu (flute), Toshio Alan Mana (bass), Amie Macieszewski (sitar) and Rishi Bajekal (doumbek).