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3″ Golden Lotus: The Tradition of Bound Feet as Depicted in Contemporary Choreography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2013

Kelly Knox
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Abstract

The Chinese tradition of female foot binding dates back thousands of years and has had a profound impact on the status and expectations of Chinese women well into the twentieth century. This paper explores the cross-cultural collaboration between a male Chinese choreographer and a female American dancer and the intersection of metaphoric movement with female identity in Er-Dong Hu's choreographic work, 3” Golden Lotus (2007). Addressing a personal and cultural history, Hu offers a gallery of kinesthetic images that portray the imposed practice of foot binding. What is revealed is one dancer's psychological journey as she follows in the tiny and excruciating footsteps of her female ancestors, 3” Golden Lotus serves as a choreographic springboard for investigating not only the Chinese tradition of bound feet but also its counterparts in other times and cultures, all of which represent a global subjugation of the woman's body.

Type
Research Article
Information
Congress on Research in Dance Conference Proceedings , Volume 40 , supplement S1: Dance Studies and Global Feminisms , 2008 , pp. 161 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2008

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References

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