Stratum
Inspired by moulting, where animals or insects shed part of their skin, Stratum – choreographed by Sarah Hin Ching U – features 3 dancers moving through distinct "nests" installed between clusters of trees. Long strips of earth-toned mesh fabric hang and knot among the trees to form woven structures. Through a mix of set choreography and improvisation, the dancers’ movements influence the integrity of the installation. The textiles loosen, tighten, drag, surrender and resist in response to the dancers pulling, shaking and leaning into the material. Stratum presents an energetic conversation between contemporary dance and textile arts.
Sarah Hin Ching U
Sarah Hin Ching U 余衍晴 (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian dance artist/choreographer, trained and influenced by a multitude of styles including Latin Ballroom, contemporary, ballet and hiphop. I gravitate towards stories in human desire, identity, relationship; and is grounded in experiences that have touched me deeply and personally. Presentation credits include Dancing on the Edge 2023 (Vancouver), National Arts Centre, Capsule: Video series (Ottawa), The Dance Centre (Vancouver), NewWorks (Vancouver), DanceWorks (Toronto), Skampede (Victoria, BC), Free Flow Dance Theatre (Saskatoon), SpringWorks (Ontario) among others. In 2022, I received the Professional Performing Artist Award from British Columbia Arts Council and have been awarded residencies at Dance Arts Institiue (Toronto), Impulse Theatre (Victoria), City of Port Coquitlam, ArtStarts (Vancouver), and Plastic Orchid Factory. I graduated Simon Fraser University in 2021 with a BFA in dance and kinesiology.
photo: Janis Cleugh, and courtesy of artist
Contact Information
Website: https://www.sarah-u.com/
Instagram: @sarahuu__
Email: sarahu1025@gmail.com
Details of the work:
Choreographer: Sarah Hin Ching U
Performers: Sarah Hin Ching U, Jaqueline Ritter, Kaya Tsurumi
Year of creation: 2023
Lenght of work: 15 min - 30 min
Preparation time required on site: 1-2 hours
Technical requirements required on-site, briefly: bluetooth speaker
Space required (specify size of area and floor type ): 2 clusters of trees in close proximity to each other (at least 3 trees for each cluster)
Community Engagement, Stratum
Insect-themed movement workshop for children: learn how to fly like a butterfly, crawl like a caterpillar and explore the nest with distinct insect movements. Introduce children to life cycles of insects through creative movement.