In Tiger Hands, choreographer Benjamin Akio Kimitch dreams beyond the worn-out mantra of East-meets-West. Inspired by his formative training in Chinese dance and intimate encounters with Peking opera, Kimitch’s vision for his first production in five years is one of world making. With this performance, Kimitch continues a body of dance works that honor grief for his late mother, a third-generation sansei Japanese American, amateur taiko drummer, and folk dancer. “Tiger hands,” a Peking opera posture conventionally reserved for male characters, represents for Kimitch both a later-life reconnection to his formative non-Western dance training and cues for how he might enliven the early experimental energy that birthed this artform. Kimitch invites a diverse group of creative collaborators in his cosmic, sunrise-colored search for authentic personal expression, using elements of Peking opera as a transformative source of beauty and strength.

Directed, Choreographed, and Designed by Benjamin Akio Kimitch

Improvisations by the Dancers

Pareena Lim, Julie McMillan Castellano, and Lai Yi Ohlsen, Dancers

Claire M Singer, Composer

Jeffrey Gan, Dramaturg

Carlos Soto, Costume Designer

Serena Wong, Lighting Designer

Victoria Bek, Costume Supervisor

Justin Wong, Project Manager

Premiere: August 4, 5, 6, 2022

The Shed, as part of Open Call 2022, New York City