Jascha Viehstädt
Raymond
Liew Jin Pin:
Maria Cencaru
A Southeast Asian Cis-Sis Reunion
A Southeast Asian Cis-Sis Reunion
In Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries, cross-dressing and homosexuality are still illegal or taboo. Nevertheless, when Raymond Liew Jin Pin was eleven years old, his mother dressed him up in a gold sequined dress, put a wig and make-up on him and took him to a talent contest for children. He sang and danced and won 3rd prize.
More than 20 years later and with various trainings in contemporary and traditional Southeast Asian dances, he returns to the moment as a dancer and performer. Maria Cencaru is the queer memory of this, the desire to experience the performance anew and at the same time the drag name of Raymond Liew Jin Pin.
Together with dancers and friends from the queer Southeast Asian diaspora, he searches for shared memories and for what moves them all. They combine their diverse dance backgrounds from traditional and contemporary dances to urban styles such as Voguing and Waacking to share their experiences of oppression and liberation, migration, longing and desire. Maria Cencaru is the commonality of their different identities, a collective movement and the long overdue cis-sis family reunion.
Raymond Liew Jin Pin is a Malaysian choreographer and performer living in Germany. During his residency at K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg, he explored traditional Southeast Asian dances to create the contemporary piece Kampung Baru (New Village). Based on this, he currently researches how the queer Southeast Asian diaspora moves. Together with his partner Jascha Viehstädt, he works on choreographic projects such as 1000 Kisses (produced by explore dance - network dance for young audiences).
Concept, Choreography and Performance: Raymond Liew Jin Pin
Co-Choreography and Performance: Lee Mun Wai, Amin Alifin, Teddy Ong Xing Kai, Paula Pau
Music: Jascha Hagen
Visual: #shikasketchbook
Stage and Light Design: Jascha Viehstädt
Costume: Catharina Holtgrave
Outside Eye: Niklaus Bein
Management: Sina Rundel
Co-production: PACT Zollverein. Supported by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media, the NRW State Office for the Liberal Performing Arts, the Hamburg Cultural Foundation and the NRW Art Foundation. With the kind support of STUDIO Hammer Deich.