[ANOTHER VILLAGE|柳暗花明]

The Another Village is an immersive performance of UCCA Gala 2018 in celebration of the 11th anniversary of UCCA, China’s leading independent institution of contemporary art. Consistent with the theme of UCCA Gala 2018, “An Institution Reborn,” this performance, inspired by an ancient Chinese tale, The Peach Blossom Spring, transforms UCCA into a utopian village between “willows” and “flowers,” within which a story of the birth of a new day unfolds.

Under the guidance of the villagers, played by a group of contemporary dancers, the guests arrived, as the participants and “gardeners,” are invited to a suburban feast and asked to help “nurture” and “water” the flowers and grass in the village. Through five Acts, “Peach Blossoms,” “Spring Rain,” “Midnight,” “Daybreak,” and “Bathed in Morning Light,” interactive art installations, performances, digital media, sounds, and sensory experiences are choreographed in a lyrical manner as guests witness the new sunrise in the village that resembles the new beginning of UCCA.

In the Another Village, the relationship between an institution and its patrons takes on a poetic metaphor. Combining multiple art forms, this performance attempts to create a garden facing the future, a delightful farming experience, and to help UCCA express recognition to every visitor, member, and supporter.

PROLOGUE: Peach Blossoms - Opening Reception

Collecting Peach Branches in Exchange for Drinks

Distributed to the guests are hundreds of pink feathered cocktail glasses, Flirting Goblets, that resemble the peach petals. Meanwhile, villagers played by contemporary dancers wandering among the crowd and inviting the guests in to create an immersive experience.

ACT 1: Spring Rain - Starter

Starter: Distant Grass (Apple almond quinoa salad)

In “Spring Rain,” the opening act, raindrops in LED screens fall on the grass-which is also the starter of the gala dinner-on the two long tables that are surrounded by dancing performers mimicking the farming activities. When the performance completes, the dancers carry the starters to guests’ dinner table.

Act 2: Midnight - Main Course

Scene 1 Dancing Performance with Peking Opera Reading Poem: Peach Blossom Spring Revisited

Act 2: Midnight - Main Course

Scene 2: Kunqu Opera Performance: The Garden Visit and the Shocking Dream

Second Course: The Long Path by the fence (Roasted beef tenderloin)

“Midnight,” the second act of the gala, features a hostess of the Peach Blossom Village. She wanders through the seats, steps on the stages, and performs a piece of Kunqu opera. At the same time, other “villagers” are dancing around the guests to express gratefulness.

Act 2: Midnight - Main Course

Scene 3: Contemporary Dance: The Moon

Third Course: Ice in the Jade Pot (Fresh wild mushroom and matsutake soup)

ACT 3: Daybreak - Auction

Scene 1: Animated Short Film: Reborn

To delight the atmosphere of the auction, the animated film highlights the theme, An Institution Reborn, via the metaphors - the Sun rise, the fire bird, and the phoenix - to reveal another new day for UCCA and “the village”.

Scene 2: Auction

ACT 4: Bathed in the Morning - Dessert

Dessert: Between Willows and Flowers, A Village (white chocolate vanilla mousse with lemon juice)

Bathed in Morning Light, the ending chapters, invites every guest to water the micro garden (the dessert) in front of them utilizing the sprinkling pot in their hands. In this act, the relationship between UCCA and its patrons takes on a poetic metaphor, just like flowers and gardeners.