Y’all…it has been a WILD week in the studio with SCDT because we are on our SECOND residency of the season with the one and only Tsai Hsi Hung!

Kia first saw Hung’s work about two years ago at the Western Michigan University Winter Gala concert in which she had choreographed a piece on the students of WMU Dance. As a former alumna of WMU Dance myself, I’m so proud to say that our department brought in many talented choreographers and artists for us to work with that simulated what it would be like to work in the professional dance industry! Hung’s piece was no exception and Kia commissioned her to work with us for our Season 7 show!

Tsai’s first day in residency with South Chicago Dance Theatre was this past Monday, December 11. She cast ten dancers for her work after auditioning all of us with an athletic and fast phrase of movement. She then immediately began working from the beginning of the piece. It is beautiful to watch any choreographer work, but ideas simply seem to come to Tsai in the moment as she worked chronologically through the piece. She plays to each dancers strength and her movement is NO JOKE when it comes to stamina and intensity. I’m in a full sweat every single rehearsal as her choreography is quick, grounded, low to the ground, but also incorporates powerful jumps and crazy athleticism. It’s a big challenge for all of us and is so different from the other piece’s in our repertoire. It will be a perfect addition to our April 2024 concert!

In a short 5 days, Tsai Hsi Hung has finished the entire ten minute piece – YES, finished it. We still have another week with her excellence and have the privilege of taking class with her this coming Monday as well as fine-tune cleaning the piece and enhancing the details of her work. This piece is one you surely should not miss. I’m amazed at HOW she worked, but also the product she produced in such a short amount of time. Tsai is a privilege to work with and we are so thankful to have her in our space for the last two weeks of 2023!