Ying Zhou and Archana Kumar have been working together since late 2003. Both choreographers who incorporate contemporary choreography with classical Indian and Chinese dance, yoga, and modern Western movement techniques -- were raised in China and India, and now make their homes in the Pacific Northwest. Theier works have been well received at avant-garde performance venues, mentally disabled community centers, cultural events organized by minority activist groups and various ethnic festivals. They strongly commit in embracing and connecting different cultures, East and West, contemporary and traditional, which makes them the most unique combination.

Cindy and Kathy
This is our newest work-in progress. This piece is our bold attempt in addressing to the Americans, on globalization & cultural prejudice. Who do they represent? Who are they to us? Who are they to them? It is our conversation, our impressions and our experiences in wonderland. Our bodies exist in today’s world of post-modernization and beyond yet our minds are part of wonderfully rich cultures 1000s of years old. Cindy and Kathy wearing only skin-tight white bodysuits are faceless and featureless. They seem so simple & surreal, like nothing. It is too easy to understand them. Yet, we relate to them based on our current existence in the pacific North West.

Our first showing of this piece is at the North West Folk Life festival, 2006 at Seattle Center which will develop into a full evening length work by the end of the year.

Lost in Translation (Work in progress)
Relying heavily on improvisation and continuing with the duet format, we use a series of images & play around them as we strike a conversation with each other without any words. In the short video clip, we are thinking of Mirrors: Reflection & Distortion, mirroring important people in our lives, mirroring each other.

Innocence
Innocence is 12 minutes in full length. The piece is based on personal experience as a married woman from the East. The relaxed attitude over sexuality in the US is completely new to us. The taste of bodily based pleasure is thrill yet confusing. In this piece, our bodies become the battle field of cultural conflicts. The piece shows our confusion, hesitation, enjoyment, and efforts to make peace with old and new (original and immigrating) social moralities.

Missing
Missing is inspired by the ancient Chinese guqin music, Qiu Feng Ci (the Song of Autumn Wind), with the poem written by Li Bai. For a person born in Beijing in the mid 70’s, this piece is a personal journey to search for the intimacy with traditional Chinese culture, as embodied in the music and the instruments. The duet looks into the emotion of missing: the struggle between emotional independence and connections. Sometimes we try to keep the connection with something by refusing to forget. As a result, the movements of the piece have a lot of dragging of each other, attempts to get out from the other one, and not letting go of each other. It also includes a section where we warmly revisit all the things and relationships that we miss the most.

Classical Indian Prayer
This song typically starts a performance evening in order to bless the space around us; to give in our best to the audience and to invite the audience to become part of the performances. Going beyond the boundaries of performing in the classic Kathak style, we have experimented by using the whole body with the mind & soul to the prayer. The purpose of this piece was also to show how effectively 2 different bodies with different body tones & from completely different cultures can communicate as 1 through the language of dance.

Li Mei Mei - for the people of China
The piece is about 2 lovers who are trying to impress each other through their movements. The piece starts with a singer singing a popular Chinese folk song in the traditional style. We dance to a recorded version of this song which has been fused with modern rock music to make it fast paced & vigorous. We use Chinese folk, Kathak & modern dance techniques in our movements to deliberately offer different kinds of information to the audience that brings some humor to this fun piece.

Taal/Rhythm
An integration of teen taals (taal = cycles of different numbers,teentaal = cycles of 16beats)with new movements and exploring zillion ways to play with it! Trying to fuse them with everyday life, in our conversations, in our daily chores, when we go out,even our breath,our senses & our heartbeats; everything seems to have rhythm in some way. The whole dancer’s body expresses rhythm going to the farthest point of using herself in the movements. Vocal chords are awakened along with sound created through dynamic floor work, footwork and contact techniques.

Becoming
This duet piece will be studying the process of our immigrant selves in “becoming” something in our new home. Questions on our presence, our being in this new land arise. We wonder what we can give to this land to embrace it as our home. Can different cultures unite effectively to understand each other, communicate with each other…

SAMAI-Lost in Time
The duet explores the multiple facets of Time. Inspired by a Hindi poem, ‘Bandhene Lagi Yun Kisi ke Saath Zindagi’:As Life walks down the road, it begins to braid itself with different people. Life decides to halt at some important moments and we are struck with infinite questions. As artists, we wonder: what happens to our body as it moves through different times, zones, moods, and senses?

Innocent Life
It deals with the duality of Life: the tranquil & the violent, the simple & the complex, the spiritual & the material: white & black.

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