she smashed the enclosure follows the conscience of Gwai Ying, a Chinese woman who was brought to the U.S. from China in 1933 and sold into prostitution. Her story is told through a series of visions in which angels and devils fight for truth in her mind, producing wild and manic dreams. These dreams are embodied by aerialists, improvising musicians, and film in a stream-of-conscious performance.

Lesley Mok: composition, drums, voice, film, production
Charmaine Lee: voice
Maya Keren: piano, voice
Aliya Ultan: cello, voice
Gabrielle “Teddy” Ment: aerial arts
Eleanor Getz: aerial arts
Georgie Johnson: aerial arts
Sophia Herscu: assistant choreographer

The basis for she smashed the enclosure is the not-so-widely known importation of Chinese girls during 1870–1910 to San Francisco. Driven overseas by conditions of poverty at home, young Chinese men immigrated to California to work in the gold mines. They usually came without their wives, as patriarchal cultural values, financial considerations, and anti-Chinese legislation prevented most Chinese women from becoming part of the early stream of immigrants to America. Chinese gangs (tongs) saw this as an economic opportunity and beginning in 1870, established an illegal trade in which they imported women from China for marriage, domestic slave work (mui-tsai), and prostitution. Women who managed to escape often made their way to missionary homes, where they were pressured into adopting gender roles that emphasized female purity, piety, and Christian home life.

While this history illuminates a complex web of western capitalism, Chinese patriarchy, Christianity, and white saviorism, the performance centers Gwai Ying’s spiritual transformation. Her conscience is presented as a continuum of past memories, present moments, and visions for the future.

With support from Commonwealth Circus.

LIVESTREAM: https://vimeo.com/479980792