Wen Hui's RED, Purcell Room

The impact of the Cultural Revolution on all parts of life in China cannot be overstated. The arts, too, were enlisted by Mao Zedong’s Communist Party to play a role in the indoctrination of the masses. One of the key works from that period, the 1960s and 70s, was the ballet The Red Detachment of Women.

The machine-gun toting female dancers in their red uniforms and pointe shoes became emblematic of Communism’s attempts to harness all aspects of society; and over the years The Red Detachment of Women acquired a patina of infamy.

Until now, that is. In her work RED, the Beijing-based choreographer Wen Hui invites us to take another look at this ideologically-driven ballet and go below the surface to discern within it the possibility of female emancipation.

The founder of Living Dance Studio, China’s first independent contemporary dance company, Wen Hui uses a blend of dance, film and text to analyse sensitive social issues.

RED is a doco-drama featuring dance, filmed interviews with original cast members and a backdrop of projected archive material. It’s shown in the Purcell Room as part of Dance Umbrella 2018, and is one of the key events in the final weekend of the Southbank Centre’s China Changing Festival.

Age Guidance: 12+

Free post-show Q & A with Wen Hui 4 Oct