aWokening by Winnie Ho
Queer East 2025
About aWokening by Winnie Ho
Longing to reconnect with Hong Kong, her birthplace, the artist Winnie Ho uses the concept of wok chi (鑊氣), the fleeting energy of wok cooking which gives Cantonese cuisine its distinct flavour, as a metaphor for her diasporic and queer identity.
Blending physical performance, immersive scenography, and sensory dramaturgy, aWokening transcends the traditional boundaries of contemporary dance, reflecting on cultural loss and identity through past memories, while imagining new horizons. The audience is transported into a universe oscillating between reality and imagination, where food becomes both a cultural anchor and a means of exploring collective memory.
This performance will be followed by a post-show talk.
About Winnie Ho
Winnie Ho is an interdisciplinary dance performance artist who was born in Hong Kong, and currently resides in Montreal. Her work embraces multiple disciplines, including immersive installations, sculpture and dance. Weaving in various materials onto her body and inventing queer folklore/mythologies have been the fore-front of her dance making practice. Presently, she is working with grief, pleasure and play as both a personal ceremonial practice and a public performance. Winnie was awarded the Laureate of the Power Prix 2022 scholarship award at La Centrale Gallarie Powerhouse in Montreal. She was also the recipient of the 2017 Danceweb Scholarship Program at Impulstanz Festival in Vienna.
Instagram: @soft_sloth
Cast & Creatives
Choreography and Performance: Winnie Ho
Sound Design: Moe Clark
Lighting Design: Nien Tzu Weng
Lighting Support: Darah Miah
Dramaturgical Advice: Thea Patterson, Sasha Kleinplatz
Outside Perspectives: Angie Cheng, Justin de Luna, Geneviève Allard, Nate Jaffe, Lari Jalbert
aWokening is part of Queer East Festival 2025
