my heart eats with its hands

my heart eats with its hands (2011)

my heart eats with its hands from Jai Arun Ravine on Vimeo.

“my heart eats with its hands” is a collaborative performance piece with original text and choreography by Charleston Chu and Jai Arun Ravine. Music: “Androgynous” and “Origami Monsters” by Jhameel. Video projection: Charleston Chu and Jai Arun Ravine. Performed as part of Rally the Troupes VII: The Revolution WILL Include Glitter, presented by Drew Montana, Kentucky Fried Woman and Starr69 on September 16, 2011 at Mills College, Littlefield Concert Hall, Oakland, CA.

Through a collaborative process of writing and dancing together, we created a piece that examines what our genderqueer, Asian American hearts are like. We intervene on the cultural silences that have discredited our need to express ourselves and prohibited us from having feelings and emoting in our writing. Working with the music of bay area artist Jhameel, we move through our relationship with the written word—as a place where we hide and fear we are losing control—as a place where we jump up and remake ourselves.