_ao_ao_ing (老妖精) ensemble

Description

_ao_ao_ing (老妖精) ensemble is a performance collective that is continuously morphing and finding new shapes. Founded in 2018 in Shanghai, it has six core members from different disciplines and backgrounds. For _ao_ao_ing, “performance” is a malleable and porous term. Their artistic initiatives are powered by the cross-contamination between a plural "self" and the places and people they encounter, which then unfolds into diverse forms such as theatre, performances, interventions, curatorial programs, printed matter, gatherings, walks, workshops, digital art, etc.

Collective-making is key to their process. All members work horizontally and collaboratively in almost all aspects and stages of the process, from dreaming to executing. They also deeply share, observe and participate in each other's "sites of life" - in practice, it often means providing both care and provocation to one another. _ao_ao_ing keeps exploring the troubled waters between collectivism and individuality, system and freedom, efficacy and organicity.