In traditional Chinese society, women are expected to step into tightly defined roles as they grow and mature. This theater/dance piece expresses the strivings of a young Chinese immigrant, an artist who struggles to break past her own borders and balance her cultural traditions with those of the West.

Border of Womanhood is inspired by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem “Watching a Sword Dance Performed by the Pupil of the Elder Sister of Gongsun” and by “Taiyu Predicting Her Own Death”, a Qing Dynasty poem by Tsao Shuehchin from his novel The Dream of the Red Chamber.

As a Chinese-American woman, choreographer Kuang-Yu Fong was deeply influenced by classical literature and the stories of Chinese women. This piece is a reflection of her evolution as a woman growing up in a traditional family in Taiwan and moving to New York City in 1983 to live as an artist. Through this dance, Ms Fong expresses the struggle between boundaries of traditional beliefs, images and the limitless possibilities that open up after crossing the boundaries into a new world.