Ran Jiao

Project in Progress

Spider, Turtle, We is a physical performance with moving costumes. The project explores through costumes the possibilities of becoming animals, and thereof the possibilities of co-existence between human and non-human beings. Inspired and supported by autobiographic stories, Spider, Turtle, We looks for the magical and fluid becomings between humans and creatures.

Two work-in-progresses were shown on 04.11.2020 and 26.03.2022 (in the frame of the Bazaar Festival) at Theatre Alfred Ve Dvore, Prague, the Czech Republic.

Project Residencies:

The Bazaar festival 12.3.2022 - 23.3.2022

Center for Choreographic Development (SE.S.T.A ) 19.05.2021 - 29.05.2021

Cross Attic 22.10.2020 - 28.10.2020

Workshop in Theatre Alfred ve Dvore 18.01.2020 - 22.01.2020

Concept, Direction: Ran Jiao

Costume and Dramaturgy: Anne-Catherine Kunz

Light Design : Eliska Kocianova

Performing: Debora, Stysova, Joana Simoes, Ran Jiao, Sai

A participatory performance by Wayne Jordan and collective.

The performance is programmed within Nové sady (New Orchards). It is the name of an ongoing series of one-time performing arts events created in collaboration with guests from Terén platform – field for performing arts.

Premiere: 26.10. 2019 at Governor's Palace, Moravian Gallery

Photo Credit: Terén platform – field for performing arts

The drama performance focuses on language oppression and self-censorship. Language constitutes our knowledge, our way-of thinking, and our identity. It tells us what is right and what is wrong. It’s our super-ego. Language orders us what to do. It’s our mind commander.

But what if the language itself is wrong? What if it tells us to do something we don’t want? Do we fool ourselves into believing it or do we fight against it? Maybe the answer isn’t that easy. It’s you that you’re fighting against.

Adaptation from YAN Lianke’s novel 'Serve the People'

Premiere: 23.5.2019 at Divadlo DISK

Time: 75 minutes

Direction: Ran Jiao

Dramaturgy: Eva Rosemarijn, Nika Svab, Maria Huber

Set Design: Mihailo Mosesku

Sound/Light Design: Maria Huber

Choreography Advisory: Eva Urbanova

Production: Cici Hu

Czech Subtitles: Zuzanna Li

Graphic Design: Mary Nguyễn

Cast:

LIU Lian : Olga Mikulska

WU Dawang : Petr Urban

Farmers: Ivana Atanasova, Tinka Avramova, JIAO Ran

Photo Credit: Vojtěch Brtnický

A Woman Such as Myself is a chamber opera based on Si Si, one of China's most famous contemporary writers. The libretto touches on internal issues such as the fragility of love, courage and cowardice, the importance of work, destiny and choice, ie timeless and transcendental themes. Heroine Girls like me works at a funeral home, where he depicts the deceased. The story unfolds in the form of a long internal monologue.

The individual parts of the overflowing internal monologue are connected by free associations. Opera also adopts a free-flowing structure that should reflect the particular nature of the narrative method chosen.

The performance is part of the festival NODO / Days of New Opera Ostrava 2018

Premiere 27.06.2018, 20:00 - Hlubina Mine

Music: Daniel Lo

Libretto: Suyin Mak, based on a story by Chinese writer Xi Xi - (* 1938)

Conductor: Petr Kotík

Direction and scene: Miřenka Čechová, Petr Boháč

Assistant Direction: Ran Jiao

Performed by: Kamala Sankaram, Vojtěch Šembera, Kamila Mazalová, Ostrava Bunch

Photo Rights: Ostrava Center for New Music

The Ceremony is a participatory performance that explores being together with kindness and care.

Premiere: 17.5.2019 at Venuše ve Švehlovce

Created and performed by:

Wayne Jordan. Tinka Avramova, Emil Rot, Alyssa Dillard, Pietro Ferreri, Riin Maide, Ran Jiao, Sai Psyn, Carolina Arandia, Nitish Jain, Cristina Manuela Romero and others.

Photo Credit: Tang Hoi Man

A drama performance based on the Memorandum by Vaclav Havel.

Premier:

12. January 18.00 in Řetízek, DAMU

Direction: Ran Jiao

Dramaturgy: Veronika Martinkova, Ami Keita

Scenography: Nitish Jain

Light technician: Israel Lopez

Cast-

Rebeca Duarte, Mariana Varela, Lise Grimelund-Kjelsen, Thibault Germain Seyt, Krystof Dvoracek, Victor Kuznik, Veronika Martinkova

Photo Credit: Tian Yang

How do we rehearse and perform our identities? What does it mean to perform ourselves on stage with others?

Pull My Finger (Identity Series) is an attempt at breaking the rules and expectations of what it means to share or expose one’s identity on stage. A collage of personal truths, failures, tasks, and togetherness resulting in an authentic, raw and unsexy striptease of identity.

Premiere: 12. 5. 2019 at Venuše ve Švehlovce

Direction: Tinka Avramova

Performing: Tinka Avramova, Ran Jiao, Wayne Jordan, Martin Krupa, Cristina Manuela

Photo Credit: Siddesh Shetty

Landing is a visual story that combines live drawing, video projection and voice. The artist Adéla Součková in her drawing on the wall layered pictograms from airport information signs, through which she develops the mythological story of airport life. The never-ending transformation, the beauty of alienation and efficiency blend in with the artwork that is physically created on the spot.

The performative installation is part of Living Kunsthalle. Living Kunsthalle was the first major event organized by Kunsthalle Prague before the opening of its own building in 2021. In one evening, the iconic building of the New Stage turned into a vibrant art laboratory. All corners of the theatre were revived by performances, sound sculptures, projections and other experimental works, which brought visitors extraordinary encounters with contemporary art.

Premiere: 16.6.2020 at National Theatre New Stage

Living Drawing: Adéla Součková

Voice: Ran Jiao

Photo Credit: Kunsthalle Praha

An intimate, multisensory performance for 3 audience. A blindfold, headphones and warm hands. We explore gentleness and care through touch and simple earthly stories, inspired by the mother figures from Erben’s Kytice. This is a sensory adventure to inner discoveries and curious places with tactile objects, smells, sounds and above all, imagination.

Shown in multiple venues and festivals, such as Skautsy Institute, Přístav 18600 and Mala Intventura 2020

Sensory Guides: Ivana Atanasova, Lara Hereu, Ran Jiao and Nitish Jain

Storytellers: Petra Hauerova and Ivana Atanasova.

Sound Design: Daniel Valášek

Dramaturgy: Ran Jiao

Production: Studio MoreThanThat & Antonie Dědečková

Photo Credit: Tang Hoi Man

What Lies Besides the Haters is a project based on collective creation which explores the topic of hate through the owners relationships with their hated objects. By dealing with objects and their personal story we try to get through our own hated fassades to the core that might lie behind the most obvious ones. Our core-research questions are: Which stories emerge from the objects that we hate? What lays beside the rejection?

The performance is supported by Cross Attic and Mala Inventura 2019

Direction: Carolina Arandia

Dramaturgy: Maria Huber

Cast: Alex Asikainen, Ran Jiao, Katarina Kadijevic, Eliška Raiterová, Antonín Matějovský

Production: Cross Attic

Photo Credit: Svetlana Lopato

ONEby1 intends to question this metric and create an exploration tool of standardized and politicized individual space, to question its limitations and raise awareness of the space of the other.

ONEby1 stimulates individual and collective dynamics through a multiplicity of possible combinations among those involved in this performance. It should also engage the public in unpredictable ways and catalyze communication across this boundary.

The performance part of Formations during Prague Quadrennial 2019.

Concept, Direction, Set Design, & Artistic Direction: Nuno Pimenta

Co-creation & Choreography: Ana Renata Polónia

PQ Performance Team: Ana Renata Polónia, Cristina Guimarães, Cristina Romero Recio, Erin Grace Bailey, Eve Petty, Gabriella Farr, Joana Lopes, Mary Baca, Ran Jiao, Rosalie Malinská, Rylee Hichey, Sami Hansen, Sofia Sousa

Photo: Nuno Pimenta

This performance explores the theme of identity - individual identity, identity of a person within a group and identity of a group. Identity is nothing stable; it changes and varies through the presence and communication, it develops and stagnates, it excels and it fails. In order to find the possibility of authentic, raw identity performance is built as a series of task-based scenes: fragments of improvisations, set choreographies, performed failures and impossible retellings of stories, resulting in a shared moment between performers and audiences.

Premiere: 11.10.2019 at Divadlo DISK

Direction: Tinka Avramova

Dramaturgy: Ran Jiao

Production: Zdenek Valeckova , Ondrej Melisek, Dominik Sosnovec

Performing: Jiri Brnula, Daniel Horecny, Fedir Kis, Lenka Nahodilova, Sai Psyn, Martin Krupa

Photo Credit: Martin Salajka