Temple of She

Since the first debut of a performance called “Template of She” at the ARCH Festival in December 2021, a group of 7 of us have been gathering every month to explore “authentic movement.”

Initiated by Daniela Yakuel, 2021.

We have since moved the exploration to outdoors and in communion with nature, our mother earth. Crafting a space for us to express our individuality and practicing how to witness each other from a neutral and supportive position, not needing to fix or to change one another, but simply witnessing with presence, and echoing with resonance.

Dancing with waters - Exploring the “inter-tidal” zones of Lantau

Flowing with the waves and my impulses, and my doggy 細粒 (Sai Lup). What is dance and what is movement? What is performance and what is being?

There has been sweat, blood and tears in the process. Sweating the karma in our fascia (the thin layer that wraps around our muscles, storing our traumas and tensions from the past) through movement, blood from cuts on beautiful rocks, shells or plastic and tears from honest heart-to-heart sharing, admitting that we’re not perfect but still there to listen and support each other.

We floated and danced as one organism together in the water. Feeling the tides bring us up and down, surrendering to the flow.

Surrender

From the waves to the fire, creating a small flame to warm us up from the outside in. Building a fire is different every time and requires one to surrender to the element, one must not build with ego but with pure gratitude and an intention to serve.

Our first time cooking such a big pot with a wild fire! Have only done it for myself but not for 6 people! It was a collective 2-hour process, lugging the heavy equipment, slowly building the fire, lighting the kindle (with many broken matches and failed attempts), heating the charcoal, boiling the water, chopping the ingredients, waiting patiently, fanning the flames, opening the coconut cream with a rock and chisel, transforming the veggies into a soup.

Check out: Paloma’s Kitchen

We ended the day with a long hike back to Pui O, through the woods and the waterfalls, decompressing and rewinding from the day.