Episode 56: Choreography and Ghosts (w/ Yon Natalie Mik)

Summary: Hi everyone. I hope you are safe wherever you are. I am currently back in Zhuhai and settling down. I still have quite a lot to do such as unpacking and getting a multi-entry visa but otherwise, after four COVID nasal tests and two anti-body tests, I am out of quarantine. Life feels strangely normal and post-COVID here with China having essentially tested everyone and closed its borders to the world. I hope with all the news on the vaccine that the world can open up soon. We shall see. But for today, I am interview Yon Natalie Mik, an experimental dancer and researcher who works at the intersection of dance, performance studies, and ethnology. Natalie began her dance career studying classical ballet before branching out to other dance forms and disciplines. Currently, Natalie is pursuing her Ph.D on choreography and ghosts in contemporary transnational Asian performance. I met Natalie during my time in Berlin and even saw two of her performances, but I did not have a chance to interview her until recently over zoom. The sound quality is not the best, but hopefully it isn't too distracting. We chat quite a bit about Natalie's early life and path through dance, Asian studies in Germany, teeth blackening, and Asian squats. I hope you enjoy this.