Opium Flower - Workshop "Pearl & Body"

Strong Chinese Women

Opium Flower brings Cunsong Xu's memories of the mysterious and seductive power of the opium flower to life. Inspired by strong Chinese women in Amsterdam, this performance explores the complex knots of love, life and identity, with the opium flower as a symbol of irresistible temptation.

The performance is based on interviews and personal stories of Chinese women living in Amsterdam. It is a tribute to these often underexposed voices within the city. It shows how migration, identity and being a woman come together in a city like Amsterdam, and how generations of women are looking for their place and voice in the public space.

Raw energy

Surrounded by colourful light projections and a mix of traditional Chinese folk songs, Tibetan singing bowls and modern electronic music, live rock guitar amplifies the raw energy on stage. The five dancers of Groundbreakers Modern Dance show with control and fluidity how these women balance between temptation and resistance, between surrender and control.

The opium flower symbolises the irresistible pull of these lives — seductive, addictive, but also oppressive. On stage in Amsterdam, their struggle and growth becomes tangible as they try to define their place in life and love.