“Otake’s oeuvre reflects upon finality through a continuous invocation of the power, passion, and transient performance of life.” —Denver Art Review
Eiko Otake’s (Eiko and Koma) austere, haunting movement work has often commemorated death, time, and place. Joining forces with radical dance-theater artist Wen Hui (Living Dance Studio), she returns to the Walker to premiere a poignant new work forged through deep collaboration. This new performance explores how both performers’ lives have been affected by war—Otake grew up in postwar Japan and Wen in China during the Cultural Revolution. Together, the collaborators embody fierceness tempered by emotional honesty. Their formidable performance combines movement, text, and video as it excavates personal memories of war and its global resonances.
Community Residency and Related Programs
In addition to the performances, Eiko Otake and Wen Hui will be taking part in a variety of community residency activities that are free and open to the public.
Movement Workshop
Sunday, March 30, 1–4 pm Free
Fox Dance Studio, Macalester College Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
130 S Macalester Street, St. Paul, MN 55105
Led by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui
Movement Workshops taught by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui are designed for all people who love to move or who want to love to move with feelings. You don’t have to be a dancer to enjoy the experience. The workshops are emphatically noncompetitive and appropriate to all levels of training and ability. Please come with a water bottle and wear layers of clothing. You will be asked to take your shoes off and lay down on the floor.
Film Screening: No Rule Is Our Rule by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui
Monday, March 31, 4:45–6:30 pm Free
Art Commons 102, Macalester College Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
130 S Macalester Street, St. Paul, MN 55105
This 73-minute film tells the life history, artistic interactions, and friendship between Asian female artists Eiko Otake and Wen Hui, who grew up in postwar Japan (1945-) and during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), respectively. Their distinct cultural memories intersect in the shared trauma of the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in early 2020 in China. Reserve your spot here.
Panel Discussion on Dance Dramaturgy
Thursday, April 3, 7 pm Free
Garden Terrace Room, Walker Art Center
Please join us for a conversation with panelists Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento, Liz Engelman, Iris McCloughan, and Talvin Wilks around the practice of dramaturgy as it applies to dance. Traditionally associated with theatrical practices, the role of the dramaturg is fluid and context-dependent. In this conversation, practicing dramaturgs will discuss their individual approaches to working with choreographers, the differences between dramaturging dance and theater, and what dramaturgy can offer dancemakers. Arrive early to view free films by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui in Walker’s Mediatheque or to explore the galleries as part of Walker’s Free Thursday Night programming. Reserve your spot here.
Free Screenings in the Bentson Mediatheque
Experience a selection of moving image works by the two interdisciplinary artists and performers, screening in the Walker’s Bentson Mediatheque. Free and open to all during gallery hours; no admission required.
Playlist (available for self-select viewing)
April 3–17
No Rule Is Our Rule (2023) by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui (73 min.)
Dance with Farm Workers (2001) by Wen Hui (15 min.)
Dance with Third Grandmother (2015) by Wen Hui (15 min.)
Stone Quarry (2024) by Eiko Otake (22 min.)
Continuous Screenings
Friday–Saturday, April 11–12, 10 am–5 pm
Thursday, April 17, 6–9 pm
No Rule Is Our Rule (2023) by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui (73 min.)
Accessibility and Content Notes
Audio description (AD) is planned for the Friday performance. Please click here to purchase AD seats.
This performance contains nudity and themes of war.
For more information about accessibility, visit our Access page.
For questions on accessibility, content and sensory notes, or to request additional accommodations, call 612-253-3556 or email access@walkerart.org.
Before Your Visit
Paid underground parking is available on-site. Enter the ramp on Vineland Place at Bryant Avenue. Biking or taking Metro Transit? Learn more.
Visiting the galleries? Enhance your experience by joining a public tour or with self-guided resources accessible for free on Bloomberg Connects.
Personal photography is permitted throughout the Walker and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, but please turn off the flash when visiting the galleries.
To help us promote future events and programs, this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.
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