WEBVTT 00:00:13.244 --> 00:00:14.493 From Tramp to Champ-Sunteck Yao In China and Taiwan, 2011-2012 00:00:24.229 --> 00:00:25.798 Walk out of theaters, walk into the crowd. 00:00:51.604 --> 00:00:52.573 Walk into the beauty of nature, 00:00:58.739 --> 00:00:59.610 and also into the misery of nature. 00:01:08.664 --> 00:01:10.161 Historical gems 00:01:10.162 --> 00:01:11.558 can turn into modernity. 00:01:13.665 --> 00:01:15.673 Question the paradox of urbanization. 00:01:19.985 --> 00:01:22.236 In traditional places, 00:01:25.081 --> 00:01:26.929 he feels the rustic charm of life. 00:01:36.524 --> 00:01:38.159 The division may disappear. 00:01:46.077 --> 00:01:47.136 People get closer 00:01:48.221 --> 00:01:48.881 more closer, 00:01:53.003 --> 00:01:53.731 even too close. 00:01:55.761 --> 00:01:56.917 When communicate with each other, we sing. 00:02:10.863 --> 00:02:11.794 We perform. 00:02:23.008 --> 00:02:24.979 Travel, in order to look beyond the dullness oneself. 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:42.220 Step into the crowd and feel the real world. 00:02:59.442 --> 00:03:02.280 My name is Sunteck Yao. 00:03:02.281 --> 00:03:05.405 The person who just moved around you. 00:03:05.406 --> 00:03:09.927 You might find me interesting, strange or scary. 00:03:09.928 --> 00:03:13.866 Or you just thought I'm a mime artist who made you feel awkward. 00:03:13.867 --> 00:03:15.196 Now I have removed my makeup, 00:03:15.197 --> 00:03:22.414 I'm standing right here with the face I don't usually show in front of people. 00:03:22.415 --> 00:03:26.188 I'd like to talk about my performance first. 00:03:26.189 --> 00:03:33.648 I performed in small theaters for a while after I came back from studying drama in France. 00:03:33.649 --> 00:03:41.116 At first most of my performance was about myself. 00:03:41.117 --> 00:03:46.749 In 2012, I produced a drama called L'Enfant. 00:03:46.750 --> 00:03:56.401 This drama brought me back to the painful memories of childhood sexual assault. 00:03:56.402 --> 00:04:01.519 This drama allowed me to communicate with myself. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.399 One day after the performance, one of the audience came to me. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:08.043 He looked like a college student. 00:04:08.044 --> 00:04:14.612 He asked me, "Sunteck, can I give you a hug?" 00:04:14.613 --> 00:04:16.779 And then he said softly to my ear, 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:21.437 "Thank you. You also told my story out." 00:04:23.792 --> 00:04:26.708 At that very moment, I felt like 00:04:26.709 --> 00:04:30.251 I was released from my own disturbance 00:04:30.252 --> 00:04:32.958 and finally was able to breathe 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:39.471 and to find that there are also others in this world. 00:04:39.472 --> 00:04:42.370 I have a desire from then on. 00:04:42.371 --> 00:04:47.866 A desire to hear other's life stories. 00:04:47.867 --> 00:04:52.717 So I walk out of theaters and into the crowd. 00:04:52.718 --> 00:04:56.764 Walk into the relationship with the world. 00:04:56.765 --> 00:04:59.672 Last year I joined Cloud Gate's Wanderer Program. 00:04:59.673 --> 00:05:02.871 I traveled to more than 20 towns in China. 00:05:02.872 --> 00:05:08.747 In this year, I visited many places in Taiwan with two partners. 00:05:08.748 --> 00:05:17.628 Today I want to start from sharing my experiences and reflection of this two-year journey. 00:05:20.153 --> 00:05:26.235 This is a traditional market in Chengdu, SiChuan. Traditional markets are rare seen now. 00:05:26.236 --> 00:05:28.811 I like to perform in traditional markets very much 00:05:28.812 --> 00:05:32.603 because my father used to bring me to traditional markets when I was little. 00:05:32.604 --> 00:05:35.254 The special atmosphere in traditional markets 00:05:35.255 --> 00:05:39.587 and the energy of the crowd shown in the hustle and bustle 00:05:39.588 --> 00:05:41.448 actually touch me deeply. 00:05:41.449 --> 00:05:47.544 When performing in a place like that, I like to challenge the distance between me and audience. 00:05:47.545 --> 00:05:49.507 Sometimes it may be difficult at first. 00:05:49.508 --> 00:05:52.849 Like this man was actually scared by me. 00:05:52.850 --> 00:05:55.966 But slowly you let him know what you're doing. 00:05:55.967 --> 00:05:59.796 Let him understand you. Sometimes you can trigger his smile. 00:05:59.797 --> 00:06:03.285 Do you see the corners of his mouth lifting? 00:06:03.286 --> 00:06:04.785 Gradually lifting. 00:06:04.786 --> 00:06:08.566 And sometimes you trigger more than just smiles. 00:06:08.567 --> 00:06:11.477 Maybe also their desire to perform. 00:06:15.409 --> 00:06:17.254 He was overexcited. 00:06:18.367 --> 00:06:23.075 This was on the street in Nanjing. 00:06:23.076 --> 00:06:27.070 My friend and I saw a street performer. 00:06:27.071 --> 00:06:30.329 The man was playing instruments to make money for medical bills. 00:06:30.330 --> 00:06:34.989 My friend and I found that people passed by him without paying any attention to him. 00:06:34.990 --> 00:06:36.764 Of course, he could earn little in this way. 00:06:36.765 --> 00:06:41.690 So I got an idea. I put up makeup and tried to interact with the man. 00:06:41.691 --> 00:06:45.096 Maybe because my makeup was strange, 00:06:45.097 --> 00:06:49.085 We gradually attracted more and more people and filled the tip cup. 00:06:49.086 --> 00:06:54.892 Several months after I came back to Taiwan, my friend in Nanjing mailed me a photo 00:06:54.893 --> 00:06:58.566 of the man's recent activities. 00:06:58.567 --> 00:07:03.339 The title was "Look what you've done, Sunteck!" 00:07:03.340 --> 00:07:18.570 What have I done? 00:07:18.571 --> 00:07:21.956 Sometimes in your journey, you bring out people's potential 00:07:21.957 --> 00:07:25.473 and they can do even better than you. 00:07:25.474 --> 00:07:29.408 His makeup was awesome! 00:07:29.409 --> 00:07:33.950 During my journey in China, 00:07:33.951 --> 00:07:38.947 to me, there's no big difference between performance and playing. 00:07:38.948 --> 00:07:42.736 For example, once I was performing in a district out of the Dali city in Yunnan. 00:07:42.737 --> 00:07:46.641 Here, the rate of youth emigration is high. 00:07:46.642 --> 00:07:49.862 Children and old man are left behind in the rural hometown. 00:07:49.863 --> 00:07:53.335 When I was performing in the alleys and lanes, 00:07:53.336 --> 00:07:56.283 I found that a group of children were following me. 00:07:56.284 --> 00:07:58.196 There were about more than 10 kids. 00:07:58.197 --> 00:08:00.067 They always kept a distance from me. 00:08:00.068 --> 00:08:01.941 When I turned over and wanted to interact with them, 00:08:01.942 --> 00:08:04.200 they just ran away. 00:08:04.201 --> 00:08:10.312 But they showed up together again in the next alley. 00:08:10.313 --> 00:08:12.689 It was during the summer 00:08:12.690 --> 00:08:15.213 and I forgot to prepare drinking water. 00:08:15.214 --> 00:08:17.628 I was really tired during the performance 00:08:17.629 --> 00:08:19.012 so I sat on the roadside. 00:08:19.013 --> 00:08:21.139 And then a girl in the group 00:08:21.140 --> 00:08:23.258 walked toward me. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:25.182 She stared at my face 00:08:25.183 --> 00:08:27.304 realizing that I was thirsty. 00:08:27.305 --> 00:08:32.068 So she told me that she could get me some water. 00:08:32.068 --> 00:08:33.379 I was touched. 00:08:33.380 --> 00:08:35.591 And then she continued staring at me. 00:08:35.592 --> 00:08:37.220 I thought, why don't you go fetch me water? 00:08:37.221 --> 00:08:40.253 She stared at my face, saying 00:08:40.254 --> 00:08:43.929 "Is this for blocking the sun?" 00:08:43.931 --> 00:08:47.063 I thought, "Wow, what a modern concept!" 00:08:47.064 --> 00:08:50.224 At that time, another girl uttered, 00:08:50.225 --> 00:08:53.526 "No! He's a drama actor." 00:08:53.527 --> 00:08:55.515 She's got a sense of art! 00:08:55.516 --> 00:08:58.416 Suddenly another little boy cried out, 00:08:58.417 --> 00:09:01.235 "He's a ghost! A ghost in the day!" 00:09:01.236 --> 00:09:02.729 "He is so scary!" 00:09:02.730 --> 00:09:07.942 So all the children cried out with him and ran away. 00:09:07.943 --> 00:09:13.464 I witnessed my water left me 00:09:13.465 --> 00:09:15.812 and disappeared at the end of the road. 00:09:15.813 --> 00:09:18.449 My makeup sometimes scares people away. 00:09:18.450 --> 00:09:21.960 But from time to time it also gets positive feedbacks. 00:09:21.961 --> 00:09:25.127 One time I was performing outside of ShangHai Huangpu Theatre, 00:09:25.128 --> 00:09:30.305 a 80ish old woman walked to me after watching me for a while. 00:09:30.306 --> 00:09:32.200 She looked closely at my face and said, 00:09:32.201 --> 00:09:38.579 "Ah, I know this. This is Ya Ju." 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:40.240 Ya Ju means mime. 00:09:40.241 --> 00:09:45.464 "I haven't seen this in Shanghai for more than 20 years!" 00:09:45.465 --> 00:09:48.740 I was very excited to hear this. 00:09:48.741 --> 00:09:52.545 It's like you've traveled thousands of miles and finally find a bosom friend. 00:09:52.546 --> 00:09:58.660 Her words inspired me to continue the journey with the face makeup. 00:09:58.661 --> 00:10:02.962 I'll travel with the face as far as I can to meet different people 00:10:02.963 --> 00:10:10.542 and to create sparks in their lives. 00:10:10.543 --> 00:10:16.362 This year I came back and traveled in Taiwan. 00:10:16.363 --> 00:10:18.176 I went to a lot of places. 00:10:18.177 --> 00:10:22.326 I felt quite different because here is my hometown. 00:10:22.327 --> 00:10:28.225 I defined the trip as a journey of self-seeking. 00:10:28.226 --> 00:10:29.738 The journey gave me a valuable chance 00:10:29.739 --> 00:10:36.881 to go through a new learning process in my 37 years life. 00:10:36.882 --> 00:10:40.018 This is Daniao Tribe in Taitong. 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:44.049 There·s a basic rule of mime. 00:10:44.050 --> 00:10:49.666 For example, I have a ball like this in my hand. 00:10:49.667 --> 00:10:55.696 I throw it out and catch it. Basically the ball remains the same. 00:10:55.697 --> 00:10:58.328 Usually it has the same shape and size unless you want to play some tricks with it. 00:10:58.329 --> 00:11:08.385 It's rare that you throw it out but get a smaller ball back. 00:11:08.386 --> 00:11:14.076 But the kids there totally changed my mime logic. 00:11:14.077 --> 00:11:16.937 I was planting watermelons. 00:11:16.938 --> 00:11:19.939 When I finally got a melon in my hands, 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:21.581 the kids waved between my hands 00:11:21.582 --> 00:11:25.339 and said, "There's nothing!" 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:27.369 When I tried to give her a flower, 00:11:27.370 --> 00:11:30.145 she said, "It's just air!" 00:11:30.146 --> 00:11:32.723 And when I turned to another place, 00:11:32.724 --> 00:11:38.258 trying to find other audience. The kids rushed toward me 00:11:38.259 --> 00:11:43.547 and kept hissing at me. 00:11:43.548 --> 00:11:45.444 No matter what I did, 00:11:45.445 --> 00:11:47.767 they just kept doing like this. 00:11:47.768 --> 00:11:50.687 I was a little frustrated. 00:11:50.688 --> 00:11:54.948 Because I didn't know how to cope with the kids. 00:11:54.949 --> 00:12:00.097 I was curious about their reactions. So I asked a kid, 00:12:00.098 --> 00:12:03.168 "Why did you react like that?" 00:12:03.169 --> 00:12:08.838 He said, "We are the people of snakes," 00:12:08.839 --> 00:12:11.102 "This is our land." 00:12:11.103 --> 00:12:16.265 "You planted plants without getting our permission." 00:12:16.266 --> 00:12:21.778 "You showed rudeness and disrespect." 00:12:21.779 --> 00:12:23.092 He's right. 00:12:23.093 --> 00:12:25.893 This time we went to several primary schools in rural areas. 00:12:25.894 --> 00:12:27.387 We went to aboriginal tribes 00:12:27.388 --> 00:12:32.140 and some special disputable areas in cities. 00:12:32.141 --> 00:12:38.426 I found that respect is often ignored by all of us. 00:12:38.427 --> 00:12:41.951 The aboriginal kid gave me a lesson 00:12:42.772 --> 00:12:44.387 with such a simple, direct action 00:12:45.191 --> 00:12:49.559 His words were even more effective than lectures. 00:12:52.775 --> 00:12:54.073 In addition to the kids, 00:12:54.656 --> 00:12:57.694 this agricultural teacher in Hsinchu 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:00.270 also showed me how to respect. 00:13:01.002 --> 00:13:03.130 One day when I was performing on the street, 00:13:04.066 --> 00:13:05.145 the teacher came to see us. 00:13:05.808 --> 00:13:08.168 Basically he's a serious teacher. 00:13:09.118 --> 00:13:10.957 When watching me applying makeup, he said, 00:13:12.044 --> 00:13:18.578 Well, do you think maybe I can do some performance too? 00:13:18.579 --> 00:13:20.052 Of course yes! 00:13:20.053 --> 00:13:26.224 I hurriedly helped him to put on makeup in fear that he'd change his mind. 00:13:26.225 --> 00:13:28.693 He didn't know what to do with all the makeup on his face. 00:13:28.694 --> 00:13:30.669 So I said, "You are a farmer." 00:13:30.670 --> 00:13:37.277 ;Why don't you plant a lot of plants on this street?: 00:13:37.278 --> 00:13:39.936 So he started to plant plants on the road, 00:13:39.937 --> 00:13:44.543 on utility boxes, on bus stops and even on pedestrians. 00:13:44.544 --> 00:13:47.825 He sowed countless seeds on them. 00:13:47.826 --> 00:13:50.486 He was a professional farmer. 00:13:50.487 --> 00:13:51.534 I looked at his great watermelons, 00:13:51.535 --> 00:13:54.811 and a bad idea came to me, 00:13:54.812 --> 00:13:58.289 I wanted to rob his melons. 00:13:58.290 --> 00:14:01.866 While we were struggling with each other, 00:14:01.867 --> 00:14:05.659 suddenly the teacher slowed down. 00:14:05.660 --> 00:14:09.124 He held his great watermelon carefully 00:14:09.125 --> 00:14:15.119 squatted down, and took an invisible knife from the air. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:24.155 He's quick learner, wasn't he? 00:14:24.156 --> 00:14:26.747 He cut the melon and gave me a half of it. 00:14:27.769 --> 00:14:29.243 What a sudden turn. 00:14:29.735 --> 00:14:30.963 I held the invisible melon and thought 00:14:31.392 --> 00:14:32.396 ;Wow, how great power sharing possesses.: 00:14:32.947 --> 00:14:37.680 Sharing brings peaceful happiness, 00:14:38.686 --> 00:14:41.230 which is much greater than our contention. 00:14:42.028 --> 00:14:46.162 I had another special sharing experience in Tainan. 00:14:47.207 --> 00:14:52.750 Through my friend's introduction, 00:14:54.493 --> 00:15:01.554 I got to perform in Mingde Minimum-Security Prison in Tainan. 00:15:02.587 --> 00:15:03.761 Since this was a golden opportunity, 00:15:04.175 --> 00:15:05.741 I tried hard to perform as closely to the "gang bosses". 00:15:06.149 --> 00:15:10.208 I tried to imitate them. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:12.948 In the Q&A session after the performance, 00:15:13.816 --> 00:15:15.733 a gang boss raised his hand and said, 00:15:16.164 --> 00:15:17.117 "I have a question." 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:22.533 "When you are imitating people," 00:15:22.897 --> 00:15:25.308 "have you ever thought about their feeling?" 00:15:28.996 --> 00:15:31.363 How did you feel when I was performing, sir? 00:15:31.961 --> 00:15:35.819 "I wanted to hit you." 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:36.837 And then I thought, 00:15:36.838 --> 00:15:40.557 "God, did I make my audience feel disrespected again?" 00:15:40.558 --> 00:15:44.057 But the man soon changed his tone 00:15:44.058 --> 00:15:47.131 and spoke like a philosopher, he said, 00:15:47.132 --> 00:15:51.139 "Your performance is like a mirror," 00:15:51.140 --> 00:15:56.509 "showing the part of me which I don't want to admit." 00:15:56.510 --> 00:16:00.055 I still didn't figure out the right answer yet. 00:16:00.056 --> 00:16:01.210 I'm still searching for the answer. 00:16:01.211 --> 00:16:04.339 But to have such a conversation itself, 00:16:04.340 --> 00:16:10.699 is already a wonderful thing to me. 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:14.402 After my trips, a friend asked me, 00:16:14.403 --> 00:16:16.542 "What's your dream?" 00:16:16.543 --> 00:16:19.886 Actually I'm not a dreaming kind of person. 00:16:19.887 --> 00:16:23.785 I think dreams are over-exaggerated in this society. 00:16:23.786 --> 00:16:25.864 I think I saw something in these people. 00:16:25.865 --> 00:16:29.910 Something even more appealing than dreams. 00:16:29.911 --> 00:16:35.702 They think, and more importantly, they take actions. 00:16:35.703 --> 00:16:38.636 It doesn't matter if the actions are small. 00:16:38.637 --> 00:16:42.339 or no one applaud for them. 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:46.543 I'm a performer on stage. 00:16:46.544 --> 00:16:51.185 But I feel I lost something 00:16:51.186 --> 00:16:53.778 each time I hear the applauses after the show. 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:57.187 In theater, society seems to become an abstract concept, 00:16:57.188 --> 00:17:00.161 which is often talked about 00:17:00.162 --> 00:17:03.664 but where actions just don't happen. 00:17:03.665 --> 00:17:07.558 Many people treat "actions" as slogans 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:11.791 or define it by the number of likes on Facebook. 00:17:11.792 --> 00:17:14.782 If then, how exactly is the distance between us and the society? 00:17:14.784 --> 00:17:17.749 Are we far or close? 00:17:17.750 --> 00:17:20.877 I'll keep traveling and bring mime to the crowd. 00:17:20.878 --> 00:17:27.040 This is my first step to turn my performance into actions. 00:17:27.041 --> 00:17:28.850 I believe I'll keep working on this. 00:17:28.851 --> 00:17:29.781 Thank you. 00:17:29.782 --> 00:17:30.919 That's all I want to share today.