Overview

This piece began with Patel wanting to recreate a scene from a kung fu movie that he loves. He knew it would be performative but without knowing whether it would become a video or live piece.

It became both: a video installation, The First Dance, and also a live work Be Like Water.

Be Like Water became a meeting place for Patel’s live and video practice which features in the show, and like TEN, has been developed for the theatre.

But after TEN, Patel knew he didn’t want to speak on stage in his own voice. To repeat this would have felt too comfortable. Instead, he would speak in Chinese or use subtitles.

It started as a solo piece, but through a chance experiment with dancer Shelley Maxwell, things changed and Patel became interested in asking a female performer to be his translator, avatar, or somewhere in between.

Be Like Water premiered at Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House, London.

“Be Like Water”, Royal Opera House, London. https://hetainpatel.com/work/performance/be-like-water-2012