REVIEW: aWokening by Winnie Ho at The Place 16 May 2025
‘the performance shifts from grounded to dreamlike—a portal into an imagined homeland’ ★★★ ½
The wok is an unmistakable symbol of Chinese cuisine. Even for someone with limited knowledge of cantonese food, the wok immediately evokes a certain cultural familiarity. I recall Hong Kong films from the 1990s—scenes of middle-aged men, bellies round, expertly tossing ingredients in a wok with a cigarette dangling from their mouths. I couldn’t smell the food through the screen, but the aroma seemed almost drawable.
As a Korean, I understand the emotional weight food carries, especially in diaspora. I remember being reported at the student hall in Cambridge for cooking Korean food in the communal kitchen twenty years ago. Back then, the scent was considered too strong, too foreign. Now, Korean supermarkets thrive in places like Waterloo, and kimchi is praised for its health benefits. Food is an intimate, inescapable part of who we are.
So, how do you translate that essence into a performance?
In aWokening, Winnie Ho explores the concept of wok chi (鑊氣)—the fleeting energy and aroma of wok cooking—as a metaphor for diasporic identity and queerness. She uses her body not merely as a dancer, but as a vessel through which the wok and its story come alive. At first, the choreography is disorienting—abstract, even confrontational. For the first 20 minutes, all we see is her groins, challenging our gaze and assumptions. Gradually, we realise the central character isn’t her body but the wok itself—embodied, animated, revered.
Her limbs become the wok’s handles; her back arches and curves like the belly of the pan. As her wok pounds spring onions and ginger, the act feels both exhilarating and meditative—like a ritual. The intense aromas waft through the space, making the audience feel immersed in both kitchen and memory.
The climax arrives when Ho dons multiple woks layered over her body, transforming her into a surreal, almost amphibian-like figure. Amid rain sounds and fog, the performance shifts from grounded to dreamlike—a portal into an imagined homeland.
Ultimately, aWokening feels like a ceremonial offering—part remembrance, part resistance, and part reconnection. It’s not just about food or nostalgia, but the act of making space—for identity, memory, and transformation.
Cast & Creatives
Choreography and Performance: Winnie Ho
Sound Design: Moe Clark
Lighting Design: Nien Tzu Weng
Lighting Support: Darah Miah
Dramaturgical Advice: Thea Patterson, Sasha Kleinplatz
Outside Perspectives: Angie Cheng, Justin de Luna, Geneviève Allard, Nate Jaffe, Lari Jalbert
aWokening is part of Queer East Festival 2025
