Performance Preview: Dancing the Buddha’s Story

by Adam Casteñda for the Dance Dish | A Dance Source Houston Publication

September 16, 2025

Everyone loves a good story, including dancers. But for choreographer Emilie Anne, a powerful story is also reason to make dance. Her latest work, “The Great Departure,” will premiere October 7 as part of Dance Source Houston’s beloved Mind the Gap series, and was inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s ambitious 1987 novel, Old Path White Clouds, a retelling of the life of Buddha. The book proved seminal for Anne, as it sparked a choreographic cycle of six dances; the first two pieces, “Voice of the Swan” and “Snowy-Silver Elephant” also premiered in Mind the Gap in 2022 and 2023, respectively. “The Great Departure” is the third dance in the series.

For Anne, the life of Buddha and his teachings are lessons for our time. “This book touched me so deeply because I felt I was by [the Buddha’s] side throughout his journey,” she says. “He makes the courageous decision to leave his palace and to find the answers to the suffering of humanity. I was moved to tears several times while reading this book.” Anne’s new dance work will examine this pivotal moment of the Buddha’s life, when he becomes aware of the suffering of his fellow man and renounces his charmed life of royalty. 

Buddha’s story is 2,500 years old and forms the spiritual foundation of many Asian cultures. However, Anne’s work is not folkloric; rather, her vocabulary consists of an amalgamation of her varied technical practices, including ballet, physical theater, mime, and traditional dance. The process of selecting movement for her work happens organically and is rooted in her understanding of the story she is depicting. “The main thing I’m always drawn to is storytelling and my love of different cultures,” she says. “I don’t decide which style I will use, then choreograph. I spend a lot of time immersing myself in the story. As I choreograph through improvisation, all the trainings that I’ve had naturally come out.”

Delving into this time honored story has allowed Anne the opportunity to bring other artists into her vision, including LA-based, Grammy-nominated composer and musician Chihsuan. After Anne reached out to Chihsuan through email and speaking on the phone, the two had a fortuitous meeting of chance. While visiting Taiwan, Anne went on her lunch break and chose a tiny, innocuous noodle shop for her meal. Through the window, and to her amazement, she spotted Chihsuan, who happened to be visiting family in Taiwan. 

“I froze,” says Chihsuan. “I didn’t know who she was. It was serendipity. It brought us together. We literally shared a meal together. I just felt instantly comfortable. It’s pretty wild.” 

Speaking with both artists over Zoom, their affinity for one another is evident. “I think Emilie and I have something in common,” says Chihsuan. “Our upbringings are multicultural, and this experience shines through our arts. As a composer, I weave many cultural influences.” This weaving can be heard in the composition during a moment meant to evoke horse hooves. The section was created after visiting a musician friend, who happens to specialize in Chinese percussion. When asked if he could recreate the sound of horse hooves, he did so on five different percussion instruments. 

Another key feature of Chihsuan’s score is her use of the erhu, a traditional Chinese string instrument that creates a billowing, soaring sound that has the nuance of human voice. While neither artist refers to their work as a fusion, both draw inspiration from Eastern and Western traditions. “One of the things that will come through in this choreography, because I’m still creating it, is my practice of tai-chi, an internal martial art,” says Anne. “The breathing is a very important part of the choreography. I have a certain rhythm to the breath. The breath is where the movement originates from.”

Anne will also be incorporating the concept of liu bai from Chinese classical painting. White space, or negative space, is used to suggest imagery such as clouds, waves, and plant life. “In this piece, even though it’s really packed, there are spaces that I have deliberately left minimal,” she says. “In the ending, I keep the visuals to a minimum because the focal point is on the auditory experience.”

The original movement and music of “The Great Departure” will also be accompanied by visuals created by Anne’s grandmother, Françoise, and Jack Hanna, a retired drawing professor at the University of Houston who was a neighbor and has known Anne’s family since she was a child. “It takes a village,” says Chihsuan when describing the dance-making process. “It’s like raising a baby.”

Speaking with Anne, one gleans that “The Great Departure” is a manifestation of love between herself and the people she admires. And the central conceit all goes back to the necessity of Buddha’s story. In a time of state-sponsored genocide and unchecked political violence, Anne’s assertion rings true. “Humanity is still suffering,” she says. “We are still experiencing destruction caused by greed. Even though it’s a story of a different time, geographical location, and culture, his journey and his teachings are very much timeless.”  

Just as the Buddha’s consciousness was transformed upon realizing the artificiality of his perfect life, Anne’s process suggests the transformative powers of storytelling, dancing, and like-minded conversation. 

https://thedancedish.org/dancing-the-buddhas-story/