Join us tonight at 5:00 pm as we workshop PhD candidate David Wilson’s paper, “Diplomatic Dances: The White-Haired Girl’s Journey from Revolutionary Classic to Post-Mao Palimpsest.”

The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) is often regarded as one of modern China’s most isolated periods. Furthermore, it is often regarded as quite separate from the historical periods that precede and follow it. As such, it is easy to forget that the Cultural Revolution was deeply formed by its historical antecedents, and that China was a key player in the rapidly shifting global politics of the 1960s and 1970s. This paper investigates the Shanghai Ballet’s 1977 tour of Canada, and the company’s overseas performances of the iconic revolutionary ballet The White-Haired Girl, as a way of situating China in its global historical and political context in the period immediately following Chairman Mao’s death.

We look forward to seeing you tonight!