Foreign Female Interventions in Traditional Asian Arts: Rebecca Teele and Cristina Formaggia

The powerful patriarchal forces that discourage or erase female participation in traditional Asian performing arts were disrupted in the late twentieth century by some bold and passionate female artists who came from Europe and the USA to devote themselves to the study and performance of forms that were, allegedly, exclusively male. To focus on the work of Western artists in a book on women in Asian performance may seem inappropriate, even colonialist, but it is important to acknowledge that, especially in traditional arts, cultural expectations and taboos have been problematic for Asian female performers. On the other hand, women from outside Asian culture often occupy a privileged position and are granted greater freedom to pursue their interests. This chapter will use the work of two such “pioneers” as case studies to examine the ways that foreign female theatre artists, unbound by conventional expectations that might hinder Asian women, have asserted themselves in ways that local women might not. It will also consider whether these interventions have helped to change attitudes and create more opportunities for Asian female performers.