Many Australians identify with the immigration experience – the hope for a new life, the feeling of displacement, and the discovery of our country’s diversity.
One such person is Rainbow Chan, who migrated to Australia in 1996 at six and now uses her platform as a musician to connect with her heritage and showcase her culture.
The award-winning vocalist, producer and multi-disciplinary artist will perform ‘The Bridal Lament’ at Riverside Theatres, drawing on her Weitou ancestry.
“You’ll see me explore this traditional ritual called a bridal lament which was historically performed by women in southern China who migrated to Hong Kong called the Weitou people,” Chan explained.
“Historically, young girls would enter into arranged marriages, and as a rite of passage they would cry and sing for three days in front of family and friends to mourn their past and to mourn the loss of their families as they move into their new village as a wife.
“This performance is a contemporary re-imagining of this little-known history.”
Chan will explore the ritual through a one-person performance narrated by her mother in the Weitou language via a voiceover.
“The performance takes on a mixture of storytelling, dancing, singing and projections, and it is accompanied by these beautiful animations created by Rel Pham, a Melbourne-based artist, and they help to illustrate the world of the bridal lament,” Chan said.
“They impart visual translations of the songs I sing in language, and they also set the mood of this very hybrid world that is both ancient but also futuristic as this work is not only looking at the past, but it’s also thinking about how these historical relics place us in the present and also looking to the future as well.”
The work began as a personal project to learn her mother’s fading language, which took Chan on a grand adventure.
“I asked my mum six years ago whether she could teach me a few phrases, and she suggested that I should learn some of these old folk songs which her generation never learnt, but my grandmother’s generation would have,” Chan stated.
“That started this journey of me travelling back to Hong Kong many times and learning from women who are the last holders of this traditional knowledge, these very elderly grannies.
“They shared with me their life stories and their songs, and I’ve been so honoured to be able to learn them and reimagine them for a contemporary audience, but also to pay homage to the past.”
The show has numerous autobiographical elements while also exploring Weitou culture and looking broadly at migration.
“While the show is culturally specific to a Weitou lens, I think many audiences can connect with it if they come from a migration background,” Chan said.
“I hear people after they’ve seen the show, and they have their own version of this story, and I think that’s the wonderful thing.
“Stories connect us, stories open doors, and it’s really great to hear the multiplicity of what it is to be Australian in this day and age and celebrate all the diversity that we have here.”
Rainbow Chan will be performing at Riverside Theatres from January 23 to 26 and tickets cost $42. For more information or to book, visit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.