QūJié 曲洁

Early warning! On May 22, QūJié @the___margin and I will premiere our new duo Ancient Futures at the @elastro_av at @elasticarts Ancient Futures is the new project of Chicago artists QūJié and Scott Rubin. This work investigates clay-shaping as performance. Humanity has been creating ceramics for over 10,000 years, forging complex lineages of values, beliefs, and social structures that continue to document ordinary life. As the saying goes, clay remembers everything. The artists transform a pottery wheel into an electroacoustic audio-visual experience. Using a collection of modern and historical tools, the artists blur the boundaries between the real and the virtual; past, present, and future; calling into question our engagements with modernity, and how we hide from it.

It's a special feeling to be supported & seen for work that is inextricably tied to your inner world. Incredibly humbled & honored to be joining the Chicago performance landscape for the first time as a solo artist! Please come see a WIP showing of my new project 'trace' this Saturday. trace (working title) Part of Synapse Arts New Works 2026 In Progress Showing @synapse.arts 🗓️Saturday April 25th 2026 ⏰ 12:00 - 2:00 pm 📍Berger Cultural Center, 6205 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago Sound & Project Mentorship by @chienanyuan Photos by @m.lamourt shoutout to my cohort artists, @auroratabar & Christine Shallenberg -- their work explores caregiving as labor & radical love. They are currently raising funds to support a live performance installation in June 2026 -- go support their work!

trace - happening june 2026 see you soon -曲洁 presented by @synapse.arts for New Works 2026 music: @chienanyuan @indigoesblues experimental collaborators: @mmmolassses @isabellalimosnero @raymadrigalmakes @rahilacoats @aliznerol @__tinatinatina photo: @amandaplsplspls incubator: @bimbom.studios

Space for care Space to connect Space for _________ Space to learn You’re invited to participate, promenade, share, contribute, be generous in offering and asking, and be curious with our 2026 cohort of artists + mentors at the New Works 2026 Works In Progress Showing. 🗓️ Saturday, April 25th 2026 ⏰12:00 - 2:00 pm 📍Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago FREE. Come and go as you please. Welcome to all. RSVP link in bio. Photos by @xtine333 + @auroratabar and @mlamourt.studios [Image Descriptions in Alt Text.] #newWorks #workInProgress #choreography #chicagoDance #danceTheatre

Save the date: May 22 at @elasticarts QuJie @the___margin and I will have our first performance of our new interdisciplinary work “Ancient Futures”. More to come soon :)

Please welcome New Works 2026 artist, Qū Jié! Qū Jié 曲洁 (b. 1998, IN) is a queer Chinese American interdisciplinary artist currently based in the homelands of the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi nations (Chicago, IL). Their work is rooted in exploring cultural identity formation within the Asian American diaspora. Through their practice of blending dance, ceramics, research, etc., they often visit themes such as inscrutability, alternative sensory worlds, and reparative knowing. Photo by @mlamourt.studios [Image Descriptions in Alt Text.] #newWorks #workInProgress #choreography #chicagoDance #danceTheatre

Detroit! November 15, 2025 in Detroit, MI Detroit Public Library - Main Branch Third Floor 5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202 3pm - FREE IS/LAND presents Until We Fill The Ocean This performance honors the stories of Angel Island detention survivors through a blend of movement, poetry, and sound. At its heart are the poems inscribed by those detained on Angel Island, which serve as the emotional foundation. “Until We Fill The Ocean” uses the specific history of intolerance and hatred directed at AAPI people in the United States as a framework, encouraging audiences to reflect on broader patterns of intolerance and bigotry currently affecting all marginalized populations in our hostile and divisive socio-political landscape. Our hope is that audiences take away more than just an understanding of the human spirit’s resilience in the face of inhumane circumstances, inspiring a sense of vigilance within our own humanity and stand firm against systemic intolerance and bigotry. This performance is made possible by the support of The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC), Rising Voices, and the Riverside Arts Center. Special thanks to Cully Sommers and the Detroit Public Library

Alright folks, mark your calendars for August 23rd!!! @freedom_from_and_freedom_to is back on @elasticarts at 7pm/$15. I am beyond thrilled to have the amazing Kate Laughlin @kq_laughlin perform with us again! Come enjoy some of the best improvising musicians and dancers from Chicago & some from NYC, & Michigan🙌🏾. This show will be live and also on Elastic’s twitch channel, for those that can’t join us. Freedom From and Freedom To is a cross disciplinary event featuring improvising dancers and musicians. Audience members will select the groups by chance. I’m extremely happy to present 33 performers! Many are FFFT veterans & others are brand new to the family! Here is the eventbrite link below for tickets: /e/freedom-from-and-freedom-to-tickets-1312984896169?aff=oddtdtcreator Kate Laughlin (she/they) is a movement-based artist located in Chicago, IL. She holds a BFA in Dance from Ball State University’s Theatre and Dance program and has had the privilege of performing works by Sidra Bell, Martha Graham, Susan Koper, and Jennifer Meckley. She is currently in collaboration with Chicago based dance companies Still Inspired and Project Bound Dance. ID 1. Image one is of Kate performing at an FFFT event at Links Hall with Charles Pierson. She is wearing an off white sleeveless top and beige pants, and Brianna Tong and Haruhi Kobayashi. Around the image it says Freedom From and Freedom To in lavender letters, and there are gold vertical designs on either side of the image, as well as their name to the right in lavender letters. Photo credit: Ricardo Adame @ricardoeadame 2. Image two is the FFFT graphic with all of the names of the performers in collaboration with @scottrubinmusic and the illustration was created by @cristalsabbagh #freedomfromandfreedomto #elasticarts #improvisedmusic #improvdance #katelaughlin

Moments from @freedom_from_and_freedom_to connecting and sharing with @kq_laughlin 🫂💌 📸 by the amazing @ricardoeadame The love and energy in the room was palpable and so many magical moments that I was grateful to bear witness to Thank you @cristalsabbagh for creating a space for Chicago artist to collaborate and connect in such a rich and meaningful way

GRIT 🏆🥇 by Maggie Vannucci + Laura Baumeister, Rahila Coats, Kate Laughlin, Hannah Marcus Dramaturgy: @courtneymackedanz Video Footage Shot by: @ga.jpg Trailer Edit: @laura.baumeister Premiering at Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre, March 6,7,8 at 8PM as part of Steppenwolf’s Lookout Series - Grit is a live dance work that interrogates the underbelly of achievement by exploring the isolating cost of competitive natures amongst four female performers. By blurring the lines between exhaustive pleasure and exhaustive pressure, the four performers move through tension-filled repetition, playful provocation, and amorphous structures to suggest an emergent collective. - Let’s get to werk 👀🫡

We're getting closer... . Grit premiers March 6-8th @stclookout - grab your tickets now! . . 📸 @ga.jpg . #chicagodancecommunity #chicagodance #chicagoshows #steppenwolf #steppenwolflookout #dance #explorepage

november moments!