PHILADELPHIA — Hua Hua Zhang is on the cutting edge of contemporary puppetry as the founder and artistic director of her company called Visual Expressions.
She says she is creating a “new style” of puppet and when she performs, everything she feels in her heart is transferred into the puppet.
Zhang started training in the arts at age 14 in her native China.
“You have to go to school and study theater,” she says.
At 17, she dedicated herself to puppet performance.
She says it’s like being an actor, because when you present with the puppet it’s “stylized performing.”
“You’re part of show,” she says.
Zhang spent 20 years touring with the China Puppet Art Company.
“I always wanted to be an artist, even though I’m a performer,” she says.
She came to the U.S. in 2000 to study puppet making and design.
“Creating and sculpting, making story, that’s my passion,” she says.
Zhang says it’s also important to her to share Chinese culture with America through her art.
Now, she makes original works with her longtime colleague, Adam Danoff, who works as the production manager for Visual Expressions.
Zhang has created shadow puppets, rod puppets, marionettes, and full body puppets. Most recently, Zhang made a puppet for Opera Philadelphia’s production of Madame Butterfly.
“I created a Cio Cio San, this popular character,” says Zhang.
Zhang often blends traditional styles she learned in China with Western styles.
Zhang says she considers puppetry to be “magical,” because it can help to “show more depth” in a character.
“It is joyful job,” says Zhang.