ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Hetain Patel - Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity.

Why you should listen

"What determines our identities anyway?" asks Hetain Patel. As a child, Patel wanted to be like Spider-Man or Bruce Lee; later, he aimed to be more like his father, who displays a much different kind of bravery. From these ambitions, Patel's new show Be Like Water examines shifting identities of all kinds, using dance and bold imagery to power a story of self-examination and self-creation. 

As a conceptual artist, Patel has used photography, sculpture, installation and performance to challenge cultural identity. For his work, he has grown a mustache exactly like the one his father wore when he emigrated from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and remixed the practice henna tattooing to incorporate English words and comics books. Patel's conclusion about identity: that it is an ever-shifting game of imitation. 

 

More profile about the speaker
Hetain Patel | Speaker | TED.com
Yuyu Rau - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical.

Why you should listen

Yuyu Rau is a dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese classical dance. Born in Taiwan and now a resident of the United Kingdom, Rau has performed with a wide range of dance companies and worked with choreographers like Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Luca Silvestrini and Douglas Thorpe.

Yau has toured with conceptual artist Hetain Patel, performing in his stage work Be Like Water. In the piece, Rau acts as Patel's translator, and often stands in to help him tell his story. 

More profile about the speaker
Yuyu Rau | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2013

Hetain Patel: Who am I? Think again

Hetain Patel: Cili jam? Mendoje serish.

Filmed:
2,878,196 views

Si mund të vendosim se cilet jemi ne te vertete? Performanca e habitshme e Hetain Patel luan me gjuhën, theksin, identitetin - dhe ju sfidon që të mendoni me thellë se paraqitjet sipërfaqësore. Një meditim i lezetshëm në veten, me interpretuesin Yuyu Rau, dhe i frymëzuar nga Bruce Lee.
- Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity. Full bio - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Hetain Patel: (In Chinese)
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Hetain Patel: (Ne Kinezce)
00:23
Yuyu Rau: Hi, I'm Hetain. I'm an artist.
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Yuyu Tau: Pershendetje, une jam Hetain. Jam artist.
00:26
And this is Yuyu,
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Dhe kjo eshte Yuyu.
00:28
who is a dancer I have been working with.
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Ajo eshte nje kercimtare me te cilen punoj.
00:30
I have asked her to translate for me.
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I kam kerkuar te perktheje per mua.
00:34
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
00:39
YR: If I may, I would like to tell you
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YR: Nese mundem, do te me pelqente te tregoja
00:41
a little bit about myself
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pak per veten
00:43
and my artwork.
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dhe artin tim.
00:45
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
00:51
YR: I was born and raised near Manchester,
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YR: Kam lindur e jam rritur prane Manchester,
00:54
in England,
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ne Angli,
00:55
but I'm not going to say it in English to you,
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por nuk kam per t'jua thene ne anglisht,
00:59
because I'm trying to avoid any assumptions
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sepse po perpiqem te shmang ndonje supozim
01:01
that might be made from my northern accent.
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qe mund te behen nga theksi im verior.
01:04
(Laughter)
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(Te Qeshura)
01:07
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
01:16
YR: The only problem with masking it
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YR: Problemi i vetem ishte qe ta maskoja
01:19
with Chinese Mandarin
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me Kinezce Mandarin
01:21
is I can only speak this paragraph,
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eshte qe di te them vec kete paragraf,
01:23
which I have learned by heart
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te cilin e kam mesuar permendesh
01:25
when I was visiting in China. (Laughter)
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kur isha per vizite ne Kine. (Te qeshura)
01:28
So all I can do is keep repeating it in different tones
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Pra, e vetmja c'ka mund te bej eshte ti perserisja me tone te ndryshme
01:32
and hope you won't notice.
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dhe shpresoj qe mos kuptohej.
01:33
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
01:39
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
01:43
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
01:44
YR: Needless to say, I would like to apologize
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YR: E panevojshme te them qe i kerkoj ndjese
01:47
to any Mandarin speakers in the audience.
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ndonje folesi te Mandarin ne audience.
01:54
As a child, I would hate being made
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Kur femije, do ta urreja kur me detyronin
01:56
to wear the Indian kurta pajama,
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te vishja nje pizhame kurta indiane,
01:59
because I didn't think it was very cool.
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sepse nuk mendoja se ish i lezetshem.
02:02
It felt a bit girly to me, like a dress,
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Me dukej pak si vajzeror, si nje fustan,
02:05
and it had this baggy trouser part
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dhe e kish kete pjese paksa te fryre
02:08
you had to tie really tight
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te cilen duhej ta lidhje vertete fort
02:10
to avoid the embarrassment of them falling down.
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qe te shmangie sikletin e te renit.
02:14
My dad never wore it,
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Babai im nuk e veshi me,
02:16
so I didn't see why I had to.
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kshq nuk e shihja te arsyeshme ta vishja as une.
02:19
Also, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable,
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Gjithashtu, me ben te ndjehem pak ne siklet,
02:22
that people assume I represent something
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kur njerezit mendojne se paraqes dicka
02:25
genuinely Indian when I wear it,
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me te vertete Indiane kur e vesh,
02:27
because that's not how I feel.
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sepse nuk eshte ashtu si ndjehem.
02:30
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
02:36
YR: Actually, the only way I feel comfortable
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YR: Faktikisht, e vetmja menyre qe me ben te ndjehem rehat
02:39
wearing it is by pretending
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ti vesh ato eshte te shtirem
02:42
they are the robes of a kung fu warrior
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sikur ato jane rrobat e nje luftetari kung fu-je
02:45
like Li Mu Bai from that film,
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si Li Mu Bai nga ai filmi,
02:48
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
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"Tiger i perkulshem, Dragua i fshehur."
02:52
(Music)
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(Muzike)
03:35
Okay.
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OK.
03:36
So my artwork is about identity and language,
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Pra, arti im eshte rreth identitetit dhe gjuhes,
03:44
challenging common assumptions
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duke sfiduar supozime te rrenjosura
03:46
based on how we look like or where we come from,
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bazuar ne pamjen qe kemi ose origjinen tone,
03:51
gender, race, class.
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si gjinia, raca, klasa sociale.
03:55
What makes us who we are anyway?
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Kush na ben ne ata qe jemi?
03:58
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Ne Kinezce)
04:04
YR: I used to read Spider-Man comics,
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YR: Dikur lexoja librat komik te Njeriut Merimange,
04:07
watch kung fu movies,
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shihja filma me Kung Fu,
04:08
take philosophy lessons from Bruce Lee.
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dhe merrja mesime filozofie nga Bruce Lee.
04:11
He would say things like --
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Ai do te thoshte--
04:13
HP: Empty your mind.
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HP: Zbraze mendjen tende.
04:15
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
04:16
Be formless, shapeless, like water.
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Ji pa forme, pa konture, si uji.
04:22
Now you put water into a cup.
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Tani, mbushe nje gote me uje.
04:24
It becomes the cup.
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Uji behet gota.
04:27
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
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Hedh uje ne nje shishe dhe uji behet shishja.
04:30
Put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
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Hidhe ne nje cajnik e behet cajniku.
04:33
Now, water can flow
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Pra, uji mund te rrjedhe
04:36
or it can crash.
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ose mund te perplaset.
04:39
Be water, my friend. (Applause)
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Jini si uji, miqte e mi. (Duartrokitje)
04:42
YR: This year, I am 32 years old,
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YR: Kete vit, mbush 32 vjec,
04:46
the same age Bruce Lee was when he died.
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kaq vjec ishte edhe Bruce Lee kur nderroi jete.
04:49
I have been wondering recently,
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Kohet e fudnit kam vrare mendjen,
04:52
if he were alive today,
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se cfare keshille do te me jepte sot
04:54
what advice he would give me
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rreth ketij fjalimi TED
04:56
about making this TED Talk.
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po te ish ende gjalle.
05:00
HP: Don't imitate my voice.
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HP: Mos e imito zerin tim.
05:03
It offends me.
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Me ofendon.
05:05
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
05:08
YR: Good advice,
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YR: Keshille e mire,
05:09
but I still think that we learn who we are
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por une vazhdoj te jem i mendimit se ne mesojme kush jemi
05:13
by copying others.
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duke kopjuar te tjeret.
05:15
Who here hasn't imitated their childhood hero
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Kush nga ju ne salle nuk e ka imituar heroin e tyre te vegjelise
05:19
in the playground, or mum or father?
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ne kendin e lojerave, ose mami e babin?
05:23
I have.
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Une e kam bere.
05:25
HP: A few years ago, in order to make this video
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HP: Disa vite te shkuara, ne menyre qe ta beja kete video
05:30
for my artwork, I shaved off all my hair
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per artin tim, une rruajta floket
05:34
so that I could grow it back as my father had it
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ne menyre qe ti rrisja si te babait tim
05:37
when he first emigrated from India
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kur emigroi per here te pare nga India
05:40
to the U.K. in the 1960s.
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ne UK, ne 1960-en.
05:43
He had a side parting and a neat mustache.
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Ai i kish te ndara anash dhe mbante mustaqe.
05:47
At first, it was going very well.
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Ne fillim, gjithcka shkonte mire.
05:50
I even started to get discounts in Indian shops.
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Fillova te marr edhe ulje cmimi ne dyqanet indiane.
05:53
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
05:57
But then very quickly,
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Por me pas, shume shpejt,
05:59
I started to underestimate
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fillova te mos e vleresoja shume
06:00
my mustache growing ability,
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faktin qe mustaqja ime rritej shume,
06:02
and it got way too big.
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dhe u be shume e gjate.
06:05
It didn't look Indian anymore.
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Nuk dukej me mustaqe indiane.
06:08
Instead, people from across the road,
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Sakaq, njerezit nga trotuari tjeter,
06:10
they would shout things like --
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do te bertisnin me sa kishin ne koke--
06:12
HP and YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!
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HP dhe YR: Arriba! Arriba! Andale! Andale!
06:14
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshur)
06:16
HP: Actually, I don't know why I am even talking like this.
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HP: Faktikisht, as nuk e di se pse po flas keshtu.
06:18
My dad doesn't even have an Indian accent anymore.
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Babi im nuk ka as theks indian tani.
06:21
He talks like this now.
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Ai flet keshtu tani.
06:24
So it's not just my father that I've imitated.
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Pra, nuk eshte se kam imituar vetem babain.
06:28
A few years ago I went to China for a few months,
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Disa vite me pare, shkova ne Kine per disa muaj,
06:32
and I couldn't speak Chinese,
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dhe nuk mund te flisja fare gjuhen Kineze,
06:34
and this frustrated me,
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c'ka me nervozonte se tepermi,
06:36
so I wrote about this and had it translated
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kshq e shkrova kete gje dhe e perktheva
06:40
into Chinese, and then I learned this by heart,
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ne Kinezce dhe e mesova permendesh,
06:47
like music, I guess.
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sikunder bejme me muziken do thoja.
06:50
YR: This phrase is now etched into my mind
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YR:Kjo fjali eshte ngulitur tashme ne mendjen time
06:53
clearer than the pin number to my bank card,
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me forte sesa kodi i bankes sime,
06:56
so I can pretend I speak Chinese fluently.
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ndaj mund te shtirem sikur e flas shkelqyeshem Kinezcen.
07:00
When I had learned this phrase,
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Kur e mesova kete fjali,
07:02
I had an artist over there hear me out
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kisha nje artist ne krahe per te me degjuar
07:05
to see how accurate it sounded.
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se sa mire e artikuloja ate.
07:07
I spoke the phrase, and then he laughed
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E thashe fjaline e ai qeshi
07:10
and told me, "Oh yeah, that's great,
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e me tha, "Oh, po shume mire,
07:13
only it kind of sounds like a woman."
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vetem se me tingellon pak si femer."
07:15
I said, "What?"
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I thashe, "Cfare?"
07:16
He said, "Yeah, you learned from a woman?"
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Ai tha, "Po, ti ke mesuar nga nje grua?"
07:20
I said, "Yes. So?"
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I thashe, " Po. Edhe?"
07:22
He then explained the tonal differences
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Me pas ai me shpjegoi diferencat dhe vecorite ne ton
07:25
between male and female voices
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mes zerit mashkullor e atij femeror
07:27
are very different and distinct, and that I had learned it very well,
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dhe qe une e kisha mesuar mire,
07:31
but in a woman's voice.
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por me nje ze femre.
07:33
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
07:35
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
07:43
HP: Okay. So this imitation business
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HP: OK. Atehere, ky biznesi i imitimeve
07:46
does come with risk.
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i paska rreziqet e veta.
07:48
It doesn't always go as you plan it,
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Nuk shkon gjithmone sipas planit,
07:50
even with a talented translator.
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edhe me nje perkthyes te talentuar.
07:54
But I am going to stick with it,
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Por do ti qendroj kesaj,
07:56
because contrary to what we might usually assume,
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sepse ne kundershtim me ate qe mund te hamendesojme,
08:01
imitating somebody can reveal something unique.
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te imituarit e dikujt mund te nxjerre ne pah dicka unike.
08:05
So every time I fail
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Pra, sa here deshtoja
08:08
to become more like my father,
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te isha si babai im,
08:10
I become more like myself.
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behesha me shume vetvetja.
08:14
Every time I fail to become Bruce Lee,
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Sa here qe deshtoja te isha Bruce Lee,
08:19
I become more authentically me.
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behesha me autentik.
08:23
This is my art.
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Ky eshte arti im.
08:24
I strive for authenticity,
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Une kerkoj gjithnje origjinalitet,
08:27
even if it comes in a shape
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edhe neqoftese ky i fundit vjen ne nje forme
08:30
that we might not usually expect.
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qe nuk para pritet.
08:33
It's only recently that I've started to understand
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Eshte vetem kohet e fundit qe kam filluar te kuptoj
08:38
that I didn't learn to sit like this
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qe nuk e kam mesuar te qendruarit ulur keshtu
08:41
through being Indian.
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ngaqe jam Indian.
08:43
I learned this from Spider-Man.
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Kete e mesova nga Njeriu Merimange.
08:47
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
08:48
Thank you.
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Faleminderit.
08:50
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
Translated by Iris Xholi
Reviewed by Helena Bedalli

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Hetain Patel - Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity.

Why you should listen

"What determines our identities anyway?" asks Hetain Patel. As a child, Patel wanted to be like Spider-Man or Bruce Lee; later, he aimed to be more like his father, who displays a much different kind of bravery. From these ambitions, Patel's new show Be Like Water examines shifting identities of all kinds, using dance and bold imagery to power a story of self-examination and self-creation. 

As a conceptual artist, Patel has used photography, sculpture, installation and performance to challenge cultural identity. For his work, he has grown a mustache exactly like the one his father wore when he emigrated from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and remixed the practice henna tattooing to incorporate English words and comics books. Patel's conclusion about identity: that it is an ever-shifting game of imitation. 

 

More profile about the speaker
Hetain Patel | Speaker | TED.com
Yuyu Rau - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical.

Why you should listen

Yuyu Rau is a dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese classical dance. Born in Taiwan and now a resident of the United Kingdom, Rau has performed with a wide range of dance companies and worked with choreographers like Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Luca Silvestrini and Douglas Thorpe.

Yau has toured with conceptual artist Hetain Patel, performing in his stage work Be Like Water. In the piece, Rau acts as Patel's translator, and often stands in to help him tell his story. 

More profile about the speaker
Yuyu Rau | Speaker | TED.com