Hymns
Hymns by Frantic Assembly; Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 4/7, 7:30pm; 4/8, 2:30pm. Frantic Assembly is not easily pigeonholed, but is probably best described as physical theater. The difference from dance is that the body language used is more vernacular, speaking more directly with movements that are familiar in daily life. For all that, Hymns, which is an exploration of how men deal with grief, is a highly choreographed piece of work that spans drama and dance.
PHOTO: TAIA
PHOTO: TAIA
Trix
Trix by Cirkus Cirkor and Orionteatern; Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 4/13-14, 7:30; 4/15, 2:30pm. A show that combines circus and theater. This in itself in not unusual, but surreal effects take the show to new dimensions. The show brings with it its own band Urga, whose mixture of rock, reggae, punk and other genres adds to the kaleidoscopic effect on the senses.
PHOTO: TAIA
Hashirigaki
Hashirigaki by Theatre Vidy-Lausanne ETE; Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 4/20-21, 7:30pm. A concatenation of such seemingly incongruous elements as Japanese design and Beach Boys music, Hashirigaki is the most musically challenging of the shows, with music by "post-post-avant-garde" composer Heiner Goebblels.
Not a Love Story
Not a Love Story by Image in Motion Theater Company; Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 5/4-5, 7:30pm; 5/6, 2:30pm. Still being fine tuned, this Taiwanese original seeks to bring about closer ties between performance art and technology, making use of state-of-the-art animation and imaging equipment to bring human performers into interaction with a virtual environment.
Carmen
Carmen by Lyon Opera Ballet; Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 5/11-12, 7:30pm; 5/132:30pm. A modernist ballet by choreographer Mats Ek, this is an interpretation of the Bizet classic in which modern dance and a deconstruction of the original story add to its very contemporary feel. This will be performed in conjunction with Black Milk a modern dance by Ohad Naharin.
Eat Your Young
Eat Your Young by Arena Theatre Company; Experimental Theater of the National Theater 5/23-26, 7:30pm; 5/26, 2:30pm, 5/27, 1pm and 4:30pm. A futuristic multimedia action adventure making sophisticated combinations of theater, cinema, animation and sound. The story is based on actual families placed in the 1970s and explores the relationship between power and the young.
Inasmuch as Life is Borrowed
Inasmuch as Life is Borrowed ... by Ultima Vez; Taipei Social Education Hall 6/9, 7:30pm; 6/10, 2:30pm. Pushing the boundaries of what can be expressed in dance, Wim Vandekybus explores the transitory nature of life in a powerfully expressive dance drama.
In addition, there will be a Cyber Time rave party on April 7 which will incorporate VJ and DJ performances with installation art to be held at Taipei 101 to open the festival.
Following the success of the World Music Festival last year, another world music event will be held this year between May 19 and May 24 at Ta-an Park. Groups from eight countries will perform in a series of free outdoor concerts that will wrap up with a World Music Jam on May 24.
For further information, visit the festival Web site at http://www.taf.org.tw For online ticketing visit the Era Web site at http://www.ticket.com.tw
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su