Because this is a folk tale, her wish comes true, and because every folk tale has a moral to it, there are predictable consequences to her dream man's apparition. The relationship doesn't work out and it's not long before she begins to wish dreamboy would disappear.
Chen adapted the story to make a commentary on relationships and wish fulfillment in Taiwan today.
As a result Not a Love Story is an interesting attempt to connect a European folk tradition with contemporary culture in Taiwan.
This is in contrast to many artists in Taiwan, who seem to work the other way round, adapting old Taiwanese (or more often Chinese) stories and themes to gives them a Western treatment. Bamboo Dream(竹夢) and Moon Water(水月) by Lin Hwai-min's(林懷民) Cloud Gate Dance Theatre are notable examples.
Not a Love Story is presented in six sections: prelude, reality, dream, crossing over, conflict or explosion and epilogue.
These divisions allow the production to move smoothly through the narrative, yet provide the time and space to explore the emotional and dramatic potential of the story.
The epilogue, for instance, has the dancers shedding their ripped costumes and putting on new clothes as a metaphor for starting a new life. There are virtual clouds and a kite in the sky.
Here the medium and the message are one, says Ku:"We put a story together and then we tear it apart. First we want a dream to come true and then we want to wake up. The epilogue is about getting the courage to dream again."
Not a Love Story by image in Motion Theatre Company is part of the Taipei International Arts Festival.
Performance Notes:
What: Not a Love Story
Where: Sun Yat-san Memorial Hall (台北國父紀念館)
When: May 4, 7:30pm, May 5, 7:30pm, MAy 6, 7:30pm.
Tickets: ERA ticket outlets, (02)2341-9898)
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