Now in its second year, Taiwan Dance Umbrella (
Begun last year by Ku Ming-shen (古名伸), the founder of Taiwan's only improvisational dance troupe, Ku and Dancers (古名伸舞團), the festival is aimed at offering talented dance artists technical advice, financial and administrative help and a chance to stage their works. The Sun-shier Dance Theater (三十舞蹈劇場) and Acme Physical (體能極至), both of whom received nationwide acclaim for their performances in last year's festival, are representative of the stringent standards by which the artists are selected.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KU AND DANCERS
This year's line-up is a surprising departure from last year's, with many participants having no dance background at all. "In most of the pieces, choreographers worked side-by-side with playwrights, musicians or installation artists to create interesting crossover works," said Wu Ching-jen (
Another characteristics of this year's event is the participants' ingenious use of the venue space. "Shimin Hall was built for Chinese opera performance. Dance has never been performed there. But we find that the stage offers unlimited potential for the festival's works, which are mostly multimedia pieces," Wu said.
The series takes place over three weekends and includes performances by six new dance groups and a joint performance by Ku and Dancers and the New York-based group Bill Young and Dancers.
Today's show, which includes three performances by separate groups, displays an interesting mix of theater and dance.
Tsu Wei-yin's The Square of My Double Ego (
Tsui Chou-fong's The Reminiscence of Anping (
For the third weekend of the festival, Bill Young and Dancers are scheduled to pay their first visit to Taiwan, performing two new pieces entitled Give Me Your Hand and Bent.
Having staged more than 40 works which have toured worldwide, Bill Young won the Guggenheim Award in 1997 for his vision of contemporary dance. His works explore the expressive power of physical impulses found in the immediacy of dancers' interaction. Their characteristically abstract yet intense movement demands viewers' undivided attention.
Mixed into the group performances will be Ku's solo autobiographical piece, Me and My Shadow (
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