In a recent interview turned mini-dance performance at the Taipei Dance Circle's basement studio, artistic director Liou Show-lu (劉紹爐) used dance and song to illustrate how the company has developed its own "unique style of Oriental modern dance."
"We have always used a contemporary style of dance, but in the beginning our focus was on folk culture and our dance showed a traditional Chinese form. Now the most important thing is chi (氣). Everything we do begins with chi," he said while leaping about the room like a kung fu artist.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAIPEI DANCE CIRCLE
Beginning next week, modern dance fans have the rare opportunity to witness the artistic development of one of Taiwan's most renowned dance troupes. In a program that spans its 20-year history, Taipei Dance Circle's (光環舞集) anniversary performance will juxtapose earlier works that employ a more traditional Chinese style with recent experimental pieces.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAIPEI DANCE CIRCLE
"Our direction has changed immensely. I chose these pieces to make a program that will show the audience how we have developed over the years," Liou said.
winning style
One of the founding members of Taipei's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Liou was a dancer with the troupe for 12 years before forming the Taipei Dance Circle in 1984. The dance company has achieved a high level of success at home and abroad with performances at various international festivals throughout Asia, Europe and North America.
At present, all eight members of the company are graduates from dance programs at various Taiwan universities. Liou encourages his dancers to take part in exchanges with other local and international companies. In the past he has employed dancers from Eastern Europe and the US.
The troupe's line-up has altered and expanded since its inception 20 years ago and so too has its artistic direction. According to Liou, the past and present direction of his company is divided into three stages. The first 10 years he said drew heavily on Chinese music, art and dance with emphasis on his own Hakka heritage. It was at this time he mixed storytelling with dance to produce pieces such as The Stone Carrying Old Man, which has been updated to include a Hakkanese song that Liou will perform in the upcoming anniversary performance.
Later, Liou said he became dissatisfied with the limitation of the body's movement imposed by traditional Chinese dance. He then incorporated the concept of chi (life force or breath), which produces more fluidity. Chi, he said, connects the mind and body in dance.
baby oil series
Similar to meditation, where practitioners use their minds to follow the movement of breath in their bodies, he said his dancers follow the chi inside their bodies. This produces dance movements characteristic of tai chi and yoga positions, as Liou demonstrated in an impressive display that emphasized the role of martial arts permeating his work. It was the introduction of chi that gave birth to his acclaimed Baby Oil series, which bathes the dancers in oil to create a frictionless flow of movement between their bodies.
The third direction, which according to Liou began four years ago, is the partnership between voice and movement. While earlier performances experimented with the combination of the two, it wasn't until the Sight and Sound series and his most recent production, Pingban, that he fully developed the idea of having dancers sing on stage.
"I call it body/voice. The best instrument in the world is your body, because it is real. It is made of muscle not metal or wood. Dancers move their bodies and the voice comes out the way a musician plays an instrument," Liou said before demonstrating a short set of monastic style chanting that illustrated tremendous vocal range.
As far as the next 20 years are concerned, Liou said he will continue to experiment with onstage vocals and take steps towards his fourth direction; one he claims will explore new mediums. He is currently cooperating with a local artist on the possibilities for a project later next year using video.
The unifying theme of Taipei Dance Circle's anniversary performance is transformation and to best illustrate this Liou has selected six pieces from his repertoire that represent the company's three stages of artistic direction.
Performance notes:
What: The Taipei Dance Circle's 20th anniversary show.
When: May 26 and May 27 in Taipei, June 2 in Taichung and June 5 in Tainan. All performances begin at 7:30pm.
Where: Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall (
Tickets: NT$350 to NT$1,000 can be purchased online at www.artsticket.com.tw
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