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DFT dances in the right direction

Dance Forum Taipei's latest production conveys an anomic view of modern living. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANCE FORUM TAIPEI

Dance Forum Taipei's (DFT) newest work, The World in the Future Sea of Heaven (明日世界之天堂海), which will premiere at the Red Playhouse (紅樓劇場) tonight, demonstrates the company's ability to constantly break choreographic boundaries.

Sea of Heaven is a collaborative effort between visual artist Chen Chun-ming (陳俊明), who is experienced in multimedia installations and the performing arts, and choreographer Yao Shu-fen (姚淑芬).

The work presents a view of contemporary life that is anomic.

Chen cited Rabindranath Tagore's poem to explain the work's message: This life is the crossing of a sea, where we meet in the same narrow ship/In death we reach the shore and go to our different worlds.

DFT's new work incorporates multimedia installations and the innovative use of stage props.

Yao's choreography casts aside formal dance techniques with the dancers expressing emotion through a minimal range of movements.

Since it was founded in 1989 by Ping Heng (平珩), the company has held open forums for choreographers and artists to experiment with avant-garde ideas.

The company has produced numerous internationally acclaimed works and recently returned from Amsterdam after taking Eastern Current (再現東風), a work which combines Peking opera and modern dance, on tour.

The sense of disquiet conveyed through DFT's newest offering confirms the company's important role as an innovator within Taiwan's dance community.

Sea of Heaven is a good opportunity for fans of modern dance to see where dance is heading in Taiwan.

The World in the Future Sea of Heaven will be performed at the Red Playhouse (紅樓劇場), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei (台北市成都路10號), tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, with a matinee performance at 2:30pm on Sunday. Tickets are NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing.
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