Dances from the heart

After Thursday's opening night performance, the company has organized a special memorial for Lo. It will show a 1991 video of Lo performing her signature solo Requiem, choreographed by Cloud Gate Dance Theater founder and artistic director Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).

After the video is shown, Bulareyaung, Cheung and the company's dancers will place Lo's favorite flowers, yellow orchids, on stage in her honor. The company will also have extra flowers on hand for any audience members who would like to pay their respects to Lo.

Lo became the artistic director of Cloud Gate 2 in 1999 to foster young choreographers and provide a stage for young dancers, who range in age from 18 to 25.

"Lo Man-fei loved young talent, especially choreographers. We train a lot of good dancers [in Taiwan] but after they graduate what can they do?" Sheu said. "She wanted them to have a place to perform, to create a stage for them, a very, very good stage. Before [getting to] the big stage you have to start small and move up."

Cloud Gate 2 will go on without Lo, but who will step into her shoes as director is not yet known.

"One year after she [Lo] founded the company she discovered she had cancer. So for more than four years she was a patient and a company director. Like a European house director, she came to meetings and rehearsals, but left room for the dancers and choreographers to do their work." Lin told the Taipei Times in an interview earlier this month.

"I'm just babysitting it now. I don't know what is going to happen," Lin said. "I don't have other directors in mind at this moment."

However, he said, "I want [Cloud Gate 2] to do a lot of demos [demonstrations] on campuses ... do pieces without lighting or technical baggage, develop a repertoire of excerpts of all their pieces -- lots of duets, trios, quartets."

What: Cloud Gate 2 -- Spring Gathering 2006

When: Thursday, May 4 to Sunday, May 7 with performances at 7:45pm each night and matinees at 2:45pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Novel Hall (新舞台), 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (臺北市松壽路3-1號)

Tickets: Prices range from NT$400 to NT$1,200; available through
www.artstickets.com.tw
The company will perform at National Sun Yat-sen University (中山大學逸仙館) in Kaohsiung on Saturday, May 20 and in Taichung at the Chungshan Hall (台中中山堂) on May 27, both days at 2:30 and 7:30pm.