Theater
Saturday Night Fever is the musical based on the hit 70s movie of the same name. Set in New York, Saturday Night Fever tells the story of an ambitious, talented and streetwise Brooklyn lad with the burning desire to make it big. By day, Tony Manero is a humble paint store clerk, but when night hits he becomes the polyester-clad stallion king of the local disco. Taipei can now get into the disco groove with hits such as Staying Alive, Disco Inferno, Night Fever, Boogie Shoes and a host of other tunes that hark back to the age of glitter and dancing excess.
* Taipei International Conference Center (TICC, 台北國際會議中心) 1 Xinyi Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市信義路5段1號)
* Today, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$800 to NT$4,800 and are available through ERA ticketing at www.ticket.com.tw
A Magical Journey on the Silk Road (絲戀) is a collaborative effort between Chen Xi-huang (陳錫煌), one of Taiwan's foremost puppeteers, and Turkish shadow puppet master Cengiz Ozek. Silk Road tells the story of two sisters who travel along the silk road from China to Istanbul in search of a magical harp that charms silk worms into making the world's most beautiful silk. During their journey the girls encounter all kinds of exotic animals, magicians, human traffickers, poets and sages.
* National Experimental Theater (國家實驗劇場)
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$450 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Monkey King at Spider Cave (孫悟空大戰蜘蛛精) is an episode adapted from the Chinese classic Journey to the West (西遊記) by shadow puppeteer Larry Reed and The Puppet and Its Double Theater (無獨有偶工作室劇團). Monkey King at Spider Cave features the heroic Monkey King and his disciples battling against the flesh-hungry Spider Demon and his hoard of evil insects.
* Taichung County Cultural Hall (台中縣立文化中心演藝廳) 782 Yuanhuan E Rd, Fungyuan City, Taichung County (台中縣豐原市圓環東路782號)
* Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
* Tickets are NT$250 to NT$800 and are available through www.artsticket.com.tw
City Lights (城市之光) is an adaptation of the famous 1931 silent film by Charlie Chaplin. Falling on the 30th anniversary of the death of the comic genius, City Lights fuses mime, magic, stunts and street performance to celebrate Chaplin's life and life in the city.
* Taipei Family Theater (台北市親子劇場), 2F, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei (台北市市府路1號2樓)
* Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$200 to NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Events
Taipei Salon (台北沙龍) is a series of lectures hosted by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation (龍應台文化基金會). This week's speaker is Dr. Julian Nida-Ruemelin, Germany's first Minister for Cultural and Media Affairs and current Chair Professor for Political Theory and Philosophy at the University of Munich. Titled "Democracy: Normative Constituents, Present Challenges and Future Prospects," Nida-Ruemelin will discuss the issue of democracy in global and specific contexts as well as the social consequences of democratization.
* National Central Library Conference Hall (國家圖書館), 2F, 20 Chungshan S Rd, Taipei (台北市中山南路20號2樓)
* Tomorrow at 2pm
* Lectures are free but must register in advance at www.civictaipei.org or by calling Viola Sung at (02) 3322-4907
The National Handicapped Association together with the Indigenous Cultural Enterprise Development Association are hosting a fair including performances and over 450 booths. The booths will show local foods, crafts and other products from around the island. Products may be bought from the vendors with coupons which may be purchased at the fair. Proceeds will go towards supporting the disabled and aboriginal communities around the island. Visit indigenous.pristine.net.
* Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall plaza, Taipei
* Sunday, from 9:40am through 5pm
Classical Music
Jian Wang Cello Recital (王健大提琴獨奏會). Wang first came to worldwide fame at the age of 10, thanks to Isaac Stern, who was in China making a documentary video From Mao to Mozart. Stern discovered the young prodigy and featured him in the film. During the decade following Wang studied at Yale and also at Julliard. His chief Western teacher has been Aldo Parisot. As age 14 he was selected to go with a select group of Chinese musicians to perform for former US President Jimmy Carter at the White House. Wang performed with the Boston Symphony on its tour of China. During Wang's performance in Taichung, Wang will perform Bach's BWV 1007, 1008, and 1012 of his Six Cello Suites, BWV 1007-1012.
* At the Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Hsuehshi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
* As of press time, NT$350 tickets are sold out, but seats are still available from NT$500 to NT$2,000 through ERA ticketing
* Tonight at 7:30pm
Taipei Symphony Orchestra Chorus — Classical & Popular Vocal Banquet (臺北市立交響樂團附設合唱團—古典與流行的人聲饗宴). Featuring conductor Peng Hsiao-yi (彭孝怡) and pianist Yang Hsiang-ling (楊湘玲), the TSO Chorus will sing a total of 20 songs spanning centuries, from Baroque to contemporary western popular songs. They will include Rachmaniov's Ave Maria, from All-Night Vigil, Op.37, Bruckner's Ave Maria, Mozart's Ave verum Corpus, K.618, Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine, Op.11, Victoria's O Vos Omnes, Monteverdi's Sfogava Con le Stelle, Bennet's Weep, O Mine Eyes, Morley's Fire, Fire, Dvořák's Songs of Nature, Op.63, Barber's Sure on This Shining Night, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood's I'm A Train arranged by Peter Knight, and other traditional American, European, and Taiwanese songs.
* Tonight at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), at 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
* Tickets range from NT$200 to NT$800 and are available through NTCH ticketing outlets
* Tonight at 7:30pm
National Symphony Orchestra Richard Strauss Cycle 6 — Sinfonia Domestica (國家交響樂團發現理查史特勞斯系列六 — 柔情英雄). The concerts are two works from two contrasting periods in Strauss' life: Concerto for Oboe composed in his last five years and Wind Serenade in E-flat Major in his youth. The two concerts in Hsinchu tonight and Taipei this Sunday will feature oboist Martin Gabriel, who has been appointed the principal oboe player of the Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra since 1988. Under the direction of director Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), Gabriel will be joined by the NSO to present three of Strauss' works. Pre-concert talks will be held in Hsinchu and Taipei 30 minutes prior to the concerts.
* Tonight at the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市文化局演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號) and Sunday at the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$1,200 for the Hsinchu concert and from NT$300 to NT$1,500 for the Taipei concert
* Tonight at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
Homeland Famous Music for the Family (故鄉名曲精華音樂會親子共賞首選). From "The Mill in the Black Forest" to "Longing for the Spring Breeze," Homeland Chamber Ensemble (故鄉室內樂團) will present a series of lecture-concerts tonight through March 25. The lecture concerts will be presided over by Chen I-lin (陳宜琳) in the Taipei concert and Du Shu-feng (杜淑芳) in the Taichung concerts. Featuring violinists Chang Shih-peng (張士芃), Du, Chan Ching-ching (詹青青), violist Chen Chih-yuan (陳麒元), cellist Lien Yi-Shien (連亦先), and pianist Liao Chiao-han (廖皎含), the concert will include a program of quintet, quartet, trio, and solo works, including Eilenberg's The Mill in the Black Forest, Mozart's Turkish March, Oesten's Dolly's Dreaming & Awakening, Famous Taiwanese Music Longing for the Spring Breeze (望春風), Amazing Grace, Schubert's Piano Trio Wiegenlied, Medelssohn's Song of Spring, Chopin's Nocturne Op.9-2, the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 in F major, Op.24 "Spring", Bridge's Pieces for Viola, the third movement of Davidov's Cello concerto No.2, the first movement (Allegro amabile) of Brahms' Violin Sonata No.2 Op.100, and Falla's Danse Espagnole.
* At the Taichung County Seaport Art Center (台中縣立港區藝術中心), 21, Chungchen Rd, Chingshui Township, Taichung County (台中縣清水鎮忠貞路21號)
* As of press time, NT$500 to NT$600 tickets are sold out, but seats are still available from NT$200 to NT$400 and NT$800 through NTCH ticketing
* Sunday at 2:30pm
Franz Kuo-Chang Chien Violin Recital (浪漫大師系列—錢國昌小提琴獨奏會). Chien now teaches at the music department of National Taiwan University of Arts and is the principal violinist of the Yinqi Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (音契合唱管絃樂團). As part of the 2007 Romantic Maestro Concert Series organized by the Yinqi Culture and Music Foundation (財團法人音契文化藝術基金會) and co-organized by the Graduate Institute of Collaborative Piano at Tainan National University of the Arts, Chen will be accompanied by pianist Hong Pei-chi (洪珮綺) and present a recital with a challenging program of works by composers across four European countries, including Beethoven's Sonate for Violin and Piano No.4 in A Minor, Op.23, Schubert's Rondo in B-flat Minor, Op.70, Elgar's Sonate for Violin and Piano in E Minor, Op.82, and Ravel's Sonate for Violin and Piano in G Major.
* At the Performing Arts Hall of Tainan National University of the Arts (台南藝術大學演藝廳), 66 Tachi Village, Kuantian Township, Tainan County (臺南縣官田鄉大崎村66號)
* Free Admission
* March 27 at 7:30pm
Exhibitions
From an Island South — A Joint Exhibition by Australian Artists from Tasmania (來自南方之島—澳洲塔斯馬尼亞藝術家聯展). An exhibition devoted to the island and its culture features 17 works by seven prominent Tasmanian artists who blend their takes on the political, historical and social aspects of the island with the lush landscapes and natural beauty through a variety of approaches and media ranging from photography, oil painting, charcoal drawing to installation art.
* National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2361-0270
* Until April 8
2007 Wang Chi-sui's Solo Exhibition — Slow-Motion (2007王綺穗新作展—緩˙慢). Continuing her focus on visual sense, memory and velocity that constantly engages in a dialectical relation with photographed imagery, artist Wang turns the captured moments into the subjects of her paintings to create a unique visual language in the attempt to slowdown the out-of-focused reality in the hyper-speed era.
* Home Gallery (家畫廊), 30-1 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段30-1號). Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2591-4302
* Until April 18
A Collective Exhibition by Artists in Residency (駐館藝術家聯展). Featuring works by four resident artists coming from different fields ranging from literature to performing and visual arts, the exhibition presents art in a hybrid form as the artists let their imaginations and creativity run freely among various media.
* Grass Mountain Chateau (草山行館), 89 Huti Rd, Yangmingshan, Taipei (台北市陽明山湖底路89號). Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (02) 2862-1911
* Until April 15
Second Skin (第二層皮膚—當代設計新肌體). Reflecting on the convergence of nature and artificial life, the exhibition presents examples of products, furniture, fashion, architecture and media that are expanding the limits of the outer surface, creating skins that both reveal and conceal, skins that have depth, complexity, and their own behaviors and identities.
* Museum of Contemporary Art (台北當代藝術館), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2552-3721
* Until May 6
Beauty of Fans (千扇之美). To celebrate the fourth year of operation, the gallery is putting on a special exhibition on marginalized art forms, featuring 1,000 pieces of fan art by acclaimed artists from Taiwan, China, Japan and South Korea.
* Chan Liu Art Gallery (長流畫廊), 3F, 12 Jinshan S Rd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市金山南路二段12號3樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Call (02) 2321-6603
* Until March 31
Contemporary
Tonight, Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) presents ABS: All Blues & Ska, a side project for Wu Bai (伍佰) and China Blue drummer Dean "Dino" Zavolta, bassist Xiao Zhu (小朱) and keyboardist Da Mao (大貓), with support from Lao Liu (老六) and Yang Teng-you (楊騰佑) on guitar. Tomorrow it's a Summer Lei (雷光夏) mini concert, when the innovative electronica singer/songwriter will be accompanied by group of highly regarded musicians: cellist lo Chen (陳主惠) (of Black List), accordion-player Wang Ying-meng (王雁盟), guitarist Xiu Xiu (秀秀) and jazz keyboard-player Peng Yu-wen (彭郁雯). On Sunday it's Taiwanese-American jazz singing prodigy Joanna (王若琳), with Lu Guang-zhong (盧廣仲) on guitar. Monday night is open-jam night, when anyone with a song or an instrument — including the occasional star — can perform. Tuesday it's indie-pop band 88 Guava Seeds (八十八顆芭樂籽) and prog-rockers Formula, Wednesday it's indie band Baby Bears (熊寶貝), and Thursday it's talented, crowd-pleasing Aboriginal rock band Totem (圖騰).
* The music starts at 9:30pm each night
* Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$400. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday is NT$300. On Monday there is a one-drink minimum. Tuesday is NT$300
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Nu-metal band Monkey Insane takes the stage tonight at The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow it's the part-funk, part nu-metal sound of Coach (教練) and Higher Band's (亥兒) power rock, Sunday it's post-rock trio Peppermint (薄荷葉) and teen-angst songstress Deserts Chang (張懸), and on Wednesday, The Wall presents folk rockers Lu Guang-zhong (盧廣仲), Easy and Guirum (吉朗).
* Entrance tonight, tomorrow and Sunday is NT$400. Wednesday NT$300
* Bands take the stage at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
The Living Room (小客廳) hosts The Sharp (升記號) tonight, followed by The Martin Acoustic Jazz Trio With Gino Giles with special guest, South African singer-songwriter David Foster. Tomorrow's performer is to-be-announced. Tuesday it's acoustic act Little Lamb Sisters (小羊妹妹). Wednesday it's Guts Improv (勇氣即興), where actors create short skits based on "audience suggestions and crazy rules." Thursday it's alt-rock shoe-gazers Emily (艾密力) and Goodbye Nao, who take their name from a retired Japanese porn star.
* Shows start at 10pm tonight, 8pm Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9pm Thursday
* Entrance is NT$300 for each band or performance
* 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
Velvet Underground (地下絲絨) presents Red Blood Cell (紅血球) opening for expat straight-edge punks Consider the Meek. Tomorrow it's Undo, Question and Guirum (吉朗). Wednesday it's Longplaying 52 (黑膠52), Bling, Bling, Bling and BSD. Thursday it's Vanilla Latte (香草拿鐵).
* Bands take the stage tonight at 9pm, tomorrow at 7pm, Wednesday at 8pm, and Thursday at 10pm
* Entrance is NT$300 or NT$250 for students
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 or visit www.velvet-underground.com.tw
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會) it's indie bands 88 Guava Seeds (八十八顆芭樂籽) and Children Sucker (表兒), tomorrow it's Kou Chou-ching (拷秋勤) — rappers with a Taiwanese sound — and Bus Rider, and Wednesday it's Heavy Smoker (煙鬼) and Yinlieche (淫列車).
* The bar opens at 8pm and bands take the stage at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300
* B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
In Taichung, Grooveyard presents the Pan African Cultural Troupe tonight and expat hillbilly rockers The Deadly Vibes tomorrow. Groovecity hosts pop/jazz combo Sunny 4 tonight, electro-punk and drum 'n' bass group Digihai tomorrow.
* Grooveyard performances start at 9:30pm. Groovecity performances start at 9pm
* Grooveyard entrance is NT$200.
* Groovecity is inside Tiger City (台中老虎城旁停車場) at 120 Henan Rd Sec 3, Taichung (台中市河南路三段120號老虎城). Grooveyard is located at 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com or call 0939-574-737 for more information
And last — and certainly least — on Tuesday, pop-oriented US sax toodler Kenny G will continue to shamelessly enrich himself by defiling jazz classics and playing his own wimped-out originals at the Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋).
* The grim spectacle commences at 7:30pm
* Tickets are NT$800 to NT$5,000
* 2 Nanjing E Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市南京東路四段2號). To book tickets go to www.tickets.com.tw or call (02) 2741-5988
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and