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Purity and perfection

By Diane Baker
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Nov 23, 2007, Page 13

The set of Cloud Gate Dance Theater's Nine Songs, which was originally performed in celebration of the group's 20th anniversary in 1993. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIU CHEN-HSIANG

A lotus pond fills the front of the stage. A masked god dances on the shoulders of two men. A river goddess borne on two bamboo poles trails an endless white veil across the stage. A river of flickering candles creates a vision of eternity.

Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), his design teams and Cloud Gate Dance Theater's (雲門舞集) dancers have given audiences many memorable moments and images over the past three decades: a boatload of people crossing a storm-tossed sea, a monk standing under a cascade of grains of rice, the liquid movements of dancers in a moonlit pond, and the almost psychedelic vortex that filled the stage at the end of last fall's Wind Shadows (風影).

The imagery of Nine Songs (九歌), choreographed by Lin to mark the company's 20th anniversary in 1993, with a set by the famed American stage designer Ming Cho Lee, certainly ranks among the best. Lin has revived the work for one last run and it opens tonight at the National Theater for 10 performances before the company hits the road next month for shows in Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Lin's hometown, Chiayi.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIU CHEN-HSIANG

Shanghai-born Lee won a New York Dance and Performance Award - a "Bessie" - in 1995 for his work on Nine Songs. A golden painting of lotus flowers fills the side, ceiling and back panels of the stage, echoing the lotus pond in front. The back panels glide on and off stage or are raised and lowered to reveal a golden moon, blackness or a star-filled sky.

CHINESE OPERA AND POLITICS

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES Friday and Saturday Dec. 7-Dec. 8 in Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Xuexi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號) (Dec. 8 show is sold out); Dec. 14 to Dec. 15 in Tainan Performing Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332, Jhonghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號); Dec. 21 to Dec. 22 in Kaohsiung's Chih-Der Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號) and Dec. 28 to Dec. 29 in Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心演藝廳), 265, Jianguo Rd Sec 2, Minhsiung Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號). Ticket prices range from NT$300 to NT$1,500. Tickets are available online at www.artstickets.com.tw.

"It's the most operatic stages of all our works," Lin said after a press rehearsal yesterday.

Inspired by a 2,400-year-old poem written by Qu Yuan (屈原) during China's Warring States period and more recent political history on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Lee created an evocative work that takes audiences on a two-hour journey through life, death and redemption.

In a 1995 interview with the New York Times, Lin described his development as a choreographer as a process of "accumulation." The choreography in Nine Songs is certainly evocative of the myriad influences that have shaped Lin's work, including Martha Graham, Jose Limon, traditional Chinese opera and martial arts and Balinese temple dances.

PERFORMANCE NOTES: WHAT: Nine Songs(九歌)by Cloud Gate Dance Theater(雲門舞集) WHERE: National Theater(國家戲劇院)21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City(臺北市中山南路21-1號) WHEN: Tonight to Dec.2 at the National Theater; evening performances at 7:45pm, Sunday matiness at 2:45pm. TICKETS: This weekend and next are sold out. A limited number of the NT$600 and NT$900 tickets are left for the Monday to Thursday performances. Tickets are available online at www.tickets.com.tw or at the theater box office.

This eclecticism is also reflected in the score, which ranges from Aboriginal songs to the chanting of Tibetan Buddhist monks, and from the gamelans of Southeast Asia to the Ju Percussion Group (朱宗慶打擊樂團).

While Qu's Nine Songs actually has 11 parts, Lin's is divided into eight sections, beginning with Greeting the Gods. The first half of the program follows the path of the sun from morning to night; the promise brought by the sun's light to the fears and torment of darkness. The second half follows the changing of the seasons - and of politics. Qu's lament that the gods have failed us mortals can be felt throughout.

This lament is brought to life by the final two sections, Homage to the Fallen, and Honoring the Dead, when tragedies that have shaped life on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are commemorated: the execution of Taiwanese people during the Japanese colonial era, when those who were to be killed wore baskets over their heads as they were led to their deaths; the 228 Incident; and the Tiananmen Massacre. The names of many of those who were executed or died, as well as those of ancient Chinese heroes, are recited in Mandarin, Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), Hakka and Atayal.

Each of the solos was created 14 years ago to reflect the specific strengths and talents of individual dancers. Almost all of those dancers have left the company in the intervening years, with the exception of principal dancer Lee Ching-chun (李靜君), who dominates the stage as a red-clad witch/shaman in the opening segments.

But Cloud Gate is filled with wonderful dancers, and Lee said it was not hard to fill the roles - with two exceptions.

"All these roles were created for very special dancers. The only one that was hard to replace was the Mountain God. Mr Tsai [Ming-yuan 蔡銘元, who dances the role now] - it's not really his cup of tea. But all have coped very well," Lin said.

No wonder the role is not Tsai's cup of tea. He is usually wonderful to watch, but the contorted leaps and grimaces of the choreography make his solo almost too painful to bear.

A SPECIAL GET-TOGETHER

One role Lin didn't have to find a replacement for was the God of the Clouds. It is probably the only one that is truly irreplaceable. Wu I-fang (吳義芳) created the role in the original production. Although he is now the founder and director of his own troupe, the Wind Dance Company, he rejoined Cloud Gate last fall to reprise the role in the Tale of the White Serpent and Unforgettable Moments of Cloud Gate (白蛇傳與雲門精華) performances. He is back again for this run.

A masked, loin-clothed Wu enters walking on the back of two retainers and never touches the ground once as he strides, bobs, weaves and poses in an arabesque as the men gradually stand upright, balancing him on their shoulders. It's a virtuoso performance from all three men.

When asked if he missed the original dancers while working on this production, Lin shook his head quickly.

"They [the current dancers] are just incredible. This production is even better," he said.

Nine Songs is one show for which it is better to be sitting back from the stage or up in the balconies. The lotus pond is exquisite, but if you are in the first few rows of the orchestra, you will have a hard time seeing some of the groundwork through the leaves and flowers.

However, if you are far back, be sure to bring your opera glasses or binoculars because you won't want to miss the smallest movements, especially in the Goddess of the Xiang River section. The goddess moves like a Balinese dancer and her fingers arch and quiver with more emotion than most people can pack into their entire bodies.

"We're all about details," Lin said, smiling, as he headed back into the theater for a final check on the lighting of the last scene.
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