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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