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Peonies are not the only flower in contemporary dance

Pina Bausch. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NTCH

The past year was one of contrasts for Taipei's dance world. There were some great performances by local companies and international troupes and some shows that could have benefited from judicious editing. There were months when Taipei was flooded with so many dancers and companies that it was physically impossible to see them all, even if one had the inclination and resources to try. Then there were weeks when barely anyone moved at all - on stage that is.

Revivals or restagings often edged out new work, not always for the better. Some shows sold out weeks ahead, such as the return of Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal after an absence of more than a decade and Cloud Gate Dance Company's (雲門舞集) revival of Nine Songs (九歌), while other shows, equally as good, had far less expensive tickets go begging.

However, for the first time in several years, there was no premiere of a new work by Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), though Lin and his Cloud Gate companies were kept very busy with tours and performances at home and abroad.

One notable development this year was the return of a handful of Taiwanese dancers who have carved out professional careers in New York City or Europe. Some came back for just a few weeks, using their annual leaves for work-holidays. Others are back in Taipei for good, in terms of a home base.

These career shifts have proven inspiring for local dancers and audiences alike and offer hope of even better things to come. The returnees include 30-year old choreographer/dancer Sun Shang-chi (孫尚綺), a senior dancer with the Nuremburg Dance Theater in Germany; 34-year old choreographer Lin Wen-chung (林文中), formerly of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zance Dance Company; and the incredible Sheu Fang-yi (許芳宜), former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, whose two-month fellowship at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City over the summer was feverishly chronicled in the local Chinese-language media.

While Sheu did not actually appear on stage in Taipei as a dancer this year, she seemed to be everywhere else - giving pre-show talks at the National Theater and holding master classes and discussion groups with dance students at high schools nationwide - before her sojourn at the Baryshnikov center. Since her return to Taipei in September, she has been busy preparing for a new show by her LAFA company, which opens at the Novel Hall next month.

A show that could have done with some editing was M-Dan's (驫舞劇場, or Horse as they are now calling themselves) Velocity (速度). It appears to be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth as the company operates as a collective, with each member having equal say. Sometimes you do need to have someone who can say "No."

Horse has great potential but limited finances reined its operations this year. Hopefully, the guys will get a boost from their appearance at the Joyce Theater in New York next year. They were invited to appear at the Joyce by company member Chen Wu-kang's (陳武康) old boss and mentor, Elliot Feld.

One dancer/choreographer who got a big boost from his ex-boss this year was former Cloud Gate dancer Cheng Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍), who proved he has lost nothing of his form even as his skill as a choreographer grows. Lin Hwai-min tapped Cheng to be part of the Men Dancing series at the Novel Hall in May and Cheng's Tete-beche did not disappoint. Cheng asked Chen to dance with him and the two were a delight to watch.

While the men of Taiwan's dance world had their eyes firmly fixed on the future, many of the women were looking to the past this year - at least for inspiration.

The Peony Pavilion, or Mudanting (牡丹亭), and its main character Du Li-niang (杜麗娘) proved fertile ground for the Kaoshiung City Ballet (高雄城市芭蕾舞團), the Water Reflection Dance Ensemble and its founder/choreographer Tan Hui-chen (譚惠貞) and dancer/choreographer Lin Hsiang-hsiu (林向秀) and her Lin HH Dance Company (林向秀舞團). But while the inspiration was the same, the viewpoints and results were very different. Let's hope that next year peonies will not prove to be everyone's favorite flower.
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