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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