Theater
Zen drumming troupe U-Theatre’s (優人神鼓) latest production, Beyond Time (時間之外), combines the company’s famed drumming and martial-arts inspired movements, Gurdjieff-based sacred dance, chanting and multi-media projections to portray an inner state of harmony with nature.
■ National Theater, Taipei City
Photo Courtesy of U-Theatre
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH box offices or online at www.artsticket.com.tw or 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
■ Additional Performances on Dec. 10 at 7:30pm at Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心演藝廳), 265, Jianguo Rd Sec 2, Minsyong Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號); Dec. 16 and 17 at 7:30pm at Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Syueshih Rd, Greater Taichung (台中市學士路98號) and Dec. 23 and 24 at 7:30pm at Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung, (高雄市五福一路67號). Tickets NT400 to 2,500; available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw or 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Photo Courtesy of MNA
Organized by the NTCH and the National Culture and Arts Foundation (國家文化藝術基金會), the 2011 Young Stars, New Vision series features two theatrical works by up-and-coming directors Chen Shih-ying (陳仕瑛) and Huang Chen-yu (黃丞渝). Chen’s Put Down Roots at 30 (三十而立) is a local rendition of Heart’s Desire by British playwright Caryl Churchill. Huang’s My Dear Ting Monster (小壞物) is based on the Greek tragedy Medea.
■ Experimental Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Vast Desert, Solitary Smoke Rises Straight, Op. 115 (大漠孤煙直) by Liu Feng-shueh (劉鳳學) and her Neo-Classic Dance Company (新古典舞團) is an ambitious attempt to perform the works of classical Chinese poets such as Wang Wei (王維).
■ Hongshulin Theater (紅樹林劇場), 15F, 29, Jhongjheng E Rd Sec 2, Tamsui Dist, New Taipei City (新北市淡水區中正東路二段29號15樓)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
For The Impossible Times (渭水春風), the newest installment of All Musical Theatre Company’s (音樂時代劇場) Taiwan Musical Trilogy, the group collaborated with Flux Waves Dance Theater (流浪舞蹈劇場) and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra to tell the life story of Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), an important figure in the resistance movement against Japanese colonial rule. The company will hold two free performances in Taichung this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China.
■ Taichung City Fulfillment Amphitheatre (台中圓滿戶外劇場), 289, Wensin Rd Sec 1, Greater Taichung (台中市文心路一段289號). Call (02) 2388-3080 for details
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Free admission
The dance collective Horse (驫舞劇場) has teamed up with French sound artist Yannick Dauby and his friends from Volume-Collectif for an ambitious three-weekend audio-visual installation and dance project at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914). In Successor (繼承者), Horse’s dancers perform a different show each weekend, while Dauby and team create an interactive soundscape for them to dance to and interact with. A pre-recorded sound installation is open during the days that performances are held.
■ Tonight through Nov. 27 on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30pm
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Taipei
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing, online at www.artsticket.com.tw, at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks or at the door
■ The environmental landscape installation is open from 10am to 5pm and runs through Nov. 27 on show days. Admission is NT$100; available as above
Classical music
Berliner Philharmoniker — The Lord of the Orchestras (柏林愛樂交響樂團‧王者之聲) brings what many regard as one of the world’s greatest orchestras to Taipei for a concert under their conductor, Simon Rattle. The program includes Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, Hosokawa’s Concerto for Horn and Orchestra — Moment of Blossoming featuring soloist Stefan Dohr, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$3,600 to NT$10,000; available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
TSO & Wildner (交叉昇華運動) sees the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (台北市立交響樂團) perform a program that includes Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 in A Major under the baton of guest conductor Johannes Wildner.
■ Wednesday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500; available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight, it’s indie pop group The Girl and the Robots (女孩與機器人). Tomorrow’s show featuring Waa Wei (魏如萱) is already sold out. The indie-pop chanteuse, who is promoting a new album, also performs on Sunday, and tickets are still available as of press time. On Wednesday, it’s a night of indie rock and punk, with the ever-popular Touming Magazine (透明雜誌), Children Sucker (表兒), Wayne’s So Sad (傷心欲絕) and Under the Moon all set to take to the stage.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ NT$700 tonight, sold out tomorrow, NT$1,000 (NT$800 in advance) on Sunday and NT$500 on Wednesday (NT$400 in advance). Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw, or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks.
Tonight The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, hosts Mando-pop singer Hsiao Hung-jen (蕭閎仁). Japanese visual kei band ViViD takes to the stage tomorrow night and Sunday. On Wednesday, the venue hosts emo-rockers The Looking Glass, shoegazer band Nuin 8 (扭音八) and indie-electronica group Miss Banana.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ All shows start at 8pm
■ NT$500 tonight, NT$1,700 tomorrow (NT$1,500 in advance) and Sunday and NT$400 on Wednesday (NT$300 in advance). Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts singer-songwriter Iris Lin (林綾). Tomorrow night fingerstyle guitarist Su-jer takes to the stage, followed by indie rock group Pink Haze. On Thursday, it’s the JCK Jazz Trio.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games, open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300
Expat indie rockers Mr Dirty and Japanese experimental rock group Pororocks take to the stage tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Tomorrow shoegazer band Doodle shares the bill with psychedelic rockers Sleaze (湯湯水水). Later on, DJs Spykee Fat and Randy perform at a party hosted by the hostel The Cat’s Pajamas.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Shows run from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink. Entrance for Wednesday shows is NT$100.
Tonight Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) hosts RAY Band (雷樂隊), a trio of veteran session musicians who play power-rock originals and covers. Tomorrow, Mando-pop singers GJ (蔣卓嘉) and Freya Lim (林凡) take to the stage, and on Sunday it’s indie rock upstarts Music of Imagination and Marshes. Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts tonight at 9:30pm, 9pm on all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tonight, NT$350 tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館) hosts pop-rock band What Century (花世紀) and pop performer Stanley (史丹利). Japanese blues guitarist Shun Kikuta is among a list of performers playing at a party hosted by the Worship and Praise Church tomorrow. On Sunday, the venue hosts an event called “We Are One,” which is touring cities across Taiwan to promote “concern for the land.” There will be performances by Mando-pop artists Angie (李愛綺), Ricky Hsiao (蕭煌奇) and Color Band.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$400 tonight, free tomorrow night and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
The Yellow Lighter Dogma performs fusion and avant-garde jazz tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow Blues Vibrations play psychedelic rock and blues. On Tuesday, the Sappho House Band leads an open jam, Electric Mess Age (電子混亂世代) plays funk and acid jazz on Wednesday, and JT’s Trio performs on Thursday.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 10pm. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow, free other nights
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday. Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs on Thursdays.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Italian restaurant Capone’s hosts pop rock band Mary Jane and Her Quartet every Friday. Tomorrow, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. On Wednesday nights, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas and bassist Rick Taira.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
Tomorrow, The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts indie rock trio Fuguko (河豚子), composed of former members of Orange Doll (橘娃娃) and 2 Hrs.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$200, which includes one drink
Last week Joseph Nye, the well-known China scholar, wrote on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s website about how war over Taiwan might be averted. He noted that years ago he was on a team that met with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “whose previous ‘unofficial’ visit to the US had caused a crisis in which China fired missiles into the sea and the US deployed carriers off the coast of Taiwan.” Yes, that’s right, mighty Chen caused that crisis all by himself. Neither the US nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exercised any agency. Nye then nostalgically invoked the comical specter
April 15 to April 21 Yang Kui (楊逵) was horrified as he drove past trucks, oxcarts and trolleys loaded with coffins on his way to Tuntzechiao (屯子腳), which he heard had been completely destroyed. The friend he came to check on was safe, but most residents were suffering in the town hit the hardest by the 7.1-magnitude Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake on April 21, 1935. It remains the deadliest in Taiwan’s recorded history, claiming around 3,300 lives and injuring nearly 12,000. The disaster completely flattened roughly 18,000 houses and damaged countless more. The social activist and
Over the course of former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) 11-day trip to China that included a meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping (習近平) a surprising number of people commented that the former president was now “irrelevant.” Upon reflection, it became apparent that these comments were coming from pro-Taiwan, pan-green supporters and they were expressing what they hoped was the case, rather than the reality. Ma’s ideology is so pro-China (read: deep blue) and controversial that many in his own Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hope he retires quickly, or at least refrains from speaking on some subjects. Regardless
Approaching her mid-30s, Xiong Yidan reckons that most of her friends are on to their second or even third babies. But Xiong has more than a dozen. There is Lucky, the street dog from Bangkok who jumped into a taxi with her and never left. There is Sophie and Ben, sibling geese, who honk from morning to night. Boop and Pan, both goats, are romantically involved. Dumpling the hedgehog enjoys a belly rub from time to time. The list goes on. Xiong nurtures her brood from her 8,000 square meter farm in Chiang Dao, a mountainous district in northern Thailand’s