Theater
With a lineup of more than 170 music, dance and theatrical performances by 30 troupes, Headspring Festival 2012 (匯川藝術節) continues this weekend with acts including a black comedy by Formosa Circus and Echo Lee’s (李昶俊) stand-up comedy gig. The festival’s organizer has constructed a large tent that can house 150 audience members. For more information, visit www.head-spring.com.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ For schedule and ticket information, visit the festival’s Web site or call (02) 2930-0754
Tomorrow and Saturday, Taipei Eye (台北戲棚) presents the Chinese acrobatics and Beijing opera classic The Journey of the Monkey King (西遊記). On Monday and Wednesday, the venue is putting on another operatic favorite, Picking Up the Jade Bracelet (拾玉鐲). Founded in 2004, Taipei Eye is a venue that promotes traditional theater, dance and music shows.
■ Cement Hall of Taiwan Cement Building (台泥大樓士敏廳), 3F, 113, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段113號3樓)
■ Tomorrow, Monday and Wednesday at 8:30pm, Saturday at 8pm
■ Tickets are NT$550 for tomorrow, Monday and Wednesday, NT$880 on Saturday, available through ERA ticketing and online at www.ticket.com.tw
For Entrance (奇幻旅程), Diabolo Dance Theatre (舞鈴劇場) takes audiences on a journey through the eyes of a little girl with its visually opulent, high-energy performance of diabolo, a traditional children’s game, and Chinese acrobatics. The show runs through the end of March.
■ Expo Hall at Taipei Expo Park (花博公園舞蝶館), located at the intersection of Zhongshan North Road (中山北路) and Minzu East Road (民族東路) in Taipei City
■ Tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Event
Intended to provide a platform for creative industry workers in Kaohsiung, the two-month long 2011 Kaohsiung Design Festival (2011高雄設計節) features a series of exhibitions, lectures and forums divided into six categories. Highlights include an art exhibition and a design fair featuring 42 local brands. The festival runs through Feb. 28. For more information, visit www.designer.org.tw/event/2011/kdf
■ Pier 2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區), 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號)
■ The festival opens Monday to Thursday from 10am to 6pm and Friday to Sunday and national holidays from 10am to 8pm
■ Tickets are NT$99, available at the door and from 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks and Hi-Life (萊爾富) Life-ET kiosks. Free admission for people with disabilities and children under 80cm
Classical music
2012 Formosa Choral Carnival Presents the World Vision Korean Children’s Choir (福爾摩沙合唱嘉年華 ─ 世界展望會韓國兒童合唱團) sees the renowned choir and pianist Kim Changeun performing under conductor Kim Heechurl. The program includes religious music and a selection of Korean folk songs and dances arranged by Kim Heejo.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm (Taipei) and Saturday at 7:30pm (Hsinchu)
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City and Hsinchu Municipal Performance Hall (新竹市立演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號)
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,000 for Taipei and NT$300 to NT$800 for Hsinchu, available through NTCH ticketing and 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. Indie-folk singer-songwriter Zulin Wu (吳志寧) takes to the stage on Saturday, while on Sunday, boy band D.C.W. (東城衛) performs a concert titled Before the Revolution. On Wednesday, the venue hosts its regular showcase of up-and-coming bands. The lineup includes punk rockers We Are So Sad (傷心欲絕), noisy experimental rock group The Sign of Human (記號士), electronica outfit Morning Call (輕晨電), indie folk trio Hush! and shoegazer band Doodle.
■ 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 on Saturday, 6:30pm on Sunday and 7:30pm on Wednesday
■ NT$600 tonight (NT$500 in advance), NT$700 Sunday (NT$600 in advance) and NT$200 on Wednesday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Tonight The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, hosts an evening of reggae and ska with Skaraoke and High Tide. Dance-rock group Popcorn (爆米花) is also on the bill. Tomorrow it’s nu-metal bands Wavelight (波光折返) and Undersoul and upbeat punks Punkhoo (胖虎樂團). Later on DJs Nobu of Japan and Ness of Italy man the decks for a late-night techno party. No shows are scheduled on Saturday night but on Sunday afternoon, visual kei (a theatrical glam-rock genre from Japan) performer Jun of the group Spiv States makes an appearance. In the evening, local singer-songwriter Yellow Brenda (鄭晴文) teams up with experimental musician Krzysztof Zimmermann.
■ 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
■ Shows start at 8pm (1pm for Jun of Spiv States’ performance on Sunday)
■ NT$400 tonight, NT$500 (NT$400 in advance) tomorrow, NT$1,000 (NT$700) for the dance party tomorrow, NT$900 for Sunday afternoon’s show, NT$500 (NT$400 in advance) on Sunday night. Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts post-punk rock group Manic Sheep and electro-rock band Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱). Tomorrow, it’s singer-songwriter Mayonnaise (美乃滋) and Brother Fifth (搖滾點唱機五哥), a group composed of two fingerstyle guitarists and a drummer, and Hakka singer-songwriter Liu A-chang (劉阿昌).
■ 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
High-energy garage rockers 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) and Posh Inverse (優雅逆轉) take to the stage tomorrow at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. On Saturday, it’s Countervalve (逆瓣膜) and post-rock group Unfit Chair (難坐的椅子). Reggae rock group Hang in the Air (盪在空中) and indie rock vocalist/guitarist Insecteens (昆蟲白) of the post-rock band Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號) perform on Wednesday.
■ 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 is NT$300 on Friday (includes one drink) and NT$500 on Saturday (includes one drink before 11:30pm, two drinks after 11:30pm). Entrance for Wednesday shows
is NT$100
Indie-pop band Za-sh (子安聖皓) and Mando-pop singer Mon Mon (蔡孟臻) perform tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow the venue hosts Japanese blues guitarist Shun Kikuta, a former guitarist for blues legend Koko Taylor. Kikuta will be jamming with the house band and venue owner and jazz guitarist Geddy Lin (林正如). Amis Aboriginal TV show host and singer Ado (阿洛) takes to the stage on Saturday. On Sunday, it’s local gypsy jazz group Dark Eyes. On Wednesday, indie rock bands Love Manana (愛的大未來) and Astro Bunny take to the stage.
■ 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
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight, 9pm all other nights
■ NT$400 every night except Wednesday, which is NT$350. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館) hosts R ’n’ B rock band VF (心室細動), which shares the bill with Aboriginal songstress Jiajia (家家). Tomorrow Canadian-Chinese rockers io open for One Million Star (超級星光大道) alumnus Queen (魏如昀). Mando-pop star Shadya (藍又時) takes to the stage on Saturday.
■ 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 and tomorrow, NT$600 on Saturday (NT$500 in advance). Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which 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, and veteran performer Ann Lang (郎祖筠) on Wednesdays.
■ 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
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Italian restaurant Capone’s, with live music from electric blues band Taipei blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights, and on Wednesdays it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Closed tonight for a private party. Open 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday
■ On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). On Saturday, the venue hosts electro-rock band Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱), fingerpicking acoustic guitar duo Woody Woody and folk rock group Rose and Beef (玫瑰花牛肉).
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ NT$300 on Saturday
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