For the Chang Dance Theater (長弓舞蹈劇場), dance is a family business.
The company was founded by Chang Chien-hao (張堅豪), just two years after he graduated from Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA, 國立臺北藝術大學). In between graduation and starting the troupe, Chang saw a bit of the world, having won a grant to the American Dance Festival for the summer of 2009 and then working with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in New York and spending a few months in France.
Chang Chien-chih (張堅志) and Chang Chien-kuei (張堅貴), who followed their elder brother to TNUA, joined the company after their own graduations, although they continue to work on their own outside projects.
Courtesy of Chang Dance Theater
Having three brothers all studying dance at the same university is pretty unusual, but yet another brother is in the TNUA pipeline. Like Chien-hao, the youngest was accepted to TNUA’s high school/pre-college program, and he is now working on a bachelors’ degree in the dance department — where is he likely to run into Chien-chih, who is pursuing a masters’ in choreography.
Older brother Chang Chien-hao turned the reins for this weekend’s production at the Experimental Theater in Taipei over to his middle brothers, who are listed as both choreographers and dancers for the aptly named Brothers (堅).
Chien-chih made an impression on this reviewer when he danced with Horse Dance Company (驫舞劇場) in Growing Up (正在長高) in 2009, while Chang Chien-kuei created a memorable Harmony Symphony (諧.奏) for the Kaohsiung City Ballet’s (KCB, 高雄城市芭蕾舞團 ) 2011 Dance Shoe production.
Tsai Po-chen (蔡博丞), who has created works for the KCB’s Dance Shoe productions, also contributed some choreography.
The company says Brothers combines life science, technology and “magic” and promises that a combination of multi-media imagery will help the dancers transcend time and space, while keeping the audience guessing about where reality and imagination intersect.
The company won good reviews for its show at the Theatre aux Abbessess in Paris in October last year — with Three for One by Chien-hao, a duet by Chien-kuei titled Compose and Chien-chih’s Vaulting — so it will be interesting to see what they have come up with this year
Following this weekend’s shows, the troupe will take Brothers to the Chien-chih and Chien-kuei’s alma mater in Greater Kaohsiung, the Kaohsiung Tsoying Senior High School, for three performances starting on Oct. 8.
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