Just over a year ago Lin Wen-chung (林文中) called time on his “Small” series for his eponymous troupe, WCdance (林文中舞團), after creating six dances that kept his dancers confined to small areas, feeling it was time to explore new choreographic horizons.
Having gained praise for his minimalist, sparse works, Lin wanted to spread his wings and his dancers’ reach.
This weekend Lin is unveiling his newest work, Long River (長河), at the Shuiyuan (Wellspring) Theater (台北市水源劇場) in Taipei, though he turned for inspiration to a subject that he has explored before.
Photo Courtesy of WCdance
He told the Taipei Times in an e-mail that this is his third piece about water since he returned to Taiwan in late 2007. In 2009 he did Reflections on a Lake (湖映/葉落) for the Taipei Folk Dance Theater (台北民族舞團) and in 2012, he did Small River (reversed) (水淌河小) with his own company. Both works employ traditional Taiwanese music.
“For me, the fluid image in the theater is very oriental; it is about finding the root of my mother culture,” Lin said. He added the image also reminds him of the “folk dance and imagination about ideal female beauty” inspired by his mother and Taipei Folk Dance Theater founder Tsai Li-hua (蔡麗華).
“So this time, I did a full-length piece about water... I called it Long River because I hope this river style will lead WCdance to a new era... Long River is the river of breath, movements and WCdance,” he said.
Lin said the piece continues an exploration he began with last October’s Small End (小.結), on what he calls “floating body joints” and extending the lines of the body and movement. He is also working to develop a style that emphasizes breathing and movement techniques together.
The Shuiyuan Theater is also a new venue for the company, a bigger black box site than the Experimental Theater where the troupe usually performs in Taipei.
Lin said he used the full performance area, with the seven dancers, after a somewhat slow beginning, traveling fast and wild across the space, much like a river that ambles peacefully before breaking free to run wild through canyons.
For the score, Lin turned to Lee Shih-yang (李世揚) and his Ka Dao Yin (卡到音即興樂團) quartet, which was founded a year after Lin launched WCdance.
Long River runs just over an hour and there is no intermission. After this weekend’s shows, the company travels to Hsinchu and Greater Kaohsiung for two more performances.
For the four shows in Taipei, WCdance is following the trend set by some other dance troupes of offering a small number of NT$3,000 tickets that include the price of admission and a donation to the company. Otherwise the tickets are NT$600 and NT$800 for this weekend’s shows, and NT$400 and NT$500 for the other two.
Performance Notes
What: Long River
When: Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
Where: Taipei City Shuiyuan Theater (台北市水源劇場), 10F, 92, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段92號10樓)
Admission: NT$600 to NT$3,000; available at NTCH box offices, online at www.artsticket.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon and other convenience store kiosks.
Additional Performances
Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30pm Hsinchu Municipal Performance Hall (新竹市文化局演藝廳) at 16, Dongda Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號), tickets NT$300 to 500; Nov. 1 at 7:30pm Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市五福一路67號); tickets are NT$400 and NT$500.
Admission: Available online at www.artsticket.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon and other convenience store kiosks
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