The Body Expression Dance Theater (BodyEDT, 體相舞蹈劇場) starts at three-cty tour tomorrow night of founder Lee Ming-cheng’s (李名正) terrific Mr.R2.0-Utopia (Mr.R2.0-烏托邦), which debuted at the Experimental Theater in Taipei in August last year.
The hour-long Mr.R2.0-Utopia tells the story of a Mr. R, a rabbit, searching for both his identity and a utopia in modern society only to find a dystopian universe of his own making.
Designer Hsieh Chun-an’s (謝俊安) creative geometric set provides the perfect stage for the six jumpsuit-clad dancers, who scuttle like spiders along diagonal paths on the floor, arch, stretch and collide, appearing and disappearing like creatures out of a nightmare, with a mysterious red glowing pyramid hanging above the fray.
photo Courtesy of BodyEDT
Lee says the dancers are like a microcosm of society, where symbiosis, struggle, obedience, compromise and resistance all come into play, and to survive, some change is necessary, even if it is deforming.
Mr.R2.0-Utopia is a challenging piece, but thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth the trek to Banciao District (板橋) to see the show for the first time — or the second.
■ New Taipei City Arts Center (新北市藝文中心演藝廳), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao District, New Taipei City (新北市板橋區莊敬路62號
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm. Tickets are from NT$300 to NT$700, available through www.artsticket.com.tw, convenience store kiosks and at the door
■ Sept. 24 at 7:30pm at the Taoyuan Performing Arts Center (桃園展演中心), 1188 Jhongjheng Rd, Taoyuan (桃園市中正路1188號), and Oct. 15 at 7:30pm at the Performance Hall of the Hsinchu County Cultural Affairs Bureau (新竹縣文化局演藝廳), 146 Siancheng 9th Rd, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號); tickets for both shows are NT$200, available as above
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