In a weekend packed with choices for modern dance fans — eight shows in either Taipei or New Taipei City’s Banciao District alone — it is hard to know which to choose. So how about a show that is all about one of the most important choices a person can make in their lifetime: Who to marry?
Lais Creative Dance Theater (賴翠霜舞創劇場) will be at the Taipei National University of the Arts Dance Theater in Taipei’s Guandu District this weekend to perform Lai Tsui-shuang’s (賴翠霜) latest work, Mambo Rock (曼波搖滾), which is about the search for love and partnership.
Lai’s work, which often revolves around social issues, has been strongly influenced by German choreographer Pina Bausch, thanks to her training at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and decades spent living and working in Germany.
Photo Courtesy of Lais Creative Dance Theater
For her company’s annual production, Lai started by asking if marriages come with a guarantee, if human desires can really be met by a paper contract with just one partner. What happens when fairy tale romance is confronted with the brutal reality of daily life, but society insists that marriage contracts be upheld?
She also compared love to jumping into a duet where the other person might not know the steps yet, or be clumsy and step on your toes a lot.
Mambo Rock premiered in Tainan last weekend and there will be two more performances in New Taipei City and Taichung after this weekend’s four shows at the university.
As for the other dance productions, there are two shows that are part of the third annual Tua-Tiu-Tiann International Festival of Arts (大稻埕國際藝術節), more information on which can be found on the festival’s Web site in English and Chinese (www.tttifa.com); the Justin Dance Theater (賈斯丁身體劇場) will be performing Move & Change: The body move about (二號作品) at the Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre and Century Contemporary Dance Company (世紀當代舞團) is hosting Dream Hatched Theater III (孵夢劇場III-萬有影力) at its studio.
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm; Taipei National University of the Arts Dance Theater (國立臺北藝術大學展演藝術中心戲劇廳), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市關渡區學園路1號)
■ Admission is NT$700; available at NTCH box offices, online at www.artsticket.com.tw, at convenience store ticketing kiosks and at the door.
■ The company will also perform the show at the 35 Art Zone (435藝文特區) in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) on Nov. 4, but the show is already sold out, and on Nov. 24 at Taichung Tun District Art Center (台中市立屯區藝文中心), 201 Dasing Rd, Taichung City (台中市太平區大興路201號), where tickets are NT$500.
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