The Stuttgart Ballet performed at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei in 1984, and in the audience was a young ballet dancer from Kaohsiung, who was studying in Taipei.
Flash forward 35 years, and Art Wave, the company founded by Wang Tzer-shing (王澤馨) and her husband, Chat Tzongue (謝宗益), are bringing the Stuttgart back to Taiwan for two performances of John Cranko’s renowned interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) next weekend.
“I was so thrilled and touched,” Wang said about the first time she saw the company, “even now when I think about it, all the great memories come back.”
Photo courtesy of Stuttgart Ballet
Wang and Chat produce the annual International Ballet Stars galas in Taipei, which bring top principals and soloists from the world’s best ballet companies, including the Stuttgart’s Friedemann Vogel and Alicia Amatriain, who both have made frequent appearances.
They have also brought the Universal Ballet (2011 and 2012), the American Ballet Theater (2012), the Staatsballett Berlin (2013) and three Sylvie Guillem shows to the National Theater in Taipei.
So while they know all about the logistics of bringing a major ballet company to Taiwan, arranging two shows in Kaohsiung from their home in Taipei is daunting even with their years of experience.
The Stuttgart is bringing 125 people, including crew; there are 22 Taiwanese to organize for non-dancing roles, rehearsals have to be coordinated for the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra's (高雄市交響樂團) 74 musicians and a master class for local ballet students with Stuttgart members has been arranged, not to mention clearing through customs the three 40-foot containers of sets and costumes for the show that arrived at Port of Kaohsiung at the beginning of the week.
One thing that Wang has learned to cope with in the years of producing galas in Taipei, Taichung and Singapore is that there are almost always last-minute hiccups and casting changes. That has proved true again on Tuesday, but for the best of all reasons.
Stuttgart announced on its Web site that Amatriain and her American partner, soloist Alexander McGowan, are expecting their first baby, and Wang was notified that the Spanish-born ballerina would not be making the trip to Kaohsiung, although McGowan would.
Amatriain and Vogel had been scheduled dance the lead roles on Saturday next week, but now he is to partner the company’s other Spanish principal, Elisa Badenes.
On Sunday, Romeo will be danced by David Moore and Juliet by Anna Osadcenko.
South Africa-born Cranko, who was both choregrapher and artistic director for the company for 12 years, put the troupe on world map with his elaborate story ballets, including another of Shakespeare’s works, The Taming of the Shrew, along with Oneign, Carmen, Poeme de l’Extase and Traces.
He created Romeo and Juliet, set to Serge Prokofiev’s wonderful score, in 1962 for Brazilian ballerina Marcia Haydee, who had joined the company the previous year and soon became his muse, and Ray Barra.
While Cranko choreographed several memorable variations and duets for his two leads, the ballet is packed with star turns — and swordfights — for those dancing the roles of Mercutio and Tybalt, as well as beautiful ensemble scenes that really demonstrate the depth of the company.
Like Cranko’s choreography, the lush costumes and sets by Jurgen Rose have stood the test of time.
Romeo and Juliet is two hours and 40 minutes, including two 20-minute intermissions, so Saturday’s show has an earlier-than-usual start time of 7pm to allow those coming from other parts of Taiwan to make the last Taiwan High Speed Rail trains headed north after the show — and there are many, as the Stuttgart’s production is one not to be missed.
This story has been updated since it was first published to correct the characters for the name of the orchestra.
What was the population of Taiwan when the first Negritos arrived? In 500BC? The 1st century? The 18th? These questions are important, because they can contextualize the number of babies born last month, 6,523, to all the people on Taiwan, indigenous and colonial alike. That figure represents a year on year drop of 3,884 babies, prefiguring total births under 90,000 for the year. It also represents the 26th straight month of deaths exceeding births. Why isn’t this a bigger crisis? Because we don’t experience it. Instead, what we experience is a growing and more diverse population. POPULATION What is Taiwan’s actual population?
After Jurassic Park premiered in 1993, people began to ask if scientists could really bring long-lost species back from extinction, just like in the hit movie. The idea has triggered “de-extinction” debates in several countries, including Taiwan, where the focus has been on the Formosan clouded leopard (designated after 1917 as Neofelis nebulosa brachyura). National Taiwan Museum’s (NTM) Web site describes the Formosan clouded leopard as “a subspecies endemic to Taiwan…it reaches a body length of 0.6m to 1.2m and tail length of 0.7m to 0.9m and weighs between 15kg and 30kg. It is entirely covered with beautiful cloud-like spots
For the past five years, Sammy Jou (周祥敏) has climbed Kinmen’s highest peak, Taiwu Mountain (太武山) at 6am before heading to work. In the winter, it’s dark when he sets out but even at this hour, other climbers are already coming down the mountain. All of this is a big change from Jou’s childhood during the Martial Law period, when the military requisitioned the mountain for strategic purposes and most of it was off-limits. Back then, only two mountain trails were open, and they were open only during special occasions, such as for prayers to one’s ancestors during Lunar New Year.
March 23 to March 29 Kao Chang (高長) set strict rules for his descendants: women were to learn music or cooking, and the men medicine or theology. No matter what life path they chose, they were to use their skills in service of the Presbyterian Church and society. As a result, musical ability — particularly in Western instruments — was almost expected among the Kao women, and even those who married into the family often had musical training. Although the men did not typically play instruments, they played a supporting role, helping to organize music programs such as children’s orchestras, writes
RSS