From popular music to contemporary dance, Taiwan has seen a year of eclectic performances, some miss and some hit
BY TAIPEI TIMES STAFF
The indie scene [ FULL STORY ]

By Ho Yi
We have witnessed a welcomed diversity both of form and content in Taiwanese cinema over the past year as young commercial directors and emerging auteurs handed in new works catering to moviegoers of different tastes. At the commercial end of the spectrum was Jay Chou's (周杰倫) box-office success Secret (不能說的祕密) featuring the Mando-pop king himself. Exit No. 6 (六號出口) by up-and-coming filmmaker Lin Yu-hsien (林育賢) spiced up the commercial cinema with its genre-mixing storytelling about the adventure of a group of young people living in Taipei's Ximending district. Further down the line were Spider Lilies (刺青), a melodrama about lesbian love by Zero Chou (周美玲), which picked up an award in Berlin, and Lin Jing-jie's (林靖傑) Venice-winning directorial debut The Most Distant Course (最遙遠的距離). At the art house end of the spectrum was director Tsai Ming-liang's (蔡明亮) ninth film, I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (黑眼圈), an ambitious work which made it into the Taipei Times' top five films of the year, despite being slammed by last year's Golden Horse jury as self-indulgent.

[ FULL STORY ]

COMPILED BY Ho Yi and Ian Bartholomew
Sex, drugs and wardrobe malfunctions [ FULL STORY ]

By Ron Brownlow
If you want to have your fingers on the pulse of the new year's underground music scene - and don't mind a beer or five while conducting your research - you could do worse than hang out at Underworld (地下社會). Sure, the basement bar/live music club can be a bit smoky and is kind of shopworn, but you'll meet some interesting people and, if you hang out late enough, get to know the members of one of this year's best new bands.

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By Bradley Winterton
I managed to miss some of the best things in classical music in 2007, I'm told. The year was dominated by the departure in the summer from the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) leadership of Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), but one of its highlights was the production of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, imported from Germany's Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, that Chien conducted. Everyone I spoke to agreed it was a ravishing occasion, both visually and musically, and a fitting conclusion to Chien's six years at the helm.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Noah Buchan and Ian Bartholomew
It has been a big year for the traditional arts in Taiwan, not least due to the efforts of the Contemporary Legend Theater (當代傳奇劇場, CLT). Under the direction of Beijing opera innovator Wu Hsing-kuo (吳興國), the group has, since its inception, taken a bold path in its efforts to give the centuries-old Chinese artistic tradition relevance to the modern world. This year they released two major new shows: 108 Heroes (水滸108) in October and The Butterfly Dream (夢蝶) this month.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Susan Kendzulak
It's the end of the year and the Taipei Times looks back at some great art moments and peers into its crystal ball to predict five up-and-coming artists/trends to watch out for. In keeping with the festive season, we'll count down like it's New Year's Eve:

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By Diane Baker
The past year was one of contrasts for Taipei's dance world. There were some great performances by local companies and international troupes and some shows that could have benefited from judicious editing. There were months when Taipei was flooded with so many dancers and companies that it was physically impossible to see them all, even if one had the inclination and resources to try. Then there were weeks when barely anyone moved at all - on stage that is.

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