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Cloud Gate’s Lin chosen for Movimentos award

Famed German choreographer Pina Bausch presents Cloud Gate Dance Theatre founder Lin Hwai-min with a rose after his company’s performance of Wind Shadow on Saturday night at the Wuppertal Schauspielhaus in Germany. PHOTO COURTESY OF WANG SHU-JEN

The International Movimentos Dance Awards jury will honor Cloud Gate Dance Theatre founder and artistic director Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) for his lifetime achievements, the company said yesterday.

Lin is the second winner of the Movimentos lifetime achievement award, the statement said.

The International Movimentos Dance Festival and Awards began in 2004 to honor outstanding dancers and choreographers. It is sponsored by Volkswagen and European TV companies ZDF and Association Relative ala Television Europeenne (ARTE).

The late French choreographer and artistic director Maurice Bejart was given the first lifetime achievement award during the festival’s inaugural event in 2004.

The Movimentos jury, composed of artistic directors of major arts festivals in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden, is honoring Lin for his achievements in deriving the essence of traditional Chinese culture to create masterpieces with a strong sense of modernity that have helped open cultural horizons in Taiwan.

Lin’s achievements have placed him in the top ranks of master choreographers and his modesty and humanitarianism have earned him high esteem in the international dance community, the statement quoted the jury as saying.

Lin, 61, said the award came as a surprise because Europe was a mecca of modern dance and boasted a wealth of dance talent, the company statement said.

Lin will receive the award on the opening night of the second Movimentos Dance Festival to be held at the Volkswagen Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Germany, on May 12, the statement said.

The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre will perform Lin’s White at the festival.

ARTE sent a crew to Taipei last month to interview Lin and film the company’s autumn performances for a program to be broadcast next spring, the company said.

Lin is currently leading his company on a tour of Germany and Greece. The troupe performed Lin’s Wind Shadow at Pina Bausch’s International Dance Festival in Germany last weekend and will perform Moon Water in Athens beginning on Thursday.
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