They are in search of perfection. That is perhaps not a totally original claim for an actor or a dramatic group, but the way the U Theater (優劇場) goes about it is unusual to say the least. For the members of the group, performance is a way of life, a state of being, a type of existence that distances them from the run of the mill life that surrounds them. Even at the time of their first major performance work, The Sound of Ocean (聽海之心), they had the air and even the trappings of a religious group, and this has been greatly enhanced in their latest work Meeting with Manjusuri Bodhisattva (金剛心), elements of which have been performed under different titles over the last year.
"This is the complete version," said Liu Ching-ming (
PHOTO COURTESY OF U THEATER
"The Sound of Ocean took about three years to get right," Liu said, "but now it is continually in demand at venues around the world. It has become something that is imperishable." The aim for Meeting is the same: an imperishable work. This is not as improbable or arrogant as it might at first sound, largely because U Theater is on an outward trajectory from the orbit of conventional theater to something akin to religious ritual or spiritual exercises.
Very simply, Meeting "tells the story" of the enlightenment of a bodhisattva. To do this, it uses a combination of dance, chanting and dramatic elements. What there is of a narrative is carried by the physical language of dance, and it is a joy to take in the contrasts of powerful physicality of the martial arts inspired dance of Huang Chih-wen (黃志文) and the humility in the face of some prime mover or godhead that is summoned up by the hypnotic quality of the drumming and chanting.
Standing next to a stupa that has been erected in the main lobby of the National Theater where dancers made obeisance at a press conference last Wednesday to announce the Taipei premiere Lin Yi-ching (
While this sort of thing might smack of gimmickry, the dance itself is undoubtedly highly effective in capturing the attention of the audience. International critics have admired the "military discipline" of the dance, and this is key to what Liu hopes to achieve. "The complexity of the movements, and the need to keep formation all create an enormous centeredness in the dancer. This is a great positive energy," Liu said. It is an energy that the audience can feel, and energy that transcends religious denomination and is part of the reason behind U Theaters enormous popularity.
For Liu, the ability of the dance to establish this centeredness makes the dance "sacred." It is also what attracts the dancers who stay with the group. "Most of the performers in Meeting have been with us at least three years," Liu said. "Some are veterans who have stayed on for seven or eight years. It is the style of life that attracts them. Dancers either last just a short time before moving on, or they stay a long time with us." It is because of this sort of long term commitment that Liu can even aim at achieving imperishable works. But Liu insists that for all its highly religious or spiritual connotations, Meeting remains a work of art. According to Lin Li-heng (
U Theater dancers continue to live and train in their mountaintop retreat in Laochuan Mountain (
Who: U Theater
What: Meeting with Manjusuri Bodhisattva
Where: National Theater, Taipei
When: Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, 7:30pm. Sunday at 2:30pm.
Tickets: NT$300 to NT$1,200.
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