He Lian-hua (賀連華) is a woman who loves to fall in love. Having observed love in different countries throughout the world, she uses her experiences to challenge traditional Taiwanese views on relationships. Her passion for love and romance is equaled by her enthusiasm for dance as a means of expressing it.
Combining dance, theater, song and poetry has been the main focus of Genio Dance Theater (精靈幻舞舞團) since its inception in 2001. I Love U Love Me (我愛你愛我), which takes to the stage at Guling St. Theater (牯嶺街小劇場) beginning tonight, will use the symbols of four different flowers — devil, lily, hatred and rose — to explore the theme of romance, and the way in which people fall in and out of love.
“Using my own experiences and those of my friends, I feel that I can impart something more personal to the audience,” He said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GENIO DANCE THEATER
The first act follows the devil flower (魔鬼花) and is about youth. Based on Lien's experiences of first love, the flower symbolizes reckless passion and desire. Lien draws upon her extensive experience with flamenco and modern dance to illustrate the often violent and impulsive movement of young lovers. Her actions are accompanied by the improvisational sounds of Reiky, a young and talented violinist.
“The devil flower is like the spontaneity and fleetingness of youth. It's like fireworks,” says He.
The second act follows the tribulations of the lily. The flower symbolizes purity and elegance but also lovers who only love for the moment.
The third act — hatred — is a story of two lesbians, and is symbolized by dodder of the morning glory genus (菟絲花) — a parasitic plant that can only exist by clinging to other flowers.
The fourth act returns to the idea of romance through the symbol of the rose (玫瑰花): “The rose is about romance and freedom. It is about true love in the moment. It is about thinking about the feeling that one gets right now. Even if the rose is no longer fresh, there are still many other uses that the rose can be used for, like perfume,” says He. Unlike a withered rose, you can expect this performance to be new and exciting.
At the end of the performance, the audience will be able to write down how they felt the play affected them on a piece of paper. The “experiences” will then be posted at the entrance of the theater.
Performance notes:
What: I Love U Love Me (我愛你愛我)
Where: Guling St Theater, 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
When: Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; Sunday and Monday at 2:30pm
Entrance: NT$500; discount for groups
Information: Call Genio Dance Theater on (02) 2805-8616 or visit www.artsticket.com.tw
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