Two research-oriented, technology-heavy programs are on offer for modern dance fans in Taipei this weekend: Huang Yi Studio’s (黃翊工作室) “Interdisciplinary Project Preview” (科技創作計畫 藝文贊助專場) and Su Wen-chi’s (蘇文琪) Unconditional Love and Fact (全然的愛與真實).
Choreographer/dancer Huang Yi (黃翊) and his troupe have been touring abroad over the past two years with Huang Yi & KUKA (黃翊與庫卡) and he said he is often asked when they will perform again in Taiwan. The answer is next year, when his new work, Under the Horizon, is scheduled to be presented as part of the opening season of the Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林).
To wet fans’ appetite, and more importantly, to raise money to complete the show, he and his team will be at the Cloud Gate Theater in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) tomorrow with a preview of the piece, a collaboration with the Utrecht-based Nederlands Kamerkoor (Netherlands Chamber Choir) and Berlin-based Japanese multi-media artist Ryoichi Kurokawa.
Photo: courtesy of Huang Yi Studio
Huang Yi said Under the Horizon was inspired by the man who worked as his technical director when the company performed in Switzerland. Although the man is not wealthy, he adopted a 14-year old pregnant Syrian refugee — doing what he could to help change the world.
Huang Yi said he was also touched by the subtle kindness of his tour director in Switzerland: when it came to mealtimes, the technical director would always order the cheapest thing on the menu to save money, while the tour director would always order too much food before saying she was full and giving most of her meal to the technical director.
This made him ask himself what he could do to help, Huang Yi said, and his answer was to create a show about the suffering of victims of war and about caring for others.
Photo: courtesy of Lin I-fang
Meanwhile, Su is back at the National Theater Concert Hall, where she has been artist-in-residence, for four performances in the Experimental Theater.
YiLab (一當代舞團) founder Su said she was inspired to create Unconditional Love and Fact by her artistic residency last year at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which triggered questions about scientists, research, skepticism, beliefs and acceptance.
She says she was impressed with the scientists’ unlimited imagination as well as their skepticism. It made her wonder what makes humans believe in something, or anything, including love, and the difficulty of determining facts and the truth.
Su created Unconditional Love and Fact with Lin I-fang (林怡芳), a Taiwanese dancer who is based in Montpellier, France.
There is a program advisory that latecomers will not be admitted and there will be partial nudity, smoke effects and loud voices.
■ “Interdisciplinary Project Preview,” tomorrow at 3pm and 7:30pm at the Cloud Gate Theater (淡水雲門劇場), 36, Ln 6, Zhongzheng Rd Sec 1, Tamsui District, New Taipei City (新北市淡水區中正路一段6巷36號). As the shows are a fundraiser, the tickets are NT$1,000, NT$3,000, NT$5,000 and NT$10,000.
■ Unconditional Love and Fact is at the Experimental Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場), 21-1 Zhongshan N Rd, Taipei City (台北市中山南路21-1號) tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm. Tickets are NT$600. Sunday’s show is sold out.
■ Tickets for both shows are available online at www.artsticket.com.tw, convenience store ticketing kiosks and at NTCH box offices
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