“As a dance choreographer, performing is a demanding business,” Lin said. “But it is really special for me to be able to showcase my work in Taiwan.”
According to organizers, the 50-year-old expat, who doubles as Darmstadt’s art director, has worked and lived in Europe for more than 30 years. “The large-scale production will demonstrate the fruit of Lin’s arduous overseas work for the past decades,” they said.
Lin was trained at Yilan County’s renowned Lan Yang Dancers, which was founded by Italian Roman Catholic missionary Giancarlo Michelini in 1966. Lin pursued further studies in Rome, and later became a student of legendary German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch.
Prior to taking up her position with Darmstadt in 2005, Lin was the art director for Germany’s Theater Dortmund. In 2006, she won that nation’s prestigious Artist of the Year accolade.
Despite such achievements, Lin said her thoughts often turned to her island home and its abundance of dancing talent. “Although I was away from Taiwan for many years, I never forgot the place where I was born and bred,” she said. “I know there are many excellent dancers from Taiwan and when I saw them appearing on the international stage, I was always proud.”
Lin said that “Swan Song” is based on Belgian poet George Rodenbach’s novel “Bruges-la-Morte,” which describes how a widowed man exchanges melancholy for passion after seeing a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to his wife in the city of Bruges. The piece won critical acclaim after its premiere in Germany last November.
The choreographer’s forthcoming work, titled “Violett, Lila, PurPur,” is based on Taiwan novelist Li Ang’s “The Blood Sacrifice of Make-up.” The book combines homosexuality and the February 28 Incident in an allegory on nation-building.
Lin said she first started toying with the idea of transforming Li’s novel into dance two years ago. “I left Taiwan when I was a teenager and talk of the February 28 Incident was still taboo. Li’s language inspired me, as did the female characters she wrote about during that time.” (PCT-JSM)