Two Taiwan art troupes are showcasing the country’s rich creative performance pedigree Jan. 14-15 at the Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia in New York, spotlighting the vibrancy of the nation’s performing arts landscape, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Co-staged by the Taipei Cultural Center in New York under the MOC and the U.S.-based Japan Society, the event’s lineup comprises Horse and Incandescence Dance.
The solo piece “FreeSteps-NiNi” was created by Su Wei-chia, the Horse’s founder and choreographer, and performed by Fang Yu-ting. On the stage, the performer dances under street lights in the city while stretching out and curling up her body depending on the surrounding stimuli. It is also part of Su’s ten-year project starting 2013 to explore the relationship between contours, movement, characters, rhythm, music and light.
Equally noteworthy is Incandescence’s “Touchdown.” Presented by mathematician-turned-choreographer Cheng Hao, the piece debuted in 2019 and uses quantum physics as an analogy for life in its portrayal of the choreographer’s personal struggles and breakthroughs.
According to the TCC in New York Director Chang Hui-chun, the center is committed to continuing to promote international cultural exchange in the face of the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Launched in 2008, the festival is aimed at introducing performers from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to U.S. audiences. This year’s edition also forms a part of the Japan Society’s 2021-2022 Performing Arts Season. (YCH-E)
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