Theater
Political Mother is Israel-born, UK-based choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter’s rigorous commentary on war, servitude and freedom. The work will be performed by 10 dancers from the Hofesh Shechter Company to Shechter’s emotionally charged score.
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
For Not Dance 2 (非關舞蹈貳), Sun Chuo-tai (孫梲泰), the founder and artistic director of 8213 Physical Dance Theater (8213肢體舞蹈劇場), invited six up-and-coming choreographers and dancers to create six solo works. Participants include Taiwan’s Chan Tien-chen (詹天甄) and Chu Hsing-lang (朱星朗), as well as Casey Avaunt from the US.
■ Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Fan Jiang Long, Son of Heaven (天子翻江龍) is a Taiwanese operatic work that tells a tale of court intrigue and a missing prince. The original production was created and will be performed by the Ming Hwa Yuan Sun Troupe (明華園日字戲劇團), one of the eight companies that form the Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group (明華園戲劇總團).
■ Dadaocheng Theater (大稻埕戲苑), 9F, 21, Dihua St Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市迪化街一段21號9樓)
■ Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Inspired by Jean Genet’s Les Bonnes (1947) and Eugene Ionesco’s La Lecon (1951), La Lecon des Bonnes (雙婢怨), by the Snow White Entertaining Troupe (白雪綜藝劇團), is a dark comedy that centers on two maids and two starlets. The cast includes theater veteran Hu Hsiu-wei (胡修維), whose drag persona is Hu BB (胡BB), and female entertainers Hu Ying-chen (胡盈禎) and Jane Lee (李佩甄).
■ The Red House Theater (西門紅樓), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Tuesdays With Morrie, Godot Theatre Company’s (果陀劇場) newest production, is the stage adaptation of US author Mitch Albom’s 1997 memoir. In the best-selling work, Albom recounts the lessons he learned from visiting his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal disease caused by the degeneration of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The cast is led by actor Chin Shih-chieh (金士傑) in the role of Morrie.
■ Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Syueshih Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
■ Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$1,200 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Memorial Concert for Japan’s March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami (日本311週年追思音樂會) is a concert organized by the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and the Interchange Association, Japan (財團法人交流協會) to commemorate the devastating natural disaster that hit Japan in March last year. The first part of the program will present Kenji Miyazawa’s Place Heart on the Songs with the orchestra, piano soloist Yoko Mikami and the Iwate University Choir performing under the baton of guest conductor Masatoshi Sasaki. In the second part of the program, Gernot Schmalfuss will conduct the orchestra and soprano Grace Lin (林慈音) and alto Fen Ting-yu (范婷玉) in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.”
■ Tuesday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing, 7-Eleven ibon and FamiPort kiosks and online at www.ticket.com.tw
NTSO Features V — Ito-dama (NTSO特選經典V — 弦魂) sees the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (國立台灣交響樂團) performing with guest conductor Fusao Kajima and Shinichi Kinoshita, a virtuoso performer on the traditional Japanese Tsugaru shamisen. The program includes the Taiwan premiere of Kaoru Wada’s Tsugaru-Shamisen Concerto, “Ito-dama,” as well as Stravinsky’s Danses Concertantes and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 “Scottish.”
■ Saturday at 7:30pm
■ Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yanping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Master of Style Series — Tang Mu-Hai and NCO (NCO風格大師系列—湯沐海與臺灣國家國樂團) sees the hugely influential Chinese conductor Tang Muhai (湯沐海) take the helm with the National Chinese Orchestra (台灣國家國樂團) in a program that includes Yellow Earth by Tan Dun (譚盾), who is probably best known for composing the score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍). The concert features guest soloists Zhu Yibin (朱亦兵) on cello and Wang Shi-rong (王世榮) on pipa (琵琶).
■ Saturday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Saturday’s night’s Black Music Market Anniversary Party (黑市周年私會) features indie rockers My Skin Against Your Skin (激膚樂團), Coconuts (椰子), The Hunger Artist (飢餓藝術家), Echo (回聲樂團), Forget the G and Edney Yang. [See Highlight.]
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Show starts at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 in advance, available from 7-Eleven ibon and FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks and through ERA ticketing and online at www.ticket.com.tw. Admission is NT$500 at the door
Saturday’s Pillars of Balance night at The Wall (這牆) features metal bands Revilement, Masquerade, Ishtar and Desecravity. Sunday night’s lineup includes goth metal groups Frost Tears (冰霜之淚), Crescent Lament and Nocturne Moonrise.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Music shows start at 8pm
■ Entrance fee is NT$500 Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Indie pop group Sugar Pill teams up with Pierre Hujoel (胡月) and Yeah! for tomorrow’s show at Witch House (女巫店). Kenge Lee (吉那罐子) performs Saturday night.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300
Guitar jazz band Dark Eyes (夜幕之眼) plays tomorrow at Riverside Music Cafe (河岸留言). Indie rockers Mary See the Future (先知瑪莉) appear Saturday night with We Save Strawberries (草莓救星). Sunday’s lineup is Sophie Wang (王思佳), Aiko (米可白), Vicky Lin (林秀琴) and Julie (彤彤).
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tomorrow, 9pm Saturday and 8:30pm Sunday. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tomorrow and Saturday and NT$500 Sunday night
Pop/rock idol Bobby Chen (陳昇) and his New Treasure Island Band (新寶島康樂隊) perform tomorrow at Riverside Live House. Vangsaran (部落美男子), a rock band that crafts its lyrics in the language of the Puyuma Aboriginal tribe, will appear Saturday night.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm tomorrow, 8:30pm Saturday
■ Entrance fee is NT$800 or NT$1,500 tomorrow and NT$400 Saturday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse/ and tickets.books.com.tw.
Indie pop band Goosander (川秋沙) and Salamander (沙羅曼蛇) appear tomorrow at Underworld (地下社會). Punk rockers Inhuman (非人物種) and She Bang-a (死蚊子) play Saturday night.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy Hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesdays
Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge and jazz venue, hosts the Minyen Hsieh Quartet tomorrow and Patrick Byrne and ’Round Midnight Saturday.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Music shows begin at 10:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$200
Night Zoo appears at indie rock club Revolver tomorrow. The Agnst.Asia 1th Anniversary party is Saturday night with DJs Sylvian, Lai and Mad Brain in the mix.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$250 tomorrow and NT$300 Satruday
Tomorrow The TAV Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), will host South American fusion jazz band Musa’s Trio. Scott Cook, whose music combines folk, roots, blues, soul and reggae influences, wraps up a tour of Taiwan with a night titled Freemosan Farewell, which takes place Saturday.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377 X207
■ Tomorrow’s show starts at 8pm. Saturday’s performance is from 4pm to 11pm
■ Entrance for both shows is NT$350, which includes one drink
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts live music every Saturday. This weekend, it’s dub reggae band Otaku 3 (三宅一聲) and The Combobulatorz, which play a combo of rocksteady, roots, reggae and folk.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$200, which includes one drink
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Wind Evasion (風迷藏) appears on Saturday night with The Lawns (草地人) and The Loss of Youth (稍縱即逝).
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 7:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$300
Jan. 6 to Jan. 12 Perhaps hoping to gain the blessing of the stone-age hunter-gatherers that dwelt along the east coast 30,000 years ago, visitors to the Baxian Caves (八仙洞) during the 1970s would grab a handful of soil to bring home. In January 1969, the nation was captivated by the excavation of pre-ceramic artifacts and other traces of human habitation in several caves atop a sea cliff in Taitung County. The majority of the unearthed objects were single-faced, unpolished flake tools fashioned from natural pebbles collected by the shore. While archaeologists had found plenty of neolithic (7,000 BC to 1,700
Famed Chinese demographer Yi Fuxian (易富賢) recently wrote for The Diplomat on the effects of a cross-strait war on demography. He contended that one way to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is by putting the demographic issue front and center — last year total births in the PRC, he said, receded to levels not seen since 1762. Yi observes that Taiwan’s current fertility rate is already lower than Ukraine’s — a nation at war that is refusing to send its young into battle — and that its “demographic crisis suggests that Taiwan’s technological importance will rapidly decline, and
When the weather is too cold to enjoy the white beaches and blue waters of Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁), it’s the perfect time to head up into the hills and enjoy a different part of the national park. In the highlands above the bustling beach resorts, a simple set of trails treats visitors to lush forest, rocky peaks, billowing grassland and a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the coast. The rolling hills beyond Hengchun Township (恆春) in Pingtung County offer a two-hour through-hike of sweeping views from the mighty peak of Dajianshih Mountain (大尖石山) to Eluanbi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) on the coast, or
Her greatest fear, dormant for decades, came rushing back in an instant: had she adopted and raised a kidnapped child? Peg Reif’s daughter, adopted from South Korea in the 1980s, had sent her a link to a documentary detailing how the system that made their family was rife with fraud: documents falsified, babies switched, children snatched off the street and sent abroad. Reif wept. She was among more than 120 who contacted The Associated Press this fall, after a series of stories and a documentary made with Frontline exposed how Korea created a baby pipeline, designed to ship children abroad as quickly as
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