Theater
The American Ballet Theater will return to Taipei after an absence of 12 years for four days of performances opening tomorrow with a gala performance today, followed by four full-length performances of La Bayadere (The Temple Dancer). The gala evening will include George Balanchine’s 1943 ballet Apollo and Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Divisions, which premiered in New York last year.
■ Today 7:30pm (gala performance); tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ National Theater, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$1,800 to NT$8,000 (for both gala performance and La Bayadere); available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The 2012 International Festival of Dance Academies opens Wednesday (July 18) with performances by groups from Purchase College, New York and the Beijing Dance Academy. The festival, which runs through to July 21, also includes performances by groups from The Queensland University of Technology Creative Industries, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, Kobe College and the University of Auckland.
■ Four performances from July 18 to July 21 at 7:30pm
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tickets are NT$600; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
On Sunday, conductor Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉) will discuss the National Symphony Orchestra’s highly anticipated performances of Madama Butterfly, which starts July 25, as part of the Meet With Maestro Lu series.
■ Sunday at 2pm
■ The National Symphony Orchestra’s third floor recital hall the National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are free for people who have National Symphony Orchestra season passes or supporter cards.
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight is The Next Big Thing (見證大團) featuring acts chosen by users of music networking Web site Streetvoice.com. They are Murky Crows (昏鴉), Zoe Huang (黃玠瑋), Random (隨性) and KoOk (庫克). Sandee Chan (陳珊妮) appears tomorrow as part of Legacy’s series showcasing female singers. Saturday’s show is A Good Day’s Lian-Lian-Kan Festival (風和日麗連連看) with a cross-genre collaboration between rappers Soft Lipa (蛋堡) and singer-songwriter Dadado Huang (黃玠). The Lian-Lian-Kan Festival continues on Sunday with Bear Babes (熊寶貝), Waa Wei (魏如萱), Chen Chien-chi (陳建騏).
■ 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)
■ Shows start at 8pm tonight, tomorrow and Saturday and 4pm Sunday.
■ Tickets are NT$200 tonight, NT$1,000 tomorrow and NT$800 Saturday and Sunday. Tickets available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw and at ibon electronics kiosks at 7-Eleven stores.
Metal bands Black Friday, Pink Noise (粉紅噪音) and Bouncy Mental (包子饅頭) play tonight at The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow night is DJ Crush’s 20th anniversary party, with DJs JJ, Point and Chicano spinning with Messeffect, Chang Jui-chuan (張睿銓) and Endospace (煙花宇宙). Piko, a Japanese singer who rose to fame on video sharing Web site Nico Nico Douga, appears on Saturday. Sunday’s lineup includes metalcore groups Losing Art (漂浮者), Greasy Jelly For Mercy Killing, Morals Abyss(道德深淵) and Zangief.
■ 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 8pm
■ Entrance fee is NT$200 tonight, NT$1,500 tomorrow, NT$1,600 Saturday and NT$500 Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Pianist and singer Issue Chen (陳以岫) and Mornings band (晨裡樂團) perform tonight at Witch House (女巫店) with Dr. Beaver (鬍子醫生). Forest (森林) and Mike Mudd are on tomorrow’s lineup, while Lee Shun (李順) performs on Saturday.
■ 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
Riverside Music Cafe (河岸留言) hosts Atayal rock group Arkmen (阿克曼) and P Ta-san (紋面) tonight. Rockers R.A.Y. Band (雷樂隊) appear tomorrow night. Saturday’s lineup is IGU Band (那我懂你意思了) appearing with Misi Ke (柯泯薰), while All In and The Forest (森林樂園) play on Sunday.
■ 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 9pm tonight, 9:30pm tomorrow night, 9pm Saturday and 9pm Sunday. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site.
■ Entrance fee is NT$350 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow night, NT$400 Saturday and NT$350 Sunday.
Vangsaran (部落美男子), a rock band that performs in the language of the Puyuma Aboriginal tribe, will appear tonight at Riverside Live House in Ximending in support of their latest album. Rock singer Mr Brown (布朗) takes the stage tomorrow night. Saturday night’s performer is Golden Melody award-winning singer-songwriter Huang Shan-liang (荒山亮), who is famous for collaborating with the long-running TV series Pili Puppet Show (霹靂布袋戲). He will perform with the Fung band (丰樂團).
■ 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 8:30pm tonight, 8:30pm tomorrow, 7:30pm Saturday and 8:30pm Sunday.
■ Tickets are NT$400 for tomorrow night’s show, NT$400 on Saturday and NT$450 Sunday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse and tickets.books.com.tw.
It is Underworld’s (地下社會) last weekend at its Shida Rd location. Tonight, it hosts DJ Two Stars and a Half (DJ兩星半). The venue is closed to the public on Friday night. Japan’s Funnynoise (來自日本) appears with OCD Girl (強迫女孩) on Saturday. Underworld’s farewell party on Sunday night will feature top indie acts 1976, 88 Balaz (顆芭樂籽), Sonic Deadhorse (音速死馬), Go Chic, Celluloid (賽璐璐), Floaty and Lunatic (瘋子)
■ 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
■ Tonight’s show starts at 10pm and Saturday’s show at 9pm. Sunday’s party runs from 5pm to 2am.
■ Entrance is NT$300, which includes one drink.
Sappho de Base, a late night lounge and jazz venue, hosts the MAS trio tonight, followed by the Minyen Hsieh Quartet tomorrow night. Ash and Friends plays on 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
■ Shows start 10pm tonight and 10:30pm tomorrow and Saturday night
■ Entrance is NT$200
Tonight’s band night at Revolver includes Human Beings (人), Children’s Heart and No Order (無秩序). Tomorrow’s line up includes Fish Story, Jest (下流紳士), Giant Lobsters (大龍蝦樂團) and She Bang A (死蚊子). DJs C Type, AM Stereo and Salamander will spin at Saturday’s Guerilla Radio party.
■ 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 tonight and tomorrow and 10pm on Saturday
■ Entrance is NT$250 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow night and NT$250 Saturday. All fees include one drink.
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Guitar duo Blurrs Bros perform American songbook tunes tonight at Italian restaurant Capone’s. On Fridays, Taipei Swing holds dance socials with live music from electric blues band Taipei blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights and on Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts live performances every Saturday. This week’s roster is a performance of Le Petit Prince by Not Just Water Theater (白開水劇團), an independent troupe that formed last year. For tickets, please contact Not Just Water directly at w.water2011@gmail.com.
■ 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: visit mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts at 9pm
■ For ticket information, visit Not Just Water’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wwater2011
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Audiovisual group Empty Space on a Chessboard (棋盤上的空格) performs tomorrow night with Sun of Morning (晨曦光廊) and Through the Prism (穿越稜鏡). Mr. Brown (布朗) is on Saturday’s lineup.
■ 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 7pm tomorrow and 7:30pm Saturday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tomorrow and NT$300 on Saturday.
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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
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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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