Young Taiwanese choreographer Lai Hung-chung (賴翃中) has had a very busy couple of years, winning several competitions in Europe, as well as one in Japan, and founding his own company in May 2017.
Lai and his dancers have been to 30 cities in nine countries, and have given 63 performances in the past two years.
However, while audiences in other nations have had several chances to see his work, people in Taiwan have had fewer opportunities.
Photo courtesy of Lin Cheng-yi
So tomorrow night, Hung Dance (中翃舞製作) will attempt to remedy that with a reprise of Boundless (無盡 天空), his first full-length work, at the New Taipei City Arts Center.
Boundless grew out of a shorter duet, Birdy, which won Hung first prize at the 16th Burgos-New York International Choreography Competition in Spain in July 2017. It premiered in Madrid on Oct. 17 last year as part of the “Made in Taiwan” showcase at the Circulo de Bellas Artes, and had its Taiwan premiere at the National Experimental Theater in Taipei in early January.
In Birdy, Cheng I-han (鄭伊涵), wearing a headset of long pheasant feathers, confronted Chien Lin-yi (簡麟懿), who represents confinement in a dance about the inner desire to escape from one’s reality and search for meaning in life.
In Boundless, Hung further explores the pull between the self and the super-self; the search for freedom and the limitations of life.
In addition to Cheng, the cast on Saturday includes Wu Meng-ting (吳孟庭), Yang Hsin-ching (楊雅晴), Li Zong-lin (李宗霖), Li Jya-ming (李家名) and Huang Yu-hsuan (黃于軒).
Hung said the constant travel over the past two years, while enjoyable, has been wearying, and he plans to spend more time at home in the next year or so — after a trip that will take his company to three European cities and New York City next month. Hopefully, that will mean more chances for local audiences to see his work.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm at New Taipei City Arts Center (新北市藝文中心演藝廳), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao District, New Taipei City (新北市板橋區莊敬路62號)
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,000; at the NTCH box offices, Eslite ticket desks, online at www.artsticket.com and at convenience store ticket kiosks
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
RSS