With the support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan will launch its first post-pandemic overseas tour this October. The tour features the current Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung’s 13 Tongues, a well-reputed production since its 2016 premiere in Taiwan which has toured in France, the UK, Germany, Sweden and China. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 US Tour was postponed until now. The company will present 10 performances in Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Chicago. All are welcome to watch the performance together!
13 Tongues is acclaimed by The Times as “A sensationally big, indulgent and visually arresting expression of cultural memory.” This work is inspired by Cheng’s memories of one legendary 1960s street artist and storyteller known as “Thirteen Tongues” in Taipei’s oldest district, Bangka. Cheng explores those ancient Taiwanese superstitions, religious rites, and cultural memories fading over time. The production team members include music artist Lim Giong, art designer Ho Chia-hsing , lighting designer Shen Po-hung, projection designer Ethan Wang, costume designer Lin Bing-hao, and voice coach Tsai Pao-chang.
Cheng has been a fixture of Routledge’s respected annual survey of dance practitioners, Fifty Contemporary Choreographers (2020), alongside the likes of William Forsythe, Akram Khan, Hofesh Shechter, and leaders in the form. His recent work Sounding Light (2020) reflects on the relationship between the human body and nature by creating a forest with sound on the stage. His last work, Send in a Cloud (2022), uses the saxophone version of Bach’s Cello Suites by Yasuaki Shimizu, which resonates with the bodily rhythm of the dancers. In 2020, Cheng succeeded choreographer Lin Hwai-min as Artistic Director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.
Founded in 1973 by internationally renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan is the first full-time professional dance company in Taiwan, as well as the first contemporary dance company in the greater Chinese-speaking community. Being wildly praised by both critics and audiences, Cloud Gate has toured worldwide with frequent engagements at major international festivals and performing arts venues. It received the Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company at the 2018 National Dance Awards. Cloud Gate also performs constantly throughout Taiwan and has become part of Taiwan’s cultural scenery and people’s collective memories.
Event and Ticketing Information (US West Coast):
Oct 6 / Memorial Auditorium, Stanford Live, University of Stanford
https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/october-2022/cloud-gate-dance-theatre-taiwan
Oct 26 / Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, California
https://www.scfta.org/events/2022/cloud-gate-dance-theatre-of-taiwan
Oct 29 & 30 / Zellerbach Auditorium, University of California at Berkeley
https://calperformances.org/events/2022-23/dance/cloud-gate-dance-theatre-of-taiwan-2223/