Wednesday October 12, 2011 - This was something I really wanted to see:
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Concept, set design, choreography by Lin Hwai-min
Music by Toshio Hosokawa
Lighting design by Lulu W.L. Lee
Costume design by Lin Ching-ju
Projection design by Ethan Wang
And my instincts paid off hansdomely with one of the finest dance productions I've ever encountered; Kokyat and I were mesmerized by the expressive grace and technical finesse of the dancers, the intriguing score, the remarkable lighting and the atmosphere of almost religious solemnity that the work evoked.
CLOUD GATE's artistic director Lin Hwai-min’s took his inspiration from the aesthetics of calligraphy. Projections of inky cloud-like shapes flow across a raked white platform, appearing and fading miraculously. Drawing on movement images from ballet to martial arts and adding a meditative sheen to the whole, the choreographer sets his radiant dancers in motion in this seventy-minute work: if dance is a religion, this is Heaven.
At curtain-rise, the dancers are standing in the space clad in sheer long white skirts over gauzy trousers. The men are bare-chested and the women wear 'nude' tops. The movement begins almost imperceptibly as the dancers slowly awaken their bodies in response to the other-worldly sounds of Toshio Hosokawa's score as it began to fill the air.
The composer draws upon flutes, percussion, chimes and gong - and even the breathing of the dancers - to summon up imagery of ancient rites and timeless poetry. The choreographer builds on this music in fascinating ways: often the most 'active' music finds the dancers moving hardly at all. The rhythmic patterns are quite abstract and the dancers must rely on instinctive musicality rather than counts: this they did with impressive result. Much of the movement has a dream-like slowness but there are passages of leaps and dynamic patterns which burst on the viewer unexpectedly. A fast moving dancer will capture the eye only to come to rest suddenly in a sublimely sculptured pose. These dancers are so compelling: they can even turn the simplicity of walking into an art form.
Now that I think of it, there's no partnering in the work...I am not sure the dancers even come in contact with one another at all. Each is on his or her own expressive path, coming and going onto the platform in ever-shifting combinations. In one particularly striking image, the ink-like projections suddenly being scuttering across the space at accelerating speeds, giving the feel of an impending storm. But the work ends in tranquility with a single woman alone onstage.
The presence of Taiwan's First Lady, Chow Mei-ching with her two daughters and a quartet of subtly watchful bodyguards gave the evening an added excitement. The large Chinese contingent in the audience were anxious for a glimpse of the First lady who is a long-time fan and supporter of CLOUD GATE.
At the end, the dancers and choreographer received a prolonged ovation with extra curtain calls, all of it thoroughly deserved.
The only blot on the evening came with late seating about ten minutes into the work. For something as engrossing and nuanced as Water Stains on the Wall, this was a disastrous mood-breaker. Theaters really need to find solutions for latecomers that do not intrude on the concentration of those who have made an effort to be there on time. Seating at the rear or extreme sides could be left open for stragglers. Why should those for whom the evening has special meaning have their enjoyment disturbed by a thoughtless few?
But there is good news: CLOUD GATE 2 will be at The Joyce this Winter, making their New York debut with a programme of works by four choreographers. The dates are February 8th, 10th and 12th, 2012. More detail will follow.