Kennedy Center Presents Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Of Taiwan Next Month

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan returns to the Kennedy Center, last seen in 2016, with an acclaimed production by its new artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung, October 20-22 in the Eisenhower Theater.

As a child in the 1980s, Cheng would contribute to the family business by helping his father sell slippers on the streets of Bangka, Taipei's oldest district, which was known for its vibrantly diverse and bustling street scene that embraced religious and secular life, rich and poor, work and play, and legal and illegal activities. He became mesmerized by his mother's accounts of 1960s street artist and storyteller "Thirteen Tongues" who had adopted Bangka for his informal stage. It was said that "Thirteen Tongues" could conjure up all the Bangka characters-high and low born, sacred and profane, men and women-in vivid, dramatic, and fluently imaginative narratives.

It is with those memories that Cheng merges the sights, sounds, and vitality of the city with his mother's stories for a work that takes the audience on an immersive journey. With a soundscape by Lim Giong that fuses Taiwanese folk songs, Japanese nakashi tunes, and electronic music, dancers perform against projections of vibrant colors moving in grounded positions while traveling in serpentine patterns.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, founded in 1973 by revered choreographer Lin Hwai-min as the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking community, blends its roots in Asian mythology, folklore, and aesthetics with a modern sensibility. In 2020, Cheng Tsung-lung succeeded Lin as the company's artistic director bringing together his creative works with traditional roots and innovative perspectives from the digital and globalized world.

For further information about the company, please see here.