Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan 13 Tongues 5-6 March 2020

Programme

The metallic sound of a handbell, Taiwanese folk and Japanese nakashi songs mix with electronic music and colourful projections. The dancers in their stunning costumes change shape along the way, giving the impression that thousands of spirits are dancing with them under the light of bright lanterns.

In 13 tongues transforms Cheng Tsung-lungCloud Gate's artistic director, his childhood memories of the Taoist rituals and the bustling street life of Taipei into a performance that challenges all the senses. Colour, sound and light tumble around the impressions from our Main Stage and invite the audience into a parallel, imaginative world.

With a fascination for her mother's stories about "Thirteen Tongues", a street artist in the 1960s, Cheng Tsung-lung creates the fantasy world that directly relates to Bangka, the oldest district in the city of Taipei, with its temples, religious rituals, festive parades and crowds.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Cloud Gate is the name of the oldest known dance in China. In 1973, choreographer Lin Hwai-min adopted this classic name and founded a contemporary dance company: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan, also known worldwide as Cloud Gate. From 2020, CHENG Tsung-lung will succeed Lin as artistic director of Cloud Gate.

Cloud Gate dancers are trained in meditation, Qi Gong, internal martial arts, contemporary dance and ballet. Lin Hwai-min's choreographies blend ancient aesthetics with a contemporary approach to movement and dance.