Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
“No other company so effortlessly weds East and West to arrive at something so completely new.” --Brooklyn Academy of Music website
Black apparel against white floor, curling fingers completing impossible poses, sudden directional changes mimicking the flow of ink down huge sheets of rice paper— cursive flowing through the human body. This is Wild Cursive. To do the “brutishly physical,” “electrifying,” “irresistible” types of performance Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan is internationally respected for, requires training in martial arts, tai chi tao yin, modern dance, ballet, meditation, Chinese Opera movement, and calligraphy. With its roots in Asian myths, folklore, and artistry, Cloud Gate has transformed dance in Taiwan and is revered for its worldwide influence on contemporary dance. By bringing a current and universal perspective to age-old beliefs and traditions, the company has rekindled interest in traditional dance-stories and inspired the rebirth of dance in modern form. Directed by Lin Hwai-Min, it’s especially fitting that this company—the first such dance company in a Chinese-speaking community—draws its identity from the first known dance form in China, a ritual dance performed 5,000 years ago. What was it called? Cloud Gate.
On every level, Lin's company is superb. Accomplished and striking, as rigorous as it is disciplined. --The Times, London