Cloud Gate Dance Theater Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung (???) (Photo: Lovely Taiwan Foundation)
The Cloud Gate Dance Theater will present a special production of the choreographic work Send to a Cloud at the 2023 Chi-shang Autumn Rice Harvest Arts Festival in Taitung. The event is jointly organized by the Lovely Taiwan Foundation and the Chi-shang Culture and Art Association and will be held from October 21 and 22.
Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung (???) said he came up with Send to a Cloud during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dancers were forced to stay at home and the work depicts the dancers’ transformation from loneliness, anger, and helplessness into happiness in touching movements.
Cheng said when Send to a Cloud was first presented in the theater, paintings that simulate the sky, clouds, and sunlight were projected as backdrops on the stage. The special edition at the coming festival will be an open air performance where the audience can experience seeing performers dance in the natural environment.
Cloud Gate founder Lin Huai-min (???) produced the dance group’s 40th anniversary choreographic work Rice which opened at the same festival a decade ago. The Lovely Taiwan Chairman Ko Wen-chan (???) said the event has gained public recognition in Taiwanese society since its foundation 15 years ago. He hopes participants will also find resonance there again.
In addition, the Chishang Barn Art Gallery has curated a special exhibition to celebrate the festival’s 15th anniversary. The show features artwork by printmaker Wu Song-ming (???), calligrapher Poco Yen (???), and singer-songwriter Wang Yu-jun (???), as well as hundreds of photos collected from more than 50 locals.
