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I like to move into new artistic territories and never want to repeat myself. _________ Lucinda Childs

Dating back to 1979, during one of the New York art world’s most vibrant and prolific periods, Dance is Lucinda Childs’s legendary collaboration with composer Philip Glass and artist Sol LeWitt. The choreography is entirely abstract, but follows the musical score very closely. The punctuated entrances and exits create a visual counterpoint to the music. The decor is a black and white film by Sol LeWitt, which consists of selected passages of the choreography from each of the three dances. During the performance, the film is projected onto a transparent screen, and is perfectly synchronized with the dancers on stage. Through shifts in the camera angle and changes in scale, the spectator’s point of view is subjected to a series of ingenious manipulations. In 2009, this classic was revived by the Richard B. Fisher Center at Bard College with a complete restoration of Sol LeWitt’s work on film. Childs is mesmerizing in her filmed solo centerpiece, her austere beauty frozen in time.

(C) Sally Cohn

Lucinda Childs, Choreography

Lucinda Childs, one of the most representative postmodern choreographers, began her career at the Judson Dance Theater in 1963. In 1976, she collaborated with Robert Wilson and Philip Glass on the opera Einstein on the Beach, as principal performer and choreographer, for which she received a Village Voice Obie Award. She also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1979 for Dance, with music by Philip Glass and film décor by Sol LeWitt. Since 1981, she has choreographed over 30 works for major ballet companies. More recently she has been active in the opera world as both choreographer and director. Childs is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2001 Bessie Award for Sustained Achievement and the 2009 NEA/NEFA American Masterpiece Award. In 2017, she was awarded the Venice Biennale de la Danse Golden Lion Award and the 2017 Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award.She holds the title of Commander in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

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2018 NTT-TIFA─Apichatpong Weerasethakul《Fever Room》

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, one of the most innovative, mesmerizing figures in cinema today, makes his first incursion into the world of theater with Fever Room, featuring Jenjira (Jen) and Banlop (Itt), who also appear in his latest film, Cemetery of Splendour. This projection-performance depicts a land on the brink of collapse, echoing Thailand’s present state of military dictatorship. Jen undergoes surgeries to balance the lengths of her legs. While in the hospital, she dreams. There, she is joined by Itt, who is sleeping somewhere else. She recounts her favorite places, while he tells her about where he’s from, a land devoid of light. In Fever Room, personal and regional histories are documented and the hospital is a transitional place of consciousness. Caves are explored for re-habitation, and the Mekong River is observed by a group of young men on land and in boats. Then, the last evening comes to a close.

(c) Kick the Machine Films

Apichatpong Weerasethakul / Director

Apichatpong Weerasethakul was born in Bangkok and grew up in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand. He began making films and video shorts in 1994, and completed his first feature film in 2000. He has also organized exhibitions and installations in many countries since 1998. Often non-linear, with a strong sense of dislocation, his works deal with memory, subtly addressed personal politics and social issues. His art projects and feature films have brought him widespread recognition and numerous prizes, including from the Cannes Film Festival. His 2009 feature film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives received the Palme d’Or prize at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in 2010, the first Southeast Asian film to receive this honor. He was the Principal Laureate of the 2016 Prince Claus Awards, the Netherlands. In 2017, the French Minister of Culture bestowed on him the title of Commander in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

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2018 NTT-TIFA DisOrienta 《e/ma》

e/ma was born from a common reflection of choreographer Maria Donata D’ Urso and digital artist Wolf Ka (winners of the Bains numérique #7 in 2012) on the Japanese meaning of “MA”, which refers to the distance between two or multiple objects, or the interval or space between two elements. It is the continuation of research carried out during their residency at Villa Kujoyama in Japan on the notion of “MA”, the void and silence between things and beings, as well as breathing. In this new research, the scene becomes a microcosm that refers to the contemporary world. The interaction between the dancer and the polyhedron becomes a way to model the vision of man and his environment from a holistic perspective. The polyhedron, controlled by digital algorithms, interacts with the flesh and instincts of the dancers.Four interpreters evolve in the middle of objects, alternating between emptiness and fullness.

©Benoîte Fanton

Maria Donata D’Urso / Conception and Choreography

Maria Donata D’Urso, artistic director, choreographer, dancer and interpreter, was born in Catania, Italy. She studied architecture and contemporary dance in Rome. In 1985, she worked with choreographer Richard Haisma and studied at Merce Cunningham Studio and Nikolais Murray Louis Dance Company. Since 1988, she has lived in Paris, studying and working with Paco Decina, Francesca Lattuada, Hubert Colas, Arnold Pasquier, Marco Berrettini, Christian Rizzo and Wolf Ka. In 2004, she founded DisOrienta. Her works are focused on limits, absence & presence, inside & out and ambiguous surfaces. She was artist-in-residence at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Japan in 2012.

Wolf Ka / Conception and Interactive Device

Wolf Ka, a digital artist, lives and works in Paris. He studied art history, psychology, theater and digital design in Berlin and Paris. He founded his company “Res Publica” in 1996 and, as artistic director, has developed a number of programs. He teaches digital art and performing arts, and has created a fab lab. At the center of Ka’s research is the concept of a scenic device that draws a specific layout of technologies. This device is used in singular experiments to interrogate the relation between people and the technological environment. His projects are the results of collaborative research with dancers, architects, engineers, visual artists, musicians, and programmers. Ka was artist-in-residence at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Japan in 2012.

DisOrienta

©Benoîte Fanton 

DisOrienta was created in 2004 for the realization of choreographic projects, creation and distribution of shows, performances, educational projects, transmission, and dance facilities. Its name reflects a state of mind and a desire to propose new orientations of the dancing body. From its first creation, Pezzo 0 (due), and under collaboration with visual artist Laurent Goldring, DisOrienta has reinvented the performance space. Maria Donata D'Urso is the current artistic director.

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2018NTT-TIFA-Cie 1er Stratagème《I’ve Never Done This Before》

© Jonas Maes

In 2006, the year in which YouTube was launched, Time magazine declared "You" Person of the Year. The development of social media over the past decade has transformed people’s lives and changed the way they go about understanding the world. I’ve Never Done This Before focuses on the world of do-it-yourself, generating narratives and revealing unexpected aesthetics. Barbara Matijević and Giuseppe Chico have discovered strategies for interpreting the world through handmade objects. The driving force of this performance is the interaction between performer and the different technological devices on the stage, inspired by the ingenuity of YouTube amateurs. A direct confrontation develops between amateur DIY videos and contemporary art aesthetics. The goal is to accompany the audience on an exploration of amateur culture and its role in the construction of new metaphors, not literary figures of speech, but rather vital elements in the conceptual mapping of our daily lives.

© GCBM

Barbara Matijević / Concept and Performer

Born in Croatia in 1978, Barbara Matijević studied literature at the Faculty of Arts in Zagreb and dance at the Hypaxis Dance Centre in the US and the International Centre for Contemporary Dance and Performance Art. She has worked with a variety of artists including choreographers, directors, dancers and photographers. Matijević also served as assistant to Jan Fabre. She has taught dance at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Osijek (Croatia), and has collaborated with Giuseppe Chico since 2008.

Giuseppe Chico / Concept Born in Italy in 1974, Giuseppe Chico studied ancient languages and started working in theater at an early age. He has also had experience as a set designer. After studying theater in Rome and Milan, Chico moved to Paris in 2000 and began to train in contemporary dance. He danced with the company Mille Plateaux Associés for several years. In 2007, he performed in Purgatory, written and directed by Joris Lacoste.

Cie 1er Stratagème / Production Founded by Barbara Matijević and Giuseppe Chico in 2008, its works mostly focus on the relationship between humans and media technology. In 2011, Forecasting, which inspired I’ve Never Done This Before, was based on interactions between a performer and selected YouTube videos to investigate the phenomenon of online content generation.

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Freely explore the National Taichung Theater with Audio guides/音声ガイド

Freely explore the National Taichung Theater with Audio guides You can decide where to start and where to finish. With a map and audio guide, leisurely stroll through and admire this avant-garde, innovative, artistic masterpiece. Tour fee ● NT$120 general public. ● NT$60 disabled persons and one essential companion; senior citizens aged 65 and over (with valid ID at time of registration). Language ● Japanese ● English Hours and period of use ● Daily 11:30-19:00. Each rental period is two hours. More information: http://en.npac-ntt.org/archive?uid=126

音声ガイド 気の向くままに地図とヘッドホンを携え、音声ガイドを聞きながら、前衛的でクリエイティブな巨大芸術─台中国立歌劇院をご堪能ください。 基本料金・ご優待 ●120元/一般の方 ●60元/障害者本人及び付き添いの方1名。65歳以上の方。(証明書をご提示ください) 対応言語 ●英語 ●日本語 貸出し時間・ガイド機使用時間 每日11:30-19:00。１回２時間 詳細情報：http://jp.npac-ntt.org/archive?uid=114

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2018 NTT-TIFA: The Key is Not Technology,But Creativity

Technology has a magic-like quality, able to subvert the human perception of speed, distance and reality. It also enhances theatrical impact.

The keyword of the 2018 Taiwan International Festival of Arts at the National Taichung Theater (NTT-TIFA) is CONNECTION. In this age when WiFi has become essential and social media determines our perception of existence, we anticipate the creation of an arts festival that cultivates futuristic concepts, connecting artistic creations and questions that cross eras of human culture. This year, NTT invited French interdisciplinary artist Christian Rizzo to serve 

as artistic director. With an international perspective and an imagination that crosses disciplines, he called for interesting works from all over the world. A total of 10 were chosen from seven countries. It is very difficult to classify them. They include a theatrical production without actors, a dance concert, do-it-yourself laboratory, integration of calculation program and sensory organs and a dance partnership of human and robot. These unique creations transcend linear thinking to ask questions. They also remind us that the key to influencing the future of performing arts is not technology, but creativity.

Theaters are urban cultural landmarks that have existed for centuries. They have two faces: traditional and avant-garde. Other than retrospectives on classic works, the arts repeatedly experience creative challenges. To future audiences, we must offer theaters of the future!

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Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: FORMOSA

Formosa: the Beautiful. In the 16th century, when approaching the coast of a verdant island, the Portuguese sailors exclaimed with admiration, "Formosa," later to be the former name of Taiwan. Inspired by the abstract beauty born from land and lore, LIN Hwai-min's new creation FORMOSA for Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan uses gesture, script and song to create a lustrous universe––a playground of love and life, mediated by tragedy, hope, and rebirth––against a backdrop projected with Chinese characters coming together and breaking down like waves to imply writing as a precarious vehicle for memories. Ahead of Paris, London, Dresden, and Moscow, be the first to see the performance of FORMOSA in Taiwan.

LIN Hwai-min / Concept & Choreography

LIN Hwai-min, the internationally renowned choreographer, has moved audiences in Taiwan and major cities of the West through his masterpieces rooted in Asian cultures yet vibrating with contemporary resonance. In 2013, he followed in the footsteps of Martha Graham and Pina Bausch to win the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Festival, the "Nobel Prize of modern dance". 

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan 

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan was founded in 1973 as the first contemporary dance company in the greater Chinese speaking community. Directed by the internationally renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min, Cloud Gate transforms ancient aesthetics into thrilling modern celebrations of motion. Cloud Gate dancers receive trainings from the West and the East, including meditation, Qi Gong - an ancient breathing exercise, internal martial arts, modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy. With frequent appearances in international arts festivals and venues, including Next Wave Festival New York, Sadler's Wells London, and Moscow Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Cloud Gate receives critical acclaims throughout the world. Among them, while The Times praises Cloud Gate as "Asia's leading contemporary dance theatre," Dance Europe hails that it "presents a distinct and mature Chinese choreographic language. The importance of this evolution in Asian dance is no less profound than the impact of Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt on European classical ballet."

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The Photographer Mixed Media in Three Parts by Philip Glass and Rob Malasch

@Piero Chiussi

The focus of t h i s production is English photographer Eadweard Muybridge(1830-1904). His passion for photography led to advances in motion studies. That passion spilled over into real life, when, in 1874, he murdered his wife's lover, but was acquitted.The original production premiered in the Netherlands in 1982, during which drama, music,  images and dance were introduced in succession over three acts. Through drama and dance the story of Muybridge's crime and subsequent acquittal was told, accompanied by slides of his works and music composed by Philip Glass. Rob Malasch was later called on to rewrite the script. Ensemble KNM Berlin reworked The Photographer, premiering its version at the Museum for Photography Berlin in 2014. Choreographer SUN Shang-chi was invited to create an integrated play and dance piece. In real-time processed films of Muybridge's motion studies replace the static slides, while the music of Philip Glass remains a feature.

@Piero Chiussi

Philip Glass/ Composer Philip Glass is considered one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. In the early 1960s, he studied with the legendary Nadia Boulanger and worked closely with the sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. In 1967, he formed the Philip Glass Ensemble in New York. He still performs on keyboards as part of this ensemble. By 1974, Glass had completed a number of innovative projects, amassing a large collection of new music for his Ensemble and the Mabou Mines Theater Company. This period culminated in Music in Twelve Parts , and the landmark opera, Einstein on the Beach , for which he collaborated with Robert Wilson. Since Einstein, Glass has expanded his repertoire to include music for opera, dance, theater, chamber ensemble, orchestra, and film. His scores have received Academy Award nominations (Kundun, The Hours, Notes on a Scandal ) and a Golden Globe (The Truman Show). In 2015, he received the National Medal of Arts.

SUN Shang-chi / Direction & Choreography Taiwan born dancer and choreographer SUN Shang-chi was educated in ballet and contemporary dance at the National Academy of the Arts (now National Taiwan University of the Arts) in Taipei and earned a Master of Arts degree in Choreography from Ernst Busch University (Berlin). Since the founding of his company in 2007, he has created a diversity of works such as Walk Faster (2007), Dialogue II (2008), Nüwa (2009), 4.48/Ohne Titel (2010), Je.Sans.Paroles (2011) and Traverse (2011) which have been presented all over Europe and Asia (Maison de la Danse – Lyon, Festival Tanz im August – Berlin, Festival d'Avignon, and Taipei Arts Festival). Over the past few years, he has collaborated with a number of companies on commissioned works, including Sasha Waltz & Guests, Cloud Gate 2, Transitions Company London and Dance Company of City Theatre Osnabrück.

Ensemble KNM Berlin / Performer & Producer Ensemble KNM Berlin represents the active, current music scene of the metropolis of Berlin. Along with other students from the Hanns Eisler School of Music in the former East Berlin, Juliane Klein and Thomas Bruns founded this ensemble in 1988. It is now made up of ten musicians from all over Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Switzerland. In close collaboration with international composers, authors, conductors, artists and producers, KNM has presented compositions, concert installations and projects worldwide. Its innovative programs result from a fascination with the unknown and constant discussions on the most essential topics of our time. This ensemble has performed more than 1,000 concerts since its creation.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It), by Russian director Dmitry Krymov, was commissioned for the 2012 World Shakespeare Festival and was a hit at the 2012 Edinburgh International Festival.

© Nataila Cheban

Krymov believes that the Mechanicals hold up the secret and the main themes of this Shakespeare play. During this production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It) , the audience will not find the Athenian Wooded madness of Shakespeare's play, but there is still plenty of insanity, supported by theatrical magic. With two six-meter high puppets, Krymov delivers raw mechanical performances in telling the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. An opera singer, two acrobats, amateur student ballerinas and a trained dog may seem to randomly appear; but, rest  assured, they are all part of Krymov's ingenuity.

With minimal dialogue, audience members can immerse themselves in the beautiful singing, and experience the clever humor that Krymov has embedded in this work.

© Nataila Cheban

Dmitry Krymov/Director

Born in 1954, Dmitry Krymov has directed and designed various productions in Moscow which have established him as one of the most original directorial voices of his generation. Krymov and his "laboratory" present visually stunning, symbolic productions where every moment is original, hugely inventive and surprising. In Moscow, his performances are always packed, with audience members greatly anticipating his next vision, waiting to be surprised and entertained.

Krymov's shows have appeared at prestigious international festivals in Austria, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Georgia, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Estonia, Poland and other countries to enthusiastic response by international audiences.

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La Fura dels Baus-Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

NTT continues its year-by-year introduction of the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner's epic Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung ). Each of these operas can stand on its own as a masterfully told story. Die Walküre is no exception. Produced by cutting edge theater company La Fura dels Baus and directed by Carlus Padrissa, it promises outstanding stage effects and electrifying music performed by the National Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Shao-Chia Lü. Die Walküre is focused on love and family. Having parted with the magical ring in Das Rheingold , Wotan, king of the gods, sets about regaining its possession, to restore the waning power of the gods. In his quest, he faces his jealous wife Fricka, sacrifices his son Siegmund, and renounces his daughter Sieglinde. He is also forced to abandon his favorite daughter, Brünnhilde, which sets the scene for the next installment in this opera series.

©Eva Ripoll

Shao-Chia Lü/ Conductor Taiwan-born conductor Shao-Chia Lü studied music in Taipei, then later at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA, and at the College of Music in Vienna. His training was topped off with three important first prizes at renowned international conducting competitions: Besançon (France), Pedrotti (Italy) and Kondrashin (the Netherlands). Lü has served as General Music Director of the Koblenz Theatre (1998-2001), the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz (1998-2004), and the Staatsoper Hannover (2001- 2006). His experience also includes Music Director of the Taiwan Philharmonic (the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan) since August 2010 and the Principal Conductor of the South Denmark Philharmonic since 2014.

Carlus Padrissa/ Stage Director (La Fura dels Baus) Born in Barcelona, Spain, Carlus Padrissa is one of six artistic directors of the innovative Spanish theater company La Fura dels Baus. Together with Alex Ollé, he directed Mar Mediterrani , mar Olímpic , with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, in 1992. This production was performed at the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games, and seen by a TV audience of over 500 million. He has directed a variety of operas, including The Ring of the Nibelung at Palau de les Arts, Valencia, under the baton of Zubin Mehta, The Magic Flute at Ruhrtriennale, La Damnation de Faust at Salzburg Festival, Herzog Blaubarts Burg and Tannhäuser at La Scala in Milan, and Babylon, The Little Harlequin and Turandot at the Bavarian State Opera. Currently, he is the artistic director of Naumon, an old cargo ship, measuring 60 meters in length and weighing 1,100 tons, which has been transformed into a cruising contemporary cultural center.

National Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1986, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), also known as theTaiwan Philharmonic internationally, is hailed as one of the best orchestras inthe Asian region. It became the resident orchestra of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center in 2005. Since April 2014, the NSO has been an affiliate orchestra of the National Performing Arts Center. Led by renowned conductor Shao-Chia Lü, as its 5th music director, since August 2010, the NSO has continued to enhance Taiwan's cultural richness.

La Fura dels Baus

La Fura dels Baus represents eccentricity, innovation, adaptation, rhythm, evolution and transgression. Such a characteristic and unique essence has led this company to pioneer the reconceptualization of two of the most significant aspects of dramatic art: the theatrical space and the public. Space was redefined by moving to non-conventional venues and the public role was transformed from passive to active, breaking through the "fourth wall." Incessant curiosity and the need to explore new artistic trends have developed, through a process of collective creation, and a unique language, style and aesthetic. Nowadays, this is called "Furan language," which has been implemented in different artistic genres, such as opera, cinema and large-scale performances.

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Tomoko Mukaiyama-Multus #3: Canto Ostinato for 4 Pianos

"Multus" in Latin means "many" or "more". Tomoko Mukaiyama created a series of concerts in Japan and the Netherlands with multiple pianos and performing art forms. The late Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato (1976) is a minimalist music classic. Since its premiere in 1979, it has been performed all over the world. Canto Ostinato is a collection of compositions, making every performance unique. Tomoko started playing Canto Ostinato with two pianos in 2012, then expanded it to Multus #3: Canto Ostinato for 4 Pianos . As she plays in different cities, she works with different musicians. This time, she called on two outstanding pianists from Taiwan, WANG Wenchuan and CHIANG Tien-lin. Together with Gerard Bouwhuis, they interpret Multus #3.

Simeon ten Holt /Composer

Born in Bergen, the Netherlands in 1923, Simeon ten Holt first studied piano and theory under Jacob van Domeslaer. In 1949, he moved to Paris where he continued his studies at the École Normale under Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud. After returning to Bergen, he founded Werkgroep Bergen Hedendaagse Muziek. Ten Holt's early creative endeavors embraced serialism, electronic media and improvisation. In the late 1970s, he developed a style that featured simple chords, shifting rhythmic patterns and repetition, achieving

a hypnotic, multi-layered cumulative effect. Canto Ostinato (1976-1979) is the first and arguably best known of ten Holt's keyboard works in this style, and surely the most frequently performed. Ten Holt passed away in 2012, leaving behind many outstanding compositions.

Tomoko Mukaiyama/ Concept & Pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama is a Dutch-Japanese pianist, performer and visual artist based in Amsterdam. She has been engaged by many prestigious orchestras and ensembles throughout the world. As a multimodal artist, she develops performing arts projects and art installations that combine music with modern dance, fashion and visual art. The core of Tomoko's work is communication with the audience. This is why she creates a wide variety of projects in different spaces. She moves between performing in more prestigious venues and creating musical experiences for the intimacy of just one visitor. At this moment she is preparing a new music theater work entitled NohNohNoh for 2019. She received the Japanese Dance Forum Award in 2017.

Gerard Bouwhuis/ Pianist Gerard Bouwhuis has established himself as one of the leading contemporary music pianists in the Netherlands. He is especially interested in modern music and is a sought-after musician by orchestras and ensembles throughout the Netherlands. Many Dutch composers have written pieces for Bouwhuis. He is a member of LOOS and has formed a piano duo with Cees van Zeeland. With violinist Heleen Hulst, he founded the chamber music group Nieuw Amsterdams Peil. For his contribution to Dutch music he was awarded the Theo Bruins Prize. Bouwhuis currently teaches contemporary music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.

WANG Wen-chuan/ Pianist WANG Wen-chuan received her doctoral degree in Music Performing Art (D.M.A) from Taipei National University of the Arts under the tutelage of Prof. Rolf-Peter Wille. She won Best Performance of Taiwanese Composition at the 2007 NTSO Piano Concerto Competition. She has also been awarded various prizes at international and national competitions. She is an inspired and dedicated musician with experience as a piano soloist, a chamber pianist, and a piano accompanist, performing music from a variety of genres.

CHIANG Tien-lin/ Pianist CHIANG Tien-lin completed his graduate studies in music at the Taipei National University of the Arts under the tutelage of Prof. Rolf-Peter Wille. In addition to classical music, he has crossed over into jazz and pop music. He is considered a rising star in Taiwan's music circles, having shared the stage with many internationally respected musicians. In 2016, his debut album Piano Love Songs was released by the Universal Music Group. During its first week, it rocketed to the top of the classical music chart on iTunes, as well as to number one among classical music releases of the top five record labels. He has followed up with albums in Taiwan and China, which have received critical acclaim.

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Grand Tour with Theater Titans-Double Bill by Bulareyaung Dance Company

STAY THAT WAY

Time to get drunk! Don't be martyred slaves of Time, Get drunk! Stay drunk! On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever! – excerpted from the poem Get Drunk by Charles Baudelaire.

This poem is the inspiration for Stay That Way by the Bulareyaung Dance Company. Its founder, Bulareyaung Pagarlava, is from the indigenous Paiwan tribe of Taiwan, and a well-known dancer and choreographer, who has worked with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. In this production, he shares the beauty of indigenous ballads. Three singers perform traditional songs, complemented by the movements of dancers. This outdoor performance in the National Taichung Theater's Sky Garden is not constrained by a stage, and, as Bulareyaung notes, that makes it purposely difficult to predict how it will unfold.

(© Bulareyaung Dance Company)

  COLORS

Colors is based on Bulareyaung Pagarlava's observations and perceptions of natural elements,as well as the interpretation of "beauty" by the young dancers who perform this work. Bulareyaung is a well-known dancer and choreographer from the indigenous Paiwan tribe who has trained professionally with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre since college. He founded the Bulareyaung Dance Company in his hometown of Taitung in southeastern Taiwan. Taitung is most acknowledged for its beautiful coastline. He, therefore, intends to bring the waters of Taitung to the audience. By sharing the voices and physicality of Taiwan's indigenous people, Colors successfully transforms the stage into a beach by blue canvas. The beach was the rehearsal space for Colors since a severe typhoon destroyed their dance studio in 2016.

(© Bulareyaung Dance Company)

Choreographer -Bulareyaung Pagarlava

Bulareyaung Pagarlava is from Taiwan's indigenous Paiwan tribe. His name means "happy warrior" in his native language. He started his dance training at the age of 15 and choreographing when he was a student in the Dance Department of Taipei National University of the Arts. A former dancer with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Bulareyaung received a Performing Arts Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council to study in New York in 1998. He was a resident artist at the American Dance Festival in 2008. Three years later, he was invited to return to the Festival where he created Landscapes 2011 ADF. Bulareyaung was twice commissioned by the Martha Graham Dance Company, for which he produced Lamentation Variation in 2009 and Chasing in 2011. In 2012, he was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Taiwan.

Bulareyaung Dance Company

The Bulareyaung Dance Company (BDC) was founded in 2014 by indigenouschoreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava in his hometown of Taitung, Taiwan.During the last two decades, Bulareyaung has been invited on numerousoccasions to choreograph and perform for various contemporary dancecompanies both at home and abroad. However, his increasing awareness ofhis Paiwan identity led him on a new path. He now focuses on his own motherculture, as well as explores the music, dances and traditions of other indigenouscultures.Dance with indigenous natural voices from land and hearts differentiates BDCfrom other contemporary dance companies and also outstands himself fromregional to international.

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Grand Tours With Theater Titans

From September to December, the National Taichung Theater (NTT) will be occupied by theater titans with a diversity of their outstanding works.  

 The Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan present's LIN Hwai-min's newest work  Formosa. “Ilha formosa” (beautiful island) is what Portuguese sailors in the 16th century exclaimed as they passed Taiwan, and Formosa was once the island's name. Chinese characters are projected onto a white background, contrasting with colorful costumes that represent the beauty and diversity of Taiwan. The dancers, through movement and rhythm, express celebration, courtship, hostility, war, earthquake, rebuilding and rebirth. They are accompanied by traditional Puyuma songs performed by Sanpuy Katatepan Mavaliyw.

 This fall’s presentation of Die Walküre, follows on the extremely well-received performance of another Richard Wagner classic, Das Rheingold, during NTT's grand opening last year. Created by the Spanish cutting edge theater company La Fura dels Baus and directed by Carlus Padrissa, this story of gods, love, family, sacrifice and the quest for a magical ring is presented with electrifying stage effects and the musical talents of conductor Shao-Chia Lü and the National Symphony Orchestra.

 Bulareyaung Pagarlava, a choreographer from the indigenous Paiwan tribe, who trained with Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan and made a name for himself in New York, is NTT’s first Artist-in-Residence. In recent years, he has been working to train indigenous youth for the international stage.  

 Dmitry Krymov is considered the most important Russian director of this generation for his highly original productions. This year, he is presenting his very imaginative adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It), which includes actors, puppets, an opera singer, ballerinas and a trained dog.

 French choreographer Christian Rizzo shares with audiences a personal memory of his first nightclub experience in Le Syndrome Ian.  Dancers recapture the mood and collective intoxication of that club on that night in 1979 London.

 Following on the cross-disciplinary La Mode during NTT's grand opening last year, Tomoko Mukaiyama is returning with four Steinway & Sons pianos. She will be performing Multus #3: Canto Ostinato for 4 pianos with Gerard Bouwhuis, WANG Wen-chuan and CHIANG Tien-lin.

 The Photographer is a multi-media program originally created by composer Philip Glass, based on the life and work of Eadweard Muybridge. In 2014, Ensemble KNM Berlin, in collaboration with famed Taiwanese choreographer SUN Shang-chi, reworked this production, which includes drama, music, dance and images from Muybridge’s motion studies.  

 LIAO Chiung-chih’s biographical performance, LIAO Chiung-chih, the Legendary Diva of Taiwanese Opera, and NCO, returns to NTT. She is known as the foremost “tragic female lead” in Taiwanese opera. Much of her emotion on stage is real, stemming from many hardships, as told in this production by the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan (NCO).

 Young playwright CHIEN Li-ying and director Tora Hsu took on the classic drama Ghosts by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, rewriting it from the Taiwanese perspective of family to create We are Ghosts.

 These theater artists will grace the performance venues of NTT this fall. Allow their works to leave an impression on your heart and mind.

 Victoria W.Y. Wang

Executive and Artistic Director

National Taichung Theater

May 31, 2017

[nationaltaichungtheater]

【This Summer, It’s All About Musicals】

National Taichung Theater strives to build up seasonal feature in programming, intending to keep our audience and visitors accompany and to provide refreshing senses stimulus along with the seasons change. Thus, while we are still waving goodbye to spring and the 100% ticket-selling NTT-TIFA, amazing recipes are cooked to quell your summer thirst, and they are everyone’s favorite, the musicals!

In July, we proudly present two musicals which are equally popular and quality, but with very different topic and style: Mulan The Musical: A Twist on an Ancient Chinese Legend and Death Note the Musical - Direct from Japan.

 Mulan The Musical: A Twist on an Ancient Chinese Legend is a whole new and less serious twist on the popular ancient Chinese tale, the story of Hua Mulan. Playwright TSAI Pao-Chang collaborates with composer Owen WANG and director LU Po-Shen, together they had transformed the renowned tale into a romantic comedy. To start, the heroine is much more reluctant than she is in the original story to take on the responsibility of fighting in her father's place. In 2009, the adaption is proved to be a great success when it caused sensation at its premiere in Taiwan, followed by high praise from the field of performing arts. Most recently, it enjoyed a run of 36 performances at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore from December 2016 to February 2017. It broke box office records with a more than 30,000 tickets sold, making it the most successful model of Taiwanese musical running overseas.

Now, Mulan The Musical: A Twist on an Ancient Chinese Legend had returned to Taiwan and had already enthralled audience at National Taichung Theater by the fact that the tickets were sold out in the phase of member pre-order.

 Death Note the Musical - Direct from Japan is a Japanese musical adapted from a world famous manga, Death Note, exploring the issues of justice and a man’s place in the universe. The musical score was composed by Frank Wildhorn, the creator of Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde, who worked in collaboration with popular Japanese musical director Tamiya Kiriyama. Outstanding cast includes Japan Academy Prize winner Teppei Koike, musical star Kenji Urai, prolific actor Hayato Kakizawa and leading musical actress Megumi Hamada. However, a fan of Death Note may wonder is it really possible to concentrate the fierce battle of wits between two leading roles Light and L to a 2-3 hours musical version? Positive audience feedback agrees that the intelligent playwright Ivan Menchell had preserved the most acclaimed parts in manga, simplifying the complicated plots without losing the spirit of the story. Meanwhile, Death Note the Musical aims at exploring the essence of justice, while Light and L both consider themselves as the righteous figure, it is the audience who will be the final judge.  

  In terms of the box office, while all the programs in National Taichung Theater had reached to an over 90% ticket-selling, it is apparent that the citizens and visitors’ fond of National Taichung Theater had grown from its unique architectural structure to the programs it present. We will continue to bring the best performances to Taichung, and as for the summer this year, come to National Taichung Theater for your summer retreat and enjoy all the musicals with us.

[nationaltaichungtheater]

2018 Taiwan International Festival of Arts — Call for “CONNECTION” Program Series Project Proposals

★Deadline: April 15th, 2017

★MAXIMUM GRANT: Grant for production and performance will be no more than NT$1,000,000 (including VAT/tax) for each selected proposal.

★NOMINATED PROJECTS WILL BE INVITED TO PERFORM DURING THE 2018 NTT-TIFA AT NTT’S BLACK BOX. =============================== For more info + application: goo.gl/jjzPWI Black Box tech specs: goo.gl/8JHXUZ =============================== The National Taichung Theater (NTT) has launched the “CONNECTION” program series as part of the Second Edition of Taiwan International Festival of Arts (NTT-TIFA) to be held in 2018. Under the artistic direction of renowned French interdisciplinary artist Christian Rizzo, the 2018 NTT-TIFA Program Series will offer unique content and showcase exceptional works by artists from Taiwan and abroad.

With the main theme of “CONNECTION”, the 2018 NTT-TIFA will focus on the dialogue, communication and conflicts among diverse artistic fields (e.g. Performing Arts, Visual Arts and New Media), industries (e.g. Manufacturing and Digital Technology) and the sciences (e.g. Astronomy, Physics and Biology) to encourage innovative experiments and collaboration. As a result, NTT is expected to serve as a stage for presenting a diversity of connections.

[nationaltaichungtheater]

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