Highlights from Moon Water, Bamboo Dream, Portrait of the Families, Cursive, Pine Smoke, Wind Shadow, How Can I Live On Without You, Rice and White Water.
Lin Hwai-min 林懷民
Lin Hwai-min can be regarded as the Pina Bausch of the East but his choreography approach is different from Bausch. The opening scene reminds us that Lin finds movement and gestures in the form of Chinese character 'Yong', where fluidness of strength and motion merge with harmony. The visual refinement was exemplified in Pine Smoke and White Water by the elegant moving mediation of qigong. Though I found the visual impact more effective in the 'thousand characters' from Cursive, where dancers intertwined in the sea of calligraphy projected on the stage. The dance technique also emphasised on inner strength through gentle movements than an athletic display.
Lin also employed many aspects of Taiwan into his creations. The portrait of the families commemorated the disturbing white terror period with emotional imaginary in the backdrop. Excerpts from How Can I live On Without You made a two folded opposite: 'coincidence' celebrated the light hearted cha cha dance in a nostalgic reminiscence, though Lin portrayed 'the unspeakable secret' as a tense hallucination that sanity seems falling apart. 'Rice' celebrated the rural landscape alike a romantic portrayal of the agricultural community and countryside nature.
Moon Water instead took an artistic approach to connect expressions and the music by Bach. Whereas the black angel from Wind Shadow emphasised the distinctive black feather outlook for a visual curiosity. The highlights gave a sense of how Lin progressed in his works over the year and demonstration the diverse inspirations he had. Yet for artistic excellence and visual indulgence, I preferred serious works such as Pine Smoke and Cursive more. Perhaps as a tour production had its limitation in displaying the original full theatrical effect such as in 'Rice'. The company was well rehearsed and the transition between scenes were seamlessly executed.
Lin also employed many aspects of Taiwan into his creations. The portrait of the families commemorated the disturbing white terror period with emotional imaginary in the backdrop. Excerpts from How Can I live On Without You made a two folded opposite: 'coincidence' celebrated the light hearted cha cha dance in a nostalgic reminiscence, though Lin portrayed 'the unspeakable secret' as a tense hallucination that sanity seems falling apart. 'Rice' celebrated the rural landscape alike a romantic portrayal of the agricultural community and countryside nature.
Moon Water instead took an artistic approach to connect expressions and the music by Bach. Whereas the black angel from Wind Shadow emphasised the distinctive black feather outlook for a visual curiosity. The highlights gave a sense of how Lin progressed in his works over the year and demonstration the diverse inspirations he had. Yet for artistic excellence and visual indulgence, I preferred serious works such as Pine Smoke and Cursive more. Perhaps as a tour production had its limitation in displaying the original full theatrical effect such as in 'Rice'. The company was well rehearsed and the transition between scenes were seamlessly executed.
