A still from Gothenburg Dance Company's Skid.

(© Mats Bäcker, courtesy of the Chinese Opera Academy)

[Reporter Ling Meixue/Taipei Report] Taichung National Opera House invited one of the most avant-garde Gothenburg Dance Troupes in Europe to Taiwan for the first time this year. Among the 38 young dancers from 21 countries around the world, there are 2 Dancers Tu Liyuan and Chen Chongxian from Taiwan, the Chinese Opera House invited choreographer He Xiaomei to talk with the two dancers across the ocean yesterday (28th) to introduce their dance troupe and works.

Stills from Gothenburg Dance Company's "SAABA".

(©Tilo Stengel, courtesy of China Opera Academy)

Two dancers pointed out that a major feature of the Gothenburg Dance Company is that the artistic director often invites well-known guest choreographers to the company to work together with the dancers. Each choreographer has different working methods and movement styles. Those who want to have the ability to completely become the appearance in the work.

Just like the double dance work that will be performed in Taiwan this time, the style is completely different. They not only have to achieve physical proficiency, but also have to complete the transformation of costumes, makeup and hair in only 40 minutes of halftime, and fully enter the spirit. The essence of the next dance.

Please read on...

Qiu Yuan (from right), director of the Chinese Opera House, talks with Taiwanese dancers Tu Liyuan and Chen Chongxian from Gothenburg Dance Company, and choreographer He Xiaomei.

(Photo by reporter Ling Meixue)

Tu Liyuan said that he has been in the dance troupe for 10 years, and he often has 3 to 5 works rehearsing at the same time, such as the first half of the performance of "Skid" by Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet. Let 17 dancers challenge the gravity and dance on the 34-degree slope leading directly to the orchestra pit. The slope uses a lot of leg strength, and the center of gravity is different from that on the flat ground, which is relatively sinking, but the next "SAABA" is half of the ballet when it comes out Stand on tiptoe, lift the center of gravity to the chest, and never come down.

Tu Liyuan said that the choreographer created "Skid" was inspired by the Obashi Festival at the Taisha Shrine in Japan. He saw people work together to cut down the trees and pull them up the mountain, and then ride them down the mountain. This became his inspiration. He wanted to present a The work of falling down due to stalling gravity and acceleration highlights the appearance of people becoming very fragile and the desire to survive naturally arises.

Chen Chongxian said that the scaffolding behind the slope of "Skid" has to climb 3 floors. Although the shoes are special shoes worn by Japanese roof repair workers, if you take a wrong step, you will slide all the way to the bottom. When you are nervous and want to save yourself, It's easy to get hurt.

It took a lot of time just to stand on the slope and find a way to control the speed of the fall, but it also allowed me to do things that could not be done on flat ground, subverting the imagination of body mechanics.

As for "SAABA", it was created by the well-known Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal. Her work "Heartbroken Wild Journey" has just been performed in Taipei recently.

Tu Liyuan said that when the choreographer created "SAABA", they did not share any source of inspiration at all, and they danced purely on intuition. Dancers often have to watch the video repeatedly and learn the movements from the details. The more they learn, the more curious they become. What is the core of the action, and finally found that it comes from the deep inner part of the skin, and you will get goose bumps when you jump up.

Chen Chongxian said that "SAABA" is so unique that it is a bit weird, but when the whole dance emerges from the stage, it is super delicate and uniquely beautiful.

From May 19th to 21st at the National Taichung Opera House Grand Theater, please consult Opentix for details.

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