Press Release: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's stunning tribute to pilgramage returns to Sadler's Wells

[Jan McNulty]

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

Songs of the Wanderers
Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN
Wednesday 4 - Saturday 7 May 2016
Performances at 7.30pm 
Tickets: £12 - £38
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

Acclaimed for its exquisite choreography and unique fusion of ancient and modern traditions, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan returns to Sadler’s Wells on Wednesday 4 - Saturday 7 May with Songs of the Wanderers, a visually stunning tribute to pilgrimage inspired by the story of Siddhartha’s quest for enlightenment, among other elements of Asian spiritual practices.

Choreographed by the company’s founder and artistic director Lin Hwai-min, and set to a soundtrack of soulful Georgian folksongs sung by the Rustavi Choir, this work creates a sense of intense reverence and sees ancient rites transformed into resonant dance theatre. While distinctly Asian in its imagery, the work has powerful relevance far beyond any geographic boundary.

 

Songs of the Wanderers has toured to more than 20 countries and been acclaimed a masterpiece at festivals and theatres worldwide. The imagery of the work finds root in Lin Hwai-min’s memories of his visit to Bodhgaya, the site of Buddha’s attainment of nirvana. These images include the Bodhi tree under which Prince Siddhartha sat, the grove in which he lived hermetically for six years, and the Neranjra River which he finally crossed. The result is a work about asceticism, the mildness of the river and the quest for quietude. 

The spiritually evocative movements of the choreography find life on an astonishing set, involving over three tonnes of shimmering golden grains of rice creating rivers, hills and deserts, storms and waterfalls. Upon this striking landscape, dancers in ragged clothing move slowly on their pilgrimage, while one monk stands in a corner of the stage throughout the performance with a stream of rice grains showering down onto his head. 

Founded in 1973, and named after the oldest known dance in China, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan was the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese speaking community. Its 24 dancers receive training in meditation, qi gong (an ancient form of breathing exercise), internal martial arts, modern dance, ballet and calligraphy. Through Lin Hwai-min’s choreographies the company transforms ancient aesthetics into thrilling modern celebration of motion.  

Lin Hwai-min, founder and artistic director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, said: “To turn away from the world and become self-reliant is completion of the self. On the bank of the Neranjra River, I realised that Buddha was an ordinary mortal who also endured human confusion and struggle. And the memory of my journey to Budhgaya causes my heart to be overcome with joy – I want to share this joy with the audience of this production.” 


Free post-show talk (BSL interpreted): Wednesday 4 May


NOTES TO EDITORS

Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates.

Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. 

Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England. 

Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate is the name of the oldest known dance in China. In 1973, choreographer Lin Hwai-min adopted this classical name for the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese speaking community. Its 24 dancers receive trainings of meditation, qi gong (an ancient form of breathing exercise), internal martial arts, modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy. Through Lin Hwai-min’s choreographies the company transforms ancient aesthetics into thrilling modern celebration of motion.  

Cloud Gate has toured extensively to venues and festivals all over the world, including the Next Wave Festival in New York, Sadler's Wells and Barbican in London, the Moscow Chekhov International Theatre Festival, the Internationales Tanzfest NRW directed by Pina Bausch, the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

The company performs regular seasons in theatres in Taiwan and also stages annual free outdoor performances in various cities in Taiwan, drawing audiences of up to 60,000 per performance. To perform for grass-roots communities, and to foster young choreographers in Taiwan, Cloud Gate 2 was founded in 1999 and Cloud Gate Dance School was founded in 1998 to bring the joy of dance to students aged 4 to 84.

In 2003, in recognition of Cloud Gate’s contribution to the cultural life of Taipei, the Taipei City Government named Fu-Hsing North Road Lane 231, home of Cloud Gate’s office, as “Cloud Gate Lane.” In 2010, a new asteroid, discovered by National Central University, Taiwan, was named after Cloud Gate. In 2014, celebrated by China Airlines, Cloud Gate’s dance images were featured on the Airlines aircraft livery.

Most of Cloud Gate's productions have been made into videos. Among them, Songs of the Wanderers, Moon Water, Bamboo Dream and Cursive II (now known as Pine Smoke) were filmed in Europe.

Lin Hwai-min
Lin Hwai-min is Founder and Artistic Director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. Heralded as “the most important choreographer in Asia”, Lin often draws his inspiration from traditional Asian culture and aesthetics to create original works with contemporary resonance.

He first became known in his native Taiwan as a critically acclaimed writer. In 1969, at the age of 22 and with two books of fiction published, he went to study in the States and obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa. He also studied modern dance at the University and in New York. Lin Hwai-min founded Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in 1973, the Dance Department at the Taipei National University of the Arts in 1983, and Cloud Gate 2 in 1999. 

In July 2013 Lin received the prestigious Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, following in the footsteps of Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch, and becoming the first Asia-based recipient of this award. Other awards include the Taiwan National Award for Arts, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award, the Best Choreographer award at the Lyon Biennial Dance Festival, the Distinguished Artist Award presented by International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) and the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. Lin has also received honorary doctorates from six universities in Taiwan and Hong Kong. 

In 2005, he was honoured by Time Magazine as one of the “Asia’s Heroes.” In 2013, he was awarded by President Ma Ying Jeou with the First Rank Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon. He is the second artist, after film director Ang Lee, to have been bestowed this highest honour from the government of Taiwan. In 2015, he was honoured with the first Tsai Wan-tsai Taiwan Contribution Award, for his relentless efforts in sharing dance performances with grass-roots audiences.   

Lin Hwai-min has been the subject of full-length television documentaries, including Portraits Taiwan: Lin Hwai-min (Discovery Channel), Floating on the Ground (Opus Arte), and Lin Hwai-Min - Interface Between Worlds (ARTE/ZDF). From 2000 to 2014, he served as the Artistic Director of Novel Dance Series for the Novel Hall for Performing Arts, Taipei, introducing contemporary dance to audiences in Taiwan. Choreographers featured in the series include Eiko and Koma, Meredith Monk, Susanne Linke, Akram Khan, Ea Sola, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Jerome Bel.