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There were a couple of times today, as I sat watching a hoard of young and mainly Asian hopefuls in one of the studios in the dance department buildings on the campus of TNUA (Taipei National University of Arts), when just I couldn’t help thinking about A Chorus Line. If you know your iconic American [...] The blog is live, the artists have arrived and dance writer Donald Hutera has been posting his observations of the first hours of ArtsCross Taipei 2011. In the coming hours, days and weeks the academics will join the artists at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) to undertake the observations, discussions and writing [...] 
Temperature: 35°C (in the shadow) Humidity: 87% The phrase of the day: ni hao! Ni hao ma? // Hello, how are you? Today has been a very exciting day for everyone involved in the audition process. We had a group of about 90 dancers from Taiwan, mainland China (a few from America), all eager to [...] I’m enjoying that lovely sense of relief at having started… There seems to me to be two such distinct phases of making a piece of dance: The weeks, perhaps months, of preparation — gathering ideas, finding music, refining ideas, finding better music, forgetting ideas etc. etc. all suddenly changes the moment you step into the [...] Today marked the first day of rehearsals for the 10 choreographers involved in the ArtsCross Project here in Taipei. After months of organizing, planning, worrying, negotiating, exchanging, and brainstorming, ArtsCross Taipei finally unfolds with what feels like a natural, comfortable, and invigorating jolt of energy. To begin with a simple note about the community of [...] Somehow, probably in the flurry of my own pre-Taipei existence, I never knew that ArtsCross has a theme. Or if I was told it, I’d forgotten. By theme I mean the phrase that the ten anointed choreographers were given in advance, and upon which they could, if they so chose, base their creation. Two years [...] After observing a few rehearsals today, I began to see the challenges of bilingual verbal communication as well as emerging intricacies and complexities of interpretation. I also noticed the patience required and employed to deal with the accompanying frustrations in imparting desires, questions, expectations or ideas to someone who does not speak your native tongue. [...] I wonder what kind of dreams I’ll have tonight. I’ve stroked the head of a fish. A carp, or koi in Japanese, I think. It looked like a huge pale goldfish. This was at Chun Tan (someone please correct me if that’s wrong), the oldest of the 52 hot springs in the lush hills above [...] 
Temperature: 36°C Humidity: 72% Words of the day: Wo, ni, ta, women, nimen, tamen // I, you, she/he, we, you, they I have decided not to use a translator in the rehearsals. My departing point is the same as when I choreograph in England: direct verbal and physical contact with the dancers. But obviously [...] I began the observation day by watching Alexander Whitley’s rehearsal; it’s amazing how much can be accomplished in so little time. The problem with observing is how easily one gets sucked into a particular room. I was quite mesmerized in Alex’s group space. I began free writing and thought I could share with you (the [...] I spent yesterday [Thursday, August 4, that is] on the spotless TNUA campus, dipping in and out of the afternoon and evening studio sessions in the dance department, taking notes about what I was observing, having tiny verbal exchanges (plus one good talk) and thinking. For instance, there’s blogging to consider. I guess I’m not [...] This is a continuation of my last posting about Thursday’s studio sessions. Prior to the evening block I sat with Bula, whom Mr. Lin of Cloud Gate called ‘one of our babies’ because of his history as a TNUA student, a Cloud Gate dancer and then resident choreographer of Cloud Gate 2. Bula is also, I was told, a ’prince among men’ within his aboriginal tribe (one of 14 in Taiwan, I gather) because [...] This first week has been busy and exhausting (in a satisfying way). It has also been a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it week too, but I guess time does fly when there’s art to be done, certainly as far as choreographing is concerned. Making dance is so complex, and I seem to always forget this when embarking on a creation! I came here all excited about exploration, meeting new people, experiencing a new city, [...] ‘Tis my last day here in Taipei. I’ve just come from a walk up to the back entrance of the TNUA campus and the little-seensculpture park that’s there, along with a view (if you go right to the top and a wooden platform) to the sea at…Danshui? No one around but egrets and a few [...] It’s nearing 3am and I’m of at least two minds: whether to lie down for half an hour or force myself to stay awake so that Im ready and ’alert’ (ha!) when my ride to the airport arrives at 4am. Goodbye o college dorm room I never before had! Goodbye o fish called Wanda! We [...] 
Taipei from the guest house at the University (TNUA) © Avatâra Ayuso
Temperature: 34°C Humidity: 74% (windy) The phrase of the day: nimen yao cha ma? // would you like some tea? Had you ever had the experience of eating a hot pot? (in mandarin…). Every one seats around the [...] I joined the group of BDA dancers, BDA choreographers, UK choreographers, and others on the voyage to the National Palace Museum, a hot pot dining excursion, and a Taiwanese musical at the National Theater this past Saturday. On that day, as well as this, I realized how much we all can sense truth and imitation [...] Random thoughts on Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: a research note on dance observation and magic in dance. Kham, Studio 5, 7–8pm 08.08.2011 Walk in. Take off shoes. Sit on floor. Open a sheaf of papers. (Something like a notebook.) Appear watchful, studious. Hold papers. Look at papers. Shuffle pages. Bring face close. Closer. Flex [...]
In the relationship between questions and practice we are not in a linear progression, more of a mobius strip. For me, questions open up the wider field. Key to phenomenological enquiry (description, curiosity, interdependent relational process, embodied here and now experience) is the ability to acknowledge how our immediate interactions are affected by our [...] On laboratories, microbes and microdevelopment Yen-Fang, Studio 5, 4–6:30pm, 08.08.2011 “Shall we come back to work,” Yen-Fang asks sweetly but it is not a question. The dancers had been working more or less consistently on solo material for about two hours and were returning from a short break. “When doing your own exploration,” Yen-Fang begins [...] I walk into the studio and Yen Fang is working with three men. Two men are mirroring each other’s movement, in close contact, facing each other but not touching, perceiving each other with all senses. The third man is moving on the ground between them, like a Golam figure seeking attention, twisting and turning, arching [...] I’m finally coming up through the fug of jet-lag this morning, and having promised myself not to return to old topics, am now, of course, immediately doing so. Something that has struck me over the last day and a bit of watching, thinking and talking, is how often the question of feeling has arisen, either as part of something a choreographer wanted a dancer to do or show (i.e. more of), or of something I wanted to see. [...] Wait a second. Keep waiting. Pause. Pause…Don’t move, Don’t speak, Don’t think. No Questions, No Answers. That’s ‘real’ uncertainty. The ‘Pre’ Space. The dirty, lingering moment prior to a clean form. Stay with it. Float in the air there. Stop, I mean completely stop. Breathe. Close your eyes and engage with the whirls of voices, languages, gestures, breaths within the universe of which you are temporarily inhabiting. What [...] Back to it today, and after some time this morning wondering what it was all about — what it was for, who am I to say such things &c. — I found myself really wondering (a lot) about looking. Most of those wonderings wander too much for any sort of post right now, but they [...] Bular sits cross-legged on the ground – still. Surrounding him his dancers move with extreme speed and strength. Bular’s presence is grounding, a still point within a whirl of energy. Bular holds the space, contains the energy around him. I sense that if he were to join the dancers in speed and movement, the energy in the room would become chaotic, clashing, confused, and frantic. Concentration would become tension. Or perhaps, like the door [...] Alexander, Studio 7, 3:30–5:30pm, 08.09.2011 For the afternoon round of rehearsals, I must have carried with me a contemplative state of body-mind, a residual from an earlier yoga class. I felt serene in Studio 7. The recognizable studio theater multipurpose space – with its black Marley over wood floor, trussed curtains, hanging lights, and racked [...] Bulareyaung, Studio 5, 7–9pm, 08.09.2011 If I carried with me an emerging sort of seriousity from Studio 7, it was dispelled immediately upon contact with the Studio 5 floor. No sense of tranquility here. Action, action, action permeated the room. A male dancer spun like a top; another flew through the air; a couple grappled [...] If last week felt rushed this week is a crazy scrabble to structure structure structure. In the the 3 hours of evening studio time I’m having to be extra vigilant with my time keeping, decision making and organization of what takes priority for each rehearsal. This is hard for me since I function badly in [...] 
As all the other choreographers, I’m starting to find a coherent choreographic structure. Still I don’t have a title. Here are some of my notes: #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } Notebook page Notebook page Material created so far Zhang Jianmin, Studio 7, 3:30–5:30pm, 08.10.2011 I salute our scholarly community! It’s the fourth day of observation and blogging and I have neither seen nor heard peep of the word “empathy.” Yes, really. If the word evokes a certain kind of emotion in you (revulsion, say), then you will be forgiven. I certainly have suffered [...] Yesterday on my first visit of rehearsals I witnessed various modes of creative practice/performance-making. Each work I have seen seems well on its way, in some of them the performance material has already been established and choreographers are now working on fine-tuning. Other processes seem still more ‘open’ for some development of new material. In [...] Before I sit down to observe the choreographers, dancers, scholars, and other observers, I slowly, somewhat timidly open the door as not to disturb those in the room. I feel like there should be a welcome mat. I self-consciously tip toe into the doorway and slip my shoes off as a sign of respect to both the space and the people — a very important ritual. I see [...] I’d meant to write so much more, but this process has been more consuming than I’d imagined it to be. Today was my last day of scheduled rehearsals – needless to say I’ve arranged some extra time for tomorrow to do some last gasp alterations! What a whirlwind….. I feel like I’ve only just started [...] August 12th I am attempting to enter inclusively into each studio process, noting my response to what is happening. And from this embodied sensation, to describe what I see. Alexander: The atmosphere in this studio is cool, gentle, English. I feel the space between my shoulders and my neck. Alexander creates space. And he has [...] I’m something of an interloper here, as my background is one in the theatre, rather than dance. That said, I’ve worked as a performer in dance contexts, and continue to do so, as well as watching a good deal of it – perhaps more even than works which might more recognizably be the province of a theatre studies academic. Historically, the two arts have not always been quite as bifurcated as they might like to think. The Natyasastra [...] On Saturday night, a group of us academics interrupted our intellectual ruminations to venture out to the popular “Shilin Night Market.” At some point during the evening, after some refreshing Taiwanese beer, Martin interrupted a story he was telling to say, “… you see, because Paul and are aren’t really theater academics in the traditional [...] A discussion has arisen about the use of the term ‘devising’ and its various possible functions and applications in each of the very different dance-making processes we are witnessing here. I am sharing a (short and slightly modified) section of my previous research as part of my PhD thesis which might be of interest here: [...] Avarata, Studio B402, 6:50–8:50, 08.10.2011 Avarata assumes a commanding, roving presence in rehearsal. When I walk in, she is working intensively on a lifting sequence designed, it seems, to explore the upper reaches of imagination through physical exertion. In fact, the entire time I observe, the upper realm is alive with bodies and movement motifs that go up, up, up into thin air. Two girls lift a boy repeatedly, [...] http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/video/2011/aug/15/edinburgh-ballet-china-peony-pavilion-video On Saturday, we had the photo-shooting to get the picture that might represent our choreography in the evening program. I found this as a very difficult task: how can you find the ”right” image that gives a sense of what the concept of your piece is?. Can an image say more than hours of rehearsals, [...] August 15 Watching studio process today I find myself again curious about difference — different dancing bodies. I am not interested here to make comparisons between ROC or PRC dancers, so much as to note what I observe in the studios. (And it would be interesting to have UK dancers here too, to throw into [...] I have been pondering a while about the ready use of the term the ‘other’ in the present context of the gathering of Chinese, Taiwanese and UK-based choreographers as well as academics including the US. My sense is that beyond the institutional curriculum differences of each training institution that is involved here (which are arguably not representative of whole countries), I am looking here at ‘expert practices’ (Susan Melrose), which actually provide ground for something ‘shared’ and ‘common’, [...] Of all the choreographers in the Artscross project, the longest gap between sessions I’ve been able to witness, has been with Yu Yen-Fang’s work. It was with a real sense of anticipation that I went into the studio yesterday morning. The group were arranged in three rough lines, making jerking, shoving movements, their bodies twisting [...] Two dancers in Alex Whitley’s Rehearsal last week, unaware of their similar stance in waiting….a nice image of the project’s theme…
Although I haven’t been to Taiwan before, many things appear familiar from Singapore, where I live. There are similarities in the stuff of the places – food, materials, visual environment, humidity – as well as how people move around and interact in them. No doubt I’m missing some significant differences – what historical [...] Thanks to all concerned for a wonderful session just now, the first meeting between the academics from the BDA, TNUA, the UK and the USA. It was a fascinating and deeply rewarding discussion. Below is the brief summary of themes from the previous Friday’s meeting which I addressed at the beginning the session: Intercultural politics [...] 2011 ArtsCross Choreographers’ Interviews by LIN Yatin Aug. 4–5, 2011 TNUA College of Dance Series of Transcripts of Choreographers Interviewed in Chinese* Part. 1 of 7 Ms. Yao Shu-Fen (Taipei) Aug. 4, 2011 Q: What do you expect [...] Aug. 4, 2011 @ TNUA Interviewer: Lin Yatin II. Bulareyaung Pagarlava (Taipei) Q: What do you expect from ArtsCross? What ideas do you wish to portray in your work? A: Usually, if I learn of a future project when I’m already working with another project on hand, my mind will already begin to anticipate what [...] Aug. 5, 2011 (Fri.) @ TNUA Interviewed by Lin Yatin English Transcript by Kevin Wang III. Ms. Lai Tsui-shuang (Taipei) Q: What do you expect from ArtsCross? A: Simply to create and present a complete work in such a short time. Of course it would be impossible to make everything perfect given the time available, [...] |
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