Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

Moon Water
Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval
15 e 16 de Junho de 2007
Festival de Sintra

Choreography Lin Hwai-min
Music Selections from Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach
Lighting Design Chang Tsan-tao
Set Design Austin Wang
Costume Design Lin Ching-ju

Duration
70 minutes without intermission

Premiere
November 18, 1998 at National Theatre, Taipei, Taiwan

To the Chinese, Moon Water, or Suei Yuei, is reminiscent of two things.
One is a Buddhist proverb:

“Flowers in a mirror and moon on the water are both illusory.”

The other describes the ideal state of Tai Chi practitioners:

“Energy flows as water, while the spirit shines as the moon.”

Music from Six Suites for Solo Cello performed by Mischa Maiskyused with permission from the copyright owner Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft mbH

About Moon Water
Moon Water is a work by choreographer Lin Hwai-min, premiered by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan on November 18, 1998 at the National Theatre, Taipei, Taiwan.

To the Chinese, Moon Water, or Suei Yuei, is reminiscent of two things. One is a Buddhist proverb: “Flowers in a mirror and moon on the water are both illusory.” The other describes the ideal state of Tai Chi practitioners: “Energy flows as water, while the spirit shines as the moon.”

The choreographer takes departure from these famous quotes to create this work, a poetic rendering of the Taoist philosophy. Moon Water is a study of real vs. unreal, effort vs. effortlessness, yin and yang, and, in the end, a study of time.

As the curtain opens, a man stands alone on stage, looking at a simplified pattern of water, drawn on the black marley floor with white strokes of brush. As the dance proceeds, several mirrors take turns appearing in midair and upstage, reflecting the images of moving dancers and of the pattern on the floor. Towards the end of the piece, water flows onto the floor until the floor itself becomes a huge mirror reflecting dancing bodies. After this, a full-length mirror appears on upstage, reflecting dancers and reflections of their images on the water. Dancers exit. The stage is empty, except for the ripples on the water. Curtain.

This is a black and white production. While the stage floor is covered by black marley, the dancers' costumes are of billowy white silk, which eventually will be soaked by the water, revealing the bodies underneath.

Such are the theatrical settings for Moon Water. The theme of the work, however, is further conveyed by the Tai Chi based dance movements.

Since 1993, Cloud Gate dancers, whose training includes ballet, modern dance and Beijing opera movements, have been practicing meditation and Tai Chi Tao Yin (Tai Chi exercise). While Songs of the Wanderers, which has received rave acclaims from U.S., Australian, European and Scandinavian festivals, is a product of the meditation practice, Moon Water draws from Tai Chi Tao Yin. This discipline, or technique, to be specific, was created by Master Hsiung Wei, a result of his studies and research in several schools of traditional training.

The system involves Tai Chi, Chi Kung and martial arts, with great emphasis on breathing. Movements are initiated from Dan Tien, the center of the torso, and carried out through Chi, or inner energy. After years of training with Master Hsiung, Cloud Gate dancers now move as no other dancers have ever done on stage anywhere. They move organically, and project powerful energy. Their dynamic range flows from the weighty stillness of a stone sculpture, to floating lyricism, to fierce martial art attack. Their movements draw viewers into the cycle of their breathing, often causing shivers of sympathetic excitement.

By directing the dancers towards improvisation while they are in a trance-like state, Lin Hwai-min has spent months, and continues still, to explore the possibilities of developing a language from the techniques of Tai Chi Tao Yin.

For the music of this contemporary work with Tai Chi movement, Mr. Lin has chosen nine movements from J. S. Bach's Suites for Solo Cello. The result is a fascinating encounter of the East meeting the West, rich with surprising beauty.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Taiwan