Adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning song, 12 dancers become the ocean, making the audience feel like they are in an underwater dream
The work had its world premiere this year at the State Theater in Darmstadt, Germany, and will be performed at the National Theater in Taipei for two days this week.
Quick Look
- Taishin Performing Arts Award winner LEE\VAKULYA's dance "Become Ocean" premiered this week (13th and 14th) at the National Theater in Taipei.
- The work is based on John Luther Adams' "Become Ocean" and performed by 12 dancers from the Hessian Contemporary Dance Company in Germany.
- It explores the relationship between man and nature.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
"Becoming Ocean" is a work by Taishin Performing Arts Award winner LEE\VAKULYA. It had its world premiere at the State Theater in Darmstadt, Germany this year and returned to Taiwan for two consecutive days at the National Theater in Taipei this week.
"Becoming the Ocean" makes the audience feel like they are in a water dream. (Photo by Lin Xuanlang, provided by the National People’s Congress)
[Reporter Ling Mei-Xue/Reporting from Taipei] "Becoming the Ocean", the work of Taishin Performing Arts Award winner LEE\VAKULYA (Lee Ching-wei, Fakua Zotan), had its world premiere at the Staatstheater Darmstadt in Germany this year to full rave reviews. It returned to Taiwan this week and will premiere at the National Drama Theater in Taipei today and tomorrow (13th and 14th).
"Become Ocean" is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning work "Become Ocean" by American composer John Luther Adams. The original music not only depicts the beauty of nature, but also reflects on global climate change. The layers of stacking, advancement and return in music have become important clues for the development of dance by LEE\VAKULYA. 12 dancers from the Hesse Contemporary Dance Company in Germany are gathered together to think about the relationship between man and nature starting from the ocean through solo dances and group dances.
The dance work combines dance, installation, costume and lighting to shape the space and vision of the stage through different creative media. What's special is that the work does not directly transform music into concrete "waves", but transforms the structure and energy of music into the body language of dancers: 12 dancers sometimes move individually, sometimes gather in groups, switching between water-like softness and ice-like tight body states, turning the ocean music into vitality on the stage. Some people describe it as "like being in a dream", others feel "being underwater", as if "becoming the ocean"
Open Questions
- Specific ticket prices and ticket purchase methods for Taipei sessions
- Is there any follow-up tour plan for the work?
