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Sydney Dance Company’s Premiere in Kaohsiung The First Performance of Lux Tenebris and Full Moon in Asia
Marking Sydney Dance Company’s first visit to Kaohsiung since establishment and second visit to Taiwan, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) will be presenting the classic performance of Lux Tenebris and Full Moon on the 3rd and 4th of November. Lux Tenebris is choreographed by Rafael Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company. Lux Tenebris explores the themes of light and darkness by integrating intense body movements, the deep rhythms of electronic music, and changes in stage lighting. Cloud Gate 2’s artistic director Cheng Tsung-Lung was invited by Sydney Dance Company to design the choreography of Full Moon, making this the first collaboration between Sydney Dance Company and Asian choreographers. Inspired by the full moon, which represents wholeness, Cheng combines the meaning of the moon from different cultures on stage, creating this intercultural presentation of the imagery of completeness.
During his visit to Taiwan, artistic director Rafael Bonachela stated: “This is my first visit to Taiwan. I saw pictures of Weiwuying while I was in Australia but was still stunned by the design of the architecture, as well as the enthusiasm and friendliness of the space. Sydney Dance Theater will be presenting two works during our visit, one of which is Full Moon, choreographed by Cheng Tsung-Lung. I have known Cheng for a long time, and I am honored that he is willing to be the choreographer for Sydney Dance Theater. Another work is Lux Tenebris, choreographed by me. I hope viewers will be able to experience the passion, energy, and beauty of Sydney Dance Company through these two works.”
Full Moon is Sydney Dance Company’s first collaboration with Asian artists throughout their 50 years of history. Rafael Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company, was deeply touched by Cheng Tsung-Lung’s Blue Hour and Beckoning for Cloud Gate 2 and contacted Cheng about creating works for Sydney Dance Company. Cheng stated that: “I was very excited when I received the invitation from Sydney Dance Company. This rare opportunity allows integration between Eastern and Western cultures, which reminds me how people gather and dine together at full moons. Inspired by this idea, I started searching for myths that are related to full moons from different cultures and displayed the different imaginations of the moon god from different cultural backgrounds. The different dancers each represent different cultures; together, they form a full moon.” Lim Giong, the winner of the Cannes Film Festival Soundtrack Award, was invited to compose for Full Moon; this is the second time Cheng has worked with Lim Giong, the first being 13 Tongues. As for costume design, fashion designer Fan Huai-Chih created works that combined the minimalist style of Zen into the works for their first collaboration, giving the dance poetic imagery through a variety of materials and fabrics.
Through Sydney Dance Company’s Lux Tenebris and Full Moon at Weiwuying, audiences are presented with powerful Western performance styles and the subtle qualities of Eastern dance. This contrast in presentation also allows viewers to realize the ability of dance to transcend nations and interpret the universal language of emotions. Join Weiwuying for this exciting event and experience the beauty of dance.