Birdy
In this duet, the female dancer dreams of a life of a bird and the male dancer symbolizes a supporter, a cage, a heart of mirror and a dream. However, in reality, people often feel trapped in their own little bubbles because of different morality, different belief, different ideal, and different responsibility. We say to ourselves that we can’t always follow our heart and do whatever we want to do in order to chase the dream. We are trapped in the cage we build for ourselves.
In this work, the female dancer wears a special head piece called "Ling Zi". Its long pheasant tail feathers often worn on warriors’ helmets in traditional Chinese opera in order to present the warriors’ power and skill. In this duet, "Ling Zi" presents an image of a bird, an extension of inner emotions, a desire to escape from reality. "Ling ZI" swings around as the dancer moves through space to express the real struggles and battle on the inside.
Hung Dance
Hung-Chung Lai is a Taiwanese choreographer and the Artistic Director of Hung Dance. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and graduated from Taipei National University of Arts in 2012. From 2017 to 2018, his work “Birdy” won Audience Award Best Choreography in Tanzplattform Bern, won 3rd prize “32nd International Competition for Choreographers Hanover”, won Audience Award Best Choreography in Masdanza International Dance Festival and in Odoru Akita International Dance Festival, and won 1st prize in Burgos & New York International Choreography Contest. Otherwise, his work “Watcher” won 3rd prize and Critics Award in “31st International Competition for Choreographers Hanover”. From 2015 to 2016, his choreographic work “Watcher” won the 1st prize, while “Stranger”, “Insistence of Beauty” and “Cloud” won special awards from the Ministry of Culture dance competition in Taiwan. In 2016, his work “Cloud” was invited to WDA-AP Korea Dance Festival for a showcase performance. Lai was selected as one of the eight choreographers in the International Young Choreographer Project to create “Insistence of Beauty”. His two other choreographic works, “Colored” and “Stranger”, were both invited to the 2015 WDA-Americas Conference & Festival held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Additionally, during 2012-2018, as a special guest artist, Hung-Chung choreographed “Gravity”, “Distant Light”, “Grim Winter”, “false”, “Light” and “Raining in the room” for the Kaohsiung City Ballet. The first long-time piece “Boundless” was presented in Kaohsiung and Taipei from December, 2018- January 2019.
The piece has been performed at:
Korea, Seoul, 2018.10 Korea, Goyang, 2018.09 Swissland, Bern, 2018 .07 Spain, Festival Cadiz en Danza, Festival Lekuz Leku Festival, Trayectos Festival, La Mutant, espai d’arts vives 2018.07
- Company
- Hung Dance
- Coreography
- Hung-Chung LAI
- Dancer
- I-Han CHENG, Chueh-Kai KUO
- Lighting
- Hung-Chung LAI
- Music
- Awe by Roger Goula
- Costume
- Hung-Chung LAI
- Supported By
- National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan
- This event was possible thanks to the collaboration of
- DAMSLab - Dipartimento delle Arti - Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna