About the Program
This short documentary traces choreographer CHENG Tsung-lung’s creative journey as he transforms memories of his birthplace, Bangka—an old Taipei district—into the acclaimed dance work 13 Tongues, performed over 100 times at major festivals and venues worldwide. Drawing from its vivid street life, CHENG explores three key elements: Body, Sound, and Color.
The first episode focuses on “Body,” showing how everyday gestures and movements from Bangka’s streets inspired the choreography. The second episode dives into “Sound,” featuring temple chants, vendor calls, and melodies from southern Taiwanese folk songs to Japanese-era Nakashi music. The final episode highlights “Color,” where neon signs, temple costumes, and urban textures are reimagined as rich stage projections.
Through collaboration with Cloud Gate dancers and designers, CHENG reshapes Bangka’s sensory landscape into a visual and aural fantasy on stage.
Cloud Gate is the name of the oldest known dance in China. In 1973, choreographer LIN Hwai-min adopted this classical name and founded the first contemporary dance company in the greater Chinese-speaking community. In 2020, CHENG Tsung-lung succeeded LIN as the company’s Artistic Director, merging his innovative vision with deep-rooted traditions. His works reflect both the legacy of the past and fresh perspectives shaped by the digital age and global culture. In 2023, Cloud Gate celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Cloud Gate dancers receive training in meditation, Qi Gong (an ancient breathing exercise), internal martial arts, modern dance, and ballet. Through choreography, the company transforms ancient aesthetics into a thrilling, contemporary celebration of movement.
Cloud Gate has toured extensively around the world, with frequent appearances at the Next Wave Festival in New York, Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, the Moscow Chekhov International Theatre Festival, the Movimentos International Dance Festival, and the Internationales Tanzfest NRW directed by the late Pina Bausch in Germany.
International media have praised Cloud Gate as “Asia’s leading contemporary dance theatre” (The Times) and “one of the best dance companies in the world” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
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TAIWANfest Vancouver is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered here, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples of this land while we engage in meaningful conversations of culture and reconciliation.