The 71-year-old legendary dancer-cum-choreographer Liao Mo-shi is returning to the stage in a performance Nov. 28 at Tainan Municipal Cultural Center in southern Taiwan.
Born in 1944, Liao choreographed her first dance at age 13 and created 400-plus works in genres such as ballet, modern and jazz during her 42-year career. Osteoarthritis forced her to walk away from the spotlight in 1999.
“While teaching my students over the past years, I felt like my enthusiasm for dance was ignited again,” Liao said. “The call was so strong that I decided to follow in the footsteps of my mentor Tsai Jui-yueh and Martha Graham.” Tsai was a contemporary dance trailblazer in Taiwan while Graham was a U.S. master who continued dancing until the age of 78.
Well-known for experiments that bring together elements of literature, music and fine art, Liao also incorporates local cultural aspects into her choreography.
Staged with members of Liaomoshi Dance Theater, her comeback piece “Blossom of Phoenix Flowers” was inspired by the poems of Taiwan literati Lin Heng-tai and Tsai Hsiu-chu. Also to appear in the show is Hsieh Ming-yu, the winner of Best Hokkien Male Singer at the 2013 Golden Melody Awards, who is set to sing before the opening of the performance.
“Dances are like the annual blossoming of phoenix flowers. We dancers devote all efforts to delivering the best and most splendid performances, and then continue practicing tirelessly while waiting for another chance to shine on the stage,” Liao said.
Committed to passing the torch to the next generation, Liao futher cooperates with famed choreographer Lin Yu-jing and young talents Lin Yi-pin and Hsieh Pei-shan, both members of the WeArt Performing Arts Platform founded by Liao in 2008. The theater combines creative concepts from the stars of three generations and is certain to offer exciting performances, according to Liao.
Founded in 1990, the Liaomoshi Dance Theater produces a large dance piece every year, and was selected to receive grants from the Ministry of Culture in 2011 and 2012.
