FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 24, 2022) — In 1973, Lin, Hwai-min founded the “Cloud Gate,” the first professional dance company in the whole Chinese-speaking world. At the end of 2019, Lin handed over his artistic leadership to then-Cloud Gate 2 artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung. Cloud Gate has performed many overseas tours and become a frequent visitor to international arts festivals and important theatres with its unique movement language, outstanding dance works, and superb dance skills.
This year, the company restarted its overseas tour, kicking off with performances in the United States after the pandemic. They were invited to perform by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is the Center’s first dance show of the season. As an important performance venue and America’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in the U.S. capital, the the Kennedy Center is also a critical hall of American performing arts, presenting a wide-range of forms of classical and contemporary performing arts, including music, dance, theater, hip hop, jazz, opera, etc.,. In addition to presenting performing arts from across the U.S., it also invites performing arts teams and artists from all over the world to perform.
This overseas performance tour is led by their artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung with his creation 13 Tongues, which transforms his childhood memory of the sights, sounds, and vitality of Bangka — Taipei’s oldest district — into an exquisite fantasy world. On the streets of Bangka in the 1960s, there was a legendary storyteller known as “Thirteen Tongues.” He can portray people from the street life, be it a man or woman, a kid or an elder, by mimicking various voices. 13 Tongues, says Cheng, wants to give these folk landscapes a stage for people everywhere to explore not only Taiwan’s but also their own ancient and cultural memories.
The performance is from Thursday, Oct. 20th to Saturday, Oct. 22nd at 8:00 pm, at the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and its education division plans to hold a Cloud Gate public Masterclass on October 17th, which participants can interact with Cloud Gate company members.Tickets for each performance and the masterclass can be purchase online through: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2022-2023/cloud-gate-dance-theatre/
Preview Video of 13 tongues:
@cloudgatedance will perform “13 Tongues” at @kencen from Oct. 20 to Oct. 22!
Click the link below for tickets and further information:
https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2022-2023/cloud-gate-dance-theatre/
Photo Credit: LIU Chen-Hsiang
Photo Credit: LIU Chen-hsiang
Photo Credit: LEE Chia-yeh
