Waking dreams or Watching the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.
A DVD of Bamboo Dream arrived from Netflix today and I have viewed it three times already. For those of you who pan netflix do be advised it has a superior collection of documentaries and performing arts films. Yes, I know that one waits forever to receive new releases, but high art awaits your summons.
I saw Wild Cursive at Cal Performance two years ago and would dearly like to see Bamboo Dream live. Artistic Director and Choreographer Lin Hwai-min's esthetic exploration of the bitter symbolism of the bamboo evokes pristine beauty and pathos. It speaks to the tragic and temporal nature of human life and the constant movement of the psyche.
The evergreen Chinese bamboo survives even the bitterest of winters thus symbolizing integrity and also representing elegance. Bamboo plays a role as metaphor in many ancient tales. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants and the delicate and constant movement of the dancers evokes this mysterious process.
Before even the lyrical dream sequences representing the seasons are over, an entire new forest of bamboo has arisen around heart and soul. In my Western interpretation it is difficult to decide if the rapid and amorphous movement is the protection or the dense forest that results. As spirits of a bamboo netherland, dancers create and recreate haunted landscape and ancient history before our eyes. The dancers of Cloud Gate benefit from the ideas and concepts of collectivity and perform as one breath. Arvo Part's paens to the mythology surrounding bamboo in Asia is perfectly expressive of Hwai=min's concept.
Each of the dancers in this ensemble are qualified to be a danseur/ballerina. Put them all together and voila. you have Cloud Gate Theater of Taiwan dancing for Princess Haiku. Of note also is the flute improvisations of Chinest flute player Huang Sheng-Kai. I am going to check youtube so check my video player, right side of blog.
Here is a great review:
From the initial strains of an unearthly Chinese flute, played by a solitary wanderer on a stage forested with bamboo trees, Bamboo Dream promises to be a mystical work of exquisite beauty. Using an intoxicating array of styles, choreographer Lin Hwai-min has created a piece which seamlessly marries the grace of classical ballet with the drama of traditional Asian gesture and the self-discipline of martial arts
Reviewer is Nina Miall.
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