Taiwan’s legendary street stories come to life with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s ‘13 Tongues’
With training in meditation, internal martial arts, modern dance, and ballet manifesting in its choreography, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan transforms ancient aesthetics into a modern celebration of motion.
The contemporary dance company makes its Southwest Virginia debut, performing “13 Tongues” — a work inspired by the vibrant street life of Taipei that celebrates Taiwan’s multicultural identity — at the Moss Arts Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
As a child in the 1980s, Cloud Gate Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung contributed to the family business by helping his father sell slippers on the streets of Bangka/Wanhua, the oldest district of Taipei. Bangka was known for its vibrantly diverse and bustling street scene that embraced religious and secular life, rich and poor, work and play, and legal and illegal activities. The young Cheng was transfixed by his mother’s accounts of the legendary 1960s street artist and storyteller known as “Thirteen Tongues,” who used the streets of Bangka as his informal stage.
It was said that “Thirteen Tongues'' could conjure up all the Bangka characters — high and low born, sacred and profane, men and women — in the most vivid, dramatic, and fluently imaginative narratives. Cheng’s fascination with “Thirteen Tongues” became his inspiration as he transformed his childhood memories into dance.
Beginning and ending with the sound of a single hand bell, the music accompanying “13 Tongues” ranges from Taiwanese folk songs to Taoist chant to electronica. The stage is awash with projections of brilliant colors, shapes, and images as dancers gather, interact, separate, and regather in a thrilling representation of the clamor of street life. The audience is taken on an immersive journey that recalls the art of “Thirteen Tongues” — through centuries of human endeavor, behavior, and belief.
About Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
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, bringing together his creative works with traditional roots and excitingly innovative perspectives from the digital and globalized world. The company marked its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Cloud Gate has toured worldwide with frequent engagements at the Next Wave Festival in New York, the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, the Moscow Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Russia, the Movimentos International Dance Festival, and the Internationales Tanzfest NRW, directed by Pina Bausch in Germany. Its annual free outdoor performances staged across Taiwan in cities and villages draw a minimum of 30,000 people per performance.
This performance is supported in part by gifts from Ms. Ann Goette and Mr. and Mrs. Howard C. Huang. This tour is made possible in part by grants from the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan). “13 Tongues” is commissioned by National Performing Arts Center-National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei.
Tickets
Tickets for the performance are $25-465 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Venue and parking information
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
