The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (PuSh Festival) and TAIWANfest present the Western Canadian premiere of Taiwan’s Legend Lin Dance Theatre in The Eternal Tides, the PuSh Festival’s headline event February 3, 2018 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Renowned choreographer LIN Lee-Chen draws on Taiwanese tribal tradition and ceremonial rite in this monumental contemporary dance work. Inspired by the ocean that encloses her native island of Taiwan, Lee-Chen pays respect to life-giving water in a visually-lush spectacle featuring 18 dancers accompanied by drummer and vocalist.
Adorned in exquisite costumes with striking minimalist sets in the backdrop, the artists of Legend Lin Dance Theatre promise to mesmerize audiences in The Eternal Tides. On stage, a vivid tableau of fabric and silver grass, red-tinted figures and shocks of white, are composed with flair and delicacy. With subtle, hypnotic movement, the dancers create poetry in motion, evoking the ebb and flow of nature and its precariousness in modern life.
Taiwanese folk and Taoist ritual are weaved in The Eternal Tides, among which the mystic legends of the eagle and the ‘White Bird’. Further, Lee-Chen uses symbolism of the seed, which travels via the sea to new lands to take root. A variety of 20 seeds—flower, grain and fruit—are featured as elements of the sets and costumes.
Lee-Chen founded Legend Lin Dance Theatre in 1995. It has since become iconic for its large-scale performances reflective of the unique spirit of Taiwan. Prior to starting this acclaimed dance company, Lee-Chen began garnering attention on the international arts circuit in the 1970s for her immense productions often involving hundreds of artists. Such works have had a marked influence on contemporary Taiwanese art and theatre.
The Eternal Tides is the most recent work by Legend Lin Dance Theatre and its presentation at PuSh Festival is supported by Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and Taiwan Academy.
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and TAIWANfest present: The Eternal Tides
Dates: February 3, 2018 @ 8pm
Ticket prices: From $39
Location: Queen Elizabeth Theatre 630 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5N6
Audience Services: 604.449.6000/ tickets@pushfestival.ca
Website: pushfestival.ca
Photo by Chin Cheng-Tsaii
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