Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

Flow stands as a conclusive work for the experiments of Taipei Dance Circle’s “Baby-oil series” for years, and shows the respectable unflagging spirit of its creator.

From early patterned gymnastics to the body-mind-soul exploration now, dancers’ fluent movements in Flow reveal the interior landscape of spirituality.

Dialogues among movement, music, and space abound within, while choreographic intentions illustrate themselves with the help of lighting design. And the dancers are excellently trained. Flow is a highly artistic and skillful piece.

Artwork Introduction

After a two-year hiatus, Taipei Dance Circle’s world-original modern dance in the baby oil series returns with a new work, Flow. The name was chosen because of certain qualities of opposition within the body, such as the crossing movement made when people walk. The left brain controls movement on the right side of the body and the right brain controls movement on the left side of the body. So, the natural order of the universe is to have this cross-flow and exchange. Flow, this new work alludes to the universal elements of wind, fire, earth, air and other elements, as well as to the human ability to move.

Flow exudes the five natural elements of earth, water, wind, air and fire, their close connection with the Taoist concept of the body, their interplay and evolution. This dance is enhanced by the seminal composition of Lee Tai-Hsiang: Moving in Orbit: Three Pieces, Flow, Tranquility in the Bosom of May, and the percussion piece The People.

About the Artist

Every year since its inception in 1984 until today, Taipei Dance Circle has introduced new works while expanding the horizons of modern dance in Taiwan. In recent years, the company has performed at festivals and conducted artistic exchanges in Tokyo, New York, Germany, Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Singapore, South Korea and elsewhere.

In 1997, the company was awarded the prize for Creativity in the Performing Arts by Germany’s Ludwig Foundation. Taipei Dance Circle has also been chosen as the closing performance for the 10th Annual Prague International Dance Festival in 1998, the opening act at the 2nd Guangzhou International Experimental Theatre Festival, and the showcase act at the 2000 International Arts Festival in Singapore. The company places great importance on international artistic exchange and accordingly has helped bring worldwide attention to Taiwan’s dance community.

Beginning in 1992, Taipei Dance Circle choreographer Liou Shaw-lu has introduced Chinese Qigong, Tai Ch’i, Zen and his concept of “Chi, Body and Mind” into his dance, generating positive accolades from critics and audience alike. In 1998, Liou Shaw-lu received the Taiwan’s National Artists Award for his years of contribution to the arts. In Taiwan’s diverse, ever-changing dance community, Taipei Dance Circle has been hailed for its creativity and strong potential, qualities that have been recognized by the international arts world.

Show-Lu Liou

Founder, artistic director and choreographer of the Taipei Dance Circle, has been able for several years to express the unspeakable in an extreme simplicity and sobriety.

By his dances in their incomparable style, he has constructed an innovative body of work, notably by coating baby oil on both the stage and the almost naked bodies of his dancers, so that nothing hinders the movement of the dancing, where elements of Qigong, Tai Ch’i, Zen are combined, he brings also his philosophy of “Ch’i, Body and Mind” into dance. Since 1992, the works of baby oil series been presented are Olympics、Oil Painting、Ode to a Paramecium、Black Tide、Faults and in 2002, he created Flow.

Production Team

Choreographer :  Show-Lu Liou

Rehearsal Master : Wan-Rung Yang

Composer :  Tai-Hsiang Lee

Lighting Designer :  Kuo-Yeng Fang

Costume Producer :  Guan-Ying Lee

Dancers :  Hsien-Ping Wang, Chi-Yen Yang, Chao-Ching Yu, Chia-Chun Tsai, Chi-Chen Chen, etc.