Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

This straight and simple story effectively merged dance and puppet shows. Though the form of family theatre, both adults and children could visualize the childlike fantasy of the work. Ballet, modern dance, Chinese dance, martial arts, Hip Hop and the mimics of a spider, all these elements constituted the features of various dances that were distinct from the narrative. The choreographic structure was well-rounded, dancers were competent. The mise-en-scene, lighting, costume, and property reinforced the creative ideas in a professional way.

Artwork Introduction

SPIDERINA is the first collaboration work between Dance Forum Taipei and the One & Its Double Theater. Instead of using puppets on stage, the director and choreographer developed the characters and designs of the roles through the elements of puppet. The spirits of ballet, modern, jazz, street dance and even Chinese folks dance were all used in the piece. Well-accompany original music, vivid stage and costume designs, clear story line and well-structured plots all made the piece as an outstanding work for audience at all ages.

For a long time, the children theaters in Taiwan stays in the clich?of either having a host to describe the story or relying on using words only to express the inner feelings of works. SPINERINA successfully creates theatric characters with body movements. The great popularity from the audience in the Experimental Theater, Taipei Children Festival and touring in six cities along Taiwan are the best proof for the creativity and innovation of the work.

About the Artist

"Spiderina" is the resulting brain child of continuous experiment and discussion between Dance Forum Taipei and The Puppet & Its Double Theater, which also marks our collaboration for the first time. Dance, rather than language, is the main media used to interpret each character and the plot. This play breaks the barrier between dance and the puppet show. We are glad to see its huge success among adults and children and people of every walk. Enhancing the depth and creativity of plays catering to both adults and children surely deserves more devotion.

Production Team

Production Company： Dance Forum Taipei