Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist
Comments from the Review Committee：Eastern Current－WHITEWATER SKY fuses modern dance, Chinese martial arts and Beijing opera, presenting a rich and ingenious performance.  This is a dance performance of integrated structure, grandiose staging, smooth pacing and unique ambiance.  An appropriate alternation of solos, duets and group pieces enrich the otherwise abstract mode of expression.  Contact improvisation dance techniques result in thrilling, complex interactions between dancers.  The dancers are well trained, perfectly copasetic, and competent in their handling of power and beauty.  The Beijing opera vocals, whether lofty and remote or heroic and sad, foster spiritual reverberations that go beyond physical dynamics.  In regard to visuals, a suspended double-sided mirror and rakish chevalier costume suggest a martial arts aesthetic that is not only spiritual and mysterious, but also bold and chivalrous.  Among Taiwanese fusion works, Eastern Current－WHITEWATER SKY stands apart in the realm of dance creation.  (By Te-hai CHEN)