- Date 2007.10.13
- Venue The Metropolitan Hall
Walk faster!
Shangchi Move Theatre
Artwork Introduction
Shangchi Move Theatre debuted “Walk Faster” on 13 October 2007 at the Metropolitan Hall in Taipei. Based on the idea of fashion runways and the unnatural body movements of the fashion models, “Walk Faster” which was created by the collaboration of two choreographers Sun Shangchi and Frankie Ho and a team of designers examined the notions of beauty, fashion and movement.
Staging is different from other dance performances as “Walk Faster” involves 20 members of the audience to walk on stage to mingle with the performers. The boundaries between spectator and performer then blur. The piece combined a wide variety of eclectic art forms such as dance, installation art, fashion, a live DJ and the hip-hop atmosphere of a night club. Themes such as beauty, perfection and flaws emerge in the work.
When first entering the theatre for the beginning of the performance, the audience encounters a DJ who is playing loud house music. Then as the lights dim, a fashion show of performers who wear imaginative costumes strut and move down the runway. As the performance continues, questions begin to arise, such as does fashion contribute to one’s character and self-identity. Do clothes define us?
In one part, a dancer clad in an extremely shiny silver dress practically blinds the audience by the brilliance of the dress. This is contrasted by a nude dancer who reveals a personality free of fashion, rather than being confined and defined by fashion. The finale contains a trail of dancers clad in a white shirt with the white shirt becoming a ritualistic object that provided a sense of belonging. By using the vocabulary of clothing and fashion, the Shangchi Move Theatre sought to create dance that is accessible and enjoyable to general audiences.
About the Artist
Shangchi Move Theatre was established in 2007 when Germany-based Taiwanese choreographer Sun Shang-chi realized that Taiwan’s dance audience was rapidly shrinking. Sun then returned to Taipei to form Shangchi Move Theatre with the mission to develop exciting dance performances, collaborative art forms and to instill passion for dance within the general public.
Shangchi Move Theatre debuted with “Walk Faster,” a piece commissioned by the Taipei Art Festival as one of its main events and is also nominated for the Taishin Art Awards for 2007.
