Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist 

Choreographer LUO Wen-Jinn and dramaturg CHEN Hung-Chun’s collaboration, That’s Possible, But Not Now, draws inspiration from Franz Kafka’s short stories. The production unfolds through three interconnected scenes, translating the absurdities and contradictions depicted by Kafka into the creative anxieties and internal conflicts faced by artists. The narrative develops as the scenes shift between the front of a doctor’s office, the courthouse, and an apartment door, delving into the creator’s examination of social injustice and the meaning of one’s life. A large movable door on stage adds subtle symbolic depth to the piece. The dance cleverly incorporates elements of mime into physical expressions, effectively delivering a satirical commentary on human nature through superb dance skills and humorous portrayals of characters. (Commentator: CHEN Pin-Hsiu)

Artwork Introduction

A door to authority, a secret concealed behind a door, a bunch of fools who enter a door in vain, and a life-or-death wait by a door.

The title “That’s Possible, But Not Now” originates from a line in Franz Kafka’s 1914 short story “Before the Law.” While it seems straightforward, it captures the conflict and tension between hope and despair in life, foregrounding the helplessness individuals face within labyrinthine systems. Choreographer LUO Wen-Jinn and dramaturg CHEN Hung-Chun collaborate to embody the absurdities and confusions depicted in Kafka’s work through dance. They present three acts—“In Front of the Clinic,” “Before the Law,” and “The Neighbor”—that highlight the struggles and powerlessness of characters confronted by authority and regulations. Each part serves as a reflection of the contradictions in the human condition, inviting the audience to recognize their own shadows amid the absurdity and discover a deep connection and resonance with their personal life stories through the surreal language of dance.

About the Artist

The Scarecrow Contemporary Dance Company was established in Tainan City by Atayal indigenous dance artist KO Chiu-Mei. Choreographer LUO Wen-Jinn serves as the artistic director, while curator KULO Wen-Chun acts as the production director. Since 2018, the company has been consistently recognized as a “Taiwan Top Performing Arts Group” by the National Culture and Arts Foundation’s “Taiwan Top Performing Arts Group Grant.” The company aims to actively explore collaborations between contemporary dance, other art forms, and theater practices. By uniting exceptional dancers and artists from various parts of the world, they seek to innovate and advance traditional dance choreography, performance concepts, and production models. The company’s creative themes center on observing life, expressing humanity, caring for life, reflecting on experiences, and contemplating society, embodying the cross-disciplinary and experimental spirit of contemporary dance while striving for refined excellence.

Choreographer LUO Wen-Jinn 

LUO Wen-Jinn serves as the artistic director, core choreographer, and performer for the Scarecrow Contemporary Dance Company (SCDC). She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois, USA. She is of mixed Han and Atayal descent and has a remarkable ability to absorb the diverse energies of her environment, translating them into a distinctive body language and creative energy. This enables her to create stylistically captivating and powerful performances that resonate with their surroundings. Rather than following trends, her creative philosophy is rooted in drawing inspiration from literature and philosophy, using dance to reflect the absurdities of life and human nature. Her notable works include The Keyman, which was selected by the Council of Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture) and the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris for the 2011 Off Festival Avignon, and praised by French magazine Reg’Arts as “an astonishing creation.” Other distinguished pieces in her repertoire include Dripping (2015), which was invited by the Hong Kong Dance Company for performances in 2017, as well as various other works inspired by classical literature and demonstrating cogitative and peculiar qualities, such as The Bug (2018), Abyss (2019), Hideout (2021), Figure 7 (2022), and That’s Possible, But Not Now.

Dramaturg CHEN Hung-Chun

CHEN Hung-Chun is a graduate student pursuing her MA in Dramaturgy at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA). She graduated from the TNUA Department of Drama and Tainan Girl’s Senior High School. Specializing in text adaptation and perspective realization, Chen has participated in various theater and dance productions, collaborating with companies such as the Scarecrow Contemporary Dance Company, the Chiayi-based Our Theatre, the Open Theater Group in Taichung, and the Fevervine Dance Theatre from Tainan. Additionally, Chen has been a resident member of the National Theater and Concert Hall’s Artist-in-Residence program, a columnist for the Tainan Arts Festival, and a planner for the Tainan Cultural Center’s 40th Anniversary Forum.

Production Team

Producer: Wen-Chun KuLo

Choreographer: Wen-Jinn Luo

Dramaturg: Hung-Chun Chen

Dancers: Wen-Jinn Luo, Pei-Shan Li, Chia-Yu Ho, Li-Fen Ni, Kai-Lun Meng, Shih-Han Wu, Yi-Chen Lin

Lighting Designer: You Tee

Stage Designer: Chieh-Chi Li

Sound and Music Designer: Enoch Chen

Costume Designer: Kuan-Han Wu

Stage Manager: Shu-Ling Kuo

Photographer: Ren-Haur Liu

Graphic Designer: Winder Chen

Administrative Assistant: Chen Kao

Executive Producer: Yi-Ting Wu

Music Executive: Wei-Jyun Tian

Live recording & post production: Maurice Lai @ HoShunKing Artistic Workshop