Taiwan Season 2020 Online Symposium — “Connecting with Taiwan” has finished the third week of its month-long programme.
Donald Hutera started the week off on Tuesday by interviewing Les Petites Choses Production’s vivacious and open-minded founder and choreographer Nai-Hsuan Yang. The interviewed explored the inspiration’s behind the tour-ready production Fighters and its unique approach to retelling the Chinese literary classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. Clips of Fighters were included in the interview, and questions from viewers delved deeper into the performance, as well as its unusual use of narration.
The fifth webinar of Taiwan Season 2020 took place on Wednesday introducing this week’s key speaker, independent artist and curator, River Lin, along with guests Wu-Kang Chen, Artistic Director of HORSE Dance Theatre, Prototype Paradise’s Yoyo Kung and the Head of Program Development for Dance House Helsinki, Faith Tan. Centred on the topic of cross-cultural translation and collaboration in the performing arts, the panel examined the research and artistic process of cultural translation through two different case studies – Yoyo Kung’s Night Market Theatre, which was done in collaboration with the UK’s Joshua Sofaer, and Wu-Kang Chen’s Behalf, which was a collaboration with Pichet Klunchun from Thailand.
Friday saw the week’s second webinar, the sixth of Taiwan Season 2020, once again saw River Lin, this time accompanied by Fist & Cake Production’s Fangas Nayaw, sound artist Chi-Wei Lin, and the Director of MADRE contemporary art museum in Naples, Kathryn Weir. This time, the guest put live art, performance exhibition and expanded choreography into the spotlight, reflecting on their diverse live art experiences, such as Chi-Wei Lin’s Tape Music, Fagas Nayaw’s Masingkiay and River Lin’s My body is a queer history museum.
With the third week of Taiwan Season 2020 wrapping up, next week will see the final artist interview and webinars of the month. On Tuesday, Hsiu-Wei Lin of Tai Gu Tales Dance Theatre will be put in the hot seat to talk about the tour-ready The Back of Beyond. Next Wednesday and Friday’s webinars will be focusing on topics regarding indigenous performing arts, both in Taiwan and internationally.
To stay up to date with Taiwan Season 2020, follow the official facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/taiwanseasonfringe