Behind-the-Scenes: Creation of 13 Tongues | Episodes 2, 3, and 4
May 13 – May 23
Free Streaming available on Auditorium Theatre's YouTube and Facebook
Taipei Cultural Center in New York, in collaboration with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, presents "Behind-the-Scenes: Creation of 13 Tongues" video series for the audience around the world in May.
Created by Cloud Gate's Artistic Director CHENG Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍), commissioned by National Theater & Concert Hall (Taipei), 13 Tongues is based on Cheng’s mother’s stories about a street artist in the 1960s named Thirteen Tongues. This legendary story-teller was said to portray multiple roles of all walks of life in Bangka (艋舺), the oldest district in Taipei City, rich with temples, religious rites, and festive parades. In this piece, CHENG transforms his childhood memory of the Taoist rites and bustling street life of Bangka into a fantasy world.
The creative team and dancers of 13 Tongues traveled from Taipei to Pingtung, visited temples, villages and old masters, in the "Behind-the-Scenes: Creation of 13 Tongues", choreographer CHENG Tsung-lung(鄭宗龍), music artist LIM Giong(林強), art design HE Jia-sing(何佳興), lighting design SHEN Po-hung(沈柏宏), projection design Ethan WANG(王奕盛), costume design LIN Bing-hao(林秉豪) talked about their inspirations and artistic concepts.
Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan said, "The conclusion of this behind-the-scenes series is a fantastic look at 13 Tongues, and we look forward to welcoming dance fans to the theatre to watch this beautiful piece in 2022." Director of Taipei Cultural Center in New York Hui-Chun Chang(張惠君) added, "Behind-the-Scenes: Creation of 13 Tongues decrypts the making of a contemporary dance, and introduces the essence of Taiwanese arts and cultures in our daily life. I think it is meaningful that not only presenting Cloud Gate to the international stages, also sharing the rich and diverse cultures of Taiwan with the world".
Photo by LIU Chen-hsiang (劉振祥)