Compass
Magazine, October 2002
 |
Avant-garde
Oriental audio-visual ¡V¡¥Standing Stationary Posture¡¦
Edited by Rachel
Chiu, translated by Tiger Yang |
The Ultimate Body-Energy Dance Group is the pride of Taichung
fans of dance and art, as the first professional modern
dance group in the city, not to mention one of Taiwan's
most representative groups. Since its founding, it has performed
over 200 shows in Malaysia, the United States, Australia
and France and is well known on the international stage.
Clearly, Taichung's only professional modern dance group
has gained worldwide approval.
Group
founder and general director Chi-Chih Shih has devoted himself
to the "New Oriental Body Style" since he returned
from abroad. On May 5, the group's newly-released 2002 show,
"Standing Stationary Posture" will debut. This
new work has combined movies and computer science, Chinese
regimen concepts and Oriental martial arts, ensuring that
it will provide a shocking, sensory experience for the audience.
| "Standing
Stationary Posture", also named "Regimen Posture",
is the basic method for positioning one¡¦s waist and
legs in martial arts. It provides an easy-to-do, motionless
exercise to forge the body and mind, as well as prepare
the beginner to enter the field of Chinese "chi-gong".
The choreographer uses the name "Standing Stationary
Posture" to refer to root searching and to contrast
kinetics¡¦ "Losing and Gaining Balance" in
Western modern dance, thus developing a new vocabulary
for Oriental dance. |
 |
In
designing his visual presentation, Chi-Chih Shih has brought
his fine arts background, creativity and talents into full
play with his stage design, which applies computer synthesis
techniques to mesh a chart of acupuncture points with the
dancer¡¦s body, in order to symbolize the Oriental image
of the human body. Such a technique is also considered a
pioneering work in Taiwan.
 |
As
for musical material, there is aboriginal and ancient
folk music from Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and other Asian
native cultures. In addition, it includes modern musical
works which for Oriental musical instruments as well
as traditional Chinese opera's "thirteen sounds".
Various sounds are produced by beats from different
directions and body parts, to form variable styles in
an avant-garde Oriental dance dialogue. Moreover, "Five-Flower"
and "Cloud-Hand" are a new dance vocabulary
inspired by Oriental martial arts to create a modern
sense of beauty. Using "Push-Hand", "Exchange-Blow",
"Multiple Exchange-Blow" and several movements
in Judo and Hochido for a mixed visual presentation,
the performance also creates a new style in the "Oriental
Skills of Touching". |
This
international work has won the approval of art festival
judges in France, the Netherlands, and Russia. Its avant-garde
style will bring audiences a brand-new impressions of the
Orient. In doing so, the Ultimate Body-Energy Dance Group
is an ambassodor of Taiwanese body art from Taichung to
the world.
Debut
performance:
2002/10/5 (Sat), 7:30 pm, 10/06, 3 pm Chung Shan Hall, Taichung
Tour:
2002/10/19 (Sat), 7:30 pm Art Performance Hall, Culture
Bureau, Nantou county government
2002/10/27 (Sun), 7:30 pm Performance
Hall, Taichung Harbor Area Art Center, Taichung County
2002/12/18 (Sat), 7:30 pm Art
Building, Culture Center, Chunli
2002/01/04 (Sat), 7:30 pm Performance
Hall, Culture Bureau, Miaoli county
Price:
Taichung NT$300.400.500.600; Nantou NT$100;
Taichung County, Chungli, Miaoli NT$250
Sponsor:
Ultimate Body- Energy Dance Group
Information:
Ultimate Body- Energy Theatre 04-2205-0140
Tickets available via Yuen-Chi
Ticket System
