When Wenchung Lin was working on Small Song in 2009, he heard a recording of the famous Nanguan musician Tsai Hsiao-Yüeh playing in a performance invited by a French radio station . Lin was greatly impressed by the unique and expressive singing style of Nanguan. Two years later, WCdance was commissioned by National Theater & Concert Hall to create the work Small Nanguan, which featured the integration of modern dance and Nanguan music, to perform at National Experimental Theatre in 2011.
In Small Nanguan, we neither see a full picture of Nanguan music nor an Eastern theatre in terms of form. Also, it is definitely not a program to promote traditional music. Instead, it is a learning diary of a group of modern dancers. The dance piece presents a wonderul journey of these modern dancers learning Nanguan: they learn the basic music structure, gesture, and dance step of Nanguan, visit Taiwan’s major Nanguan companies, and discuss with masters of traditional music about how they think of “the innovation of the tradition.” The learning process to get acquainted with tradition provides an interesting experience of shock. For the choreographer, the self-doubt or self-reflection of modern people when they are dealing with the disappearing traditional culture is worth more discussion than “what Nanguan really is.”
Lin Ya-Lan, the senior actor of Gang-a-tsui Theater, was invited to join in the production of Small Nanguan. The choreographer has made a brave decision to begin the work with a “Nanguan Cram School,” while the audience is even invited to learn with them and to play with them. In the middle of the work, it touches upon a more serious subject on how modern dance offers a new interpretation to transform the physical movement of Nanguan. In the end, both the dancers and the musicians start in turn to sing “Nanguan Karaoke.” The strong conflict between the classic music structure and the modern form humorously highlights the various challenges the young generation faces when dealing with the withering traditional art.
The choreography of Small Nanguan makes “discordance” an honest reflection of Nanguan in a contermporary society, echoing how helpless the modern people feel about tradition. Nanguan music is unique to the Taiwanese culture. Performers and audience thus have to confront the question of “who we are,” finding the fine line between a perfect answer and the lack of answer, or, between cultural heritage and daily reality.
After the success of Small Nanguan, it was soon invited to perform at Festival/Tokyo in 2012 as the very first Taiwanese company to make a presence at the art festival.
REVIEW
"With Small Nanguan, Lin Wen-chung has crafted another gem for his WCdance company's repertoire － a finely nuanced, yet playful melding of modern dance and traditional nanguan music. "
~ Taipei Times 2011.5.23
ARTICLES
Premiere Date: May 20,2011
Performance Venue: National Theater/ Experimental Theater
Choreography: Wen-Chung Lin (Dancer)
Assistant creator: Ya-Lan Lin
Collaborative editor: Nai-Wen Lin
Stage & Lighting Designer: Tzu-Yen Huang
Costume Designer: Yu-Fen Tsai
Graphic Designer: David Lai
Photographer: Chang-chih Chen
Video Image Producer: Wen-Chung Lin
Dancers: Wen-Chung Lin, Ya-Lan Lin, Yu-Wen Chiu, Yu-Chien Lee, Yen-Chi Huang, Tzu-Chun Lin, Kai-Sen Chang, Ya-Ting Tsai
Nanguan Musician: Shih-Lien Lin, Chih-Cheng Hsu, Pin-Chi Chen, Yan-Si Chen, Jun-Li Huang, Mei-Hui Wei
In Small Nanguan, we neither see a full picture of Nanguan music nor an Eastern theatre in terms of form. Also, it is definitely not a program to promote traditional music. Instead, it is a learning diary of a group of modern dancers. The dance piece presents a wonderul journey of these modern dancers learning Nanguan: they learn the basic music structure, gesture, and dance step of Nanguan, visit Taiwan’s major Nanguan companies, and discuss with masters of traditional music about how they think of “the innovation of the tradition.” The learning process to get acquainted with tradition provides an interesting experience of shock. For the choreographer, the self-doubt or self-reflection of modern people when they are dealing with the disappearing traditional culture is worth more discussion than “what Nanguan really is.”
Lin Ya-Lan, the senior actor of Gang-a-tsui Theater, was invited to join in the production of Small Nanguan. The choreographer has made a brave decision to begin the work with a “Nanguan Cram School,” while the audience is even invited to learn with them and to play with them. In the middle of the work, it touches upon a more serious subject on how modern dance offers a new interpretation to transform the physical movement of Nanguan. In the end, both the dancers and the musicians start in turn to sing “Nanguan Karaoke.” The strong conflict between the classic music structure and the modern form humorously highlights the various challenges the young generation faces when dealing with the withering traditional art.
The choreography of Small Nanguan makes “discordance” an honest reflection of Nanguan in a contermporary society, echoing how helpless the modern people feel about tradition. Nanguan music is unique to the Taiwanese culture. Performers and audience thus have to confront the question of “who we are,” finding the fine line between a perfect answer and the lack of answer, or, between cultural heritage and daily reality.
After the success of Small Nanguan, it was soon invited to perform at Festival/Tokyo in 2012 as the very first Taiwanese company to make a presence at the art festival.
REVIEW
"With Small Nanguan, Lin Wen-chung has crafted another gem for his WCdance company's repertoire － a finely nuanced, yet playful melding of modern dance and traditional nanguan music. "
~ Taipei Times 2011.5.23
ARTICLES
Premiere Date: May 20,2011
Performance Venue: National Theater/ Experimental Theater
Choreography: Wen-Chung Lin (Dancer)
Assistant creator: Ya-Lan Lin
Collaborative editor: Nai-Wen Lin
Stage & Lighting Designer: Tzu-Yen Huang
Costume Designer: Yu-Fen Tsai
Graphic Designer: David Lai
Photographer: Chang-chih Chen
Video Image Producer: Wen-Chung Lin
Dancers: Wen-Chung Lin, Ya-Lan Lin, Yu-Wen Chiu, Yu-Chien Lee, Yen-Chi Huang, Tzu-Chun Lin, Kai-Sen Chang, Ya-Ting Tsai
Nanguan Musician: Shih-Lien Lin, Chih-Cheng Hsu, Pin-Chi Chen, Yan-Si Chen, Jun-Li Huang, Mei-Hui Wei