After the overwhelming success of Small, Wen-Chung Lin was commissioned by National Theatre to present the second “micro-theatre” work – Small Songs, which premiered at the National Experimental Theatre in 2009.
Small Songs expresses modern people’s longing for love, their helpless anxiety of love, and their struggle in love. It is a lyrical dance piece consisting of 13 love songs from different cultures and in different styles. From Mozart to Taiwanese indie band “Sodagreen,” from Nanguan to Spanish love song, all these songs are woven into a delicate and elegant modern dance. The variety of the music echoes the various dance styles and the physical movements in different qualities, enriching audience’s imagination and interpretation of love songs. The selection of music in Small Songs is surprising, but it also makes Small Songs the most popular WCDance production among young people with numerous touring performances in schools. The conversation between the various music and dance invites audience to savor the delights of the work. Telling a story through dance, Small Songs captures the daily life of audiences as it evokes our imagination of intimate emotions.
Similar to Small, the space in Small Songs is small and intimate. Within the four-meter-wide thrust, dancers experience conflict between the physical movement and the inner desire. The explosion at the core pushes them to the extreme, while they are again helplessly squeezed inward. The sense of loss perfelctly visualizes the various faces of love. Most of the contempotrary performing art productions emphasize what they look like from the outside, but Wen-Chung Lin chooses a smaller performance space so that we can switch our attention to the physical movement of the dancers. The simple colors of the costume, mostly in black, white, or gray, also create a sense of pure polished simplicity.
No matter it is the traditional Eastern tune or the Western classical and folk music, WCDance has perfectly demonstrated the unique rhythm and musicality of dance in his works throughout the years. Small Songs - The Small Series Production No.2 is definitely one of the best examples.
REVIEW
"Lin has made a virtue out of minimalism. He has a real flair for reducing the space and time needed to convey his ideas while giving you richly layered, finely nuanced works. His works bring to mind Persian miniatures, those small worlds that mix reality and dreams and become more complex the longer you look at them."
～Taipei Times 2009.5.25
ARTICLES
Premiere Date: May 22, 2009
Performance Venue: National Theater/ Experimental Theater
Choreography: Wen-Chung Lin
Assistant creator: Ya-Lan Lin
Collaborative editor: Nai-Wen Lin
Stage Designer: Tzu-Yen Huang
Lighting Designer: Renault
Costume Designer: Ching-ru Lin
Graphic Designer: Tsui-yao (Alice) Chao
Photographer:
Video Image Producer: Wen-Chung Lin
Composer: Umi Hsieh
Dancers: Wen-Chung Lin, Hsiao-Yuan Lin, Yu-Wen Chiu, Yi-fen Dong, Yen-wen Huang, Chih-chieh Chang
Small Songs expresses modern people’s longing for love, their helpless anxiety of love, and their struggle in love. It is a lyrical dance piece consisting of 13 love songs from different cultures and in different styles. From Mozart to Taiwanese indie band “Sodagreen,” from Nanguan to Spanish love song, all these songs are woven into a delicate and elegant modern dance. The variety of the music echoes the various dance styles and the physical movements in different qualities, enriching audience’s imagination and interpretation of love songs. The selection of music in Small Songs is surprising, but it also makes Small Songs the most popular WCDance production among young people with numerous touring performances in schools. The conversation between the various music and dance invites audience to savor the delights of the work. Telling a story through dance, Small Songs captures the daily life of audiences as it evokes our imagination of intimate emotions.
Similar to Small, the space in Small Songs is small and intimate. Within the four-meter-wide thrust, dancers experience conflict between the physical movement and the inner desire. The explosion at the core pushes them to the extreme, while they are again helplessly squeezed inward. The sense of loss perfelctly visualizes the various faces of love. Most of the contempotrary performing art productions emphasize what they look like from the outside, but Wen-Chung Lin chooses a smaller performance space so that we can switch our attention to the physical movement of the dancers. The simple colors of the costume, mostly in black, white, or gray, also create a sense of pure polished simplicity.
No matter it is the traditional Eastern tune or the Western classical and folk music, WCDance has perfectly demonstrated the unique rhythm and musicality of dance in his works throughout the years. Small Songs - The Small Series Production No.2 is definitely one of the best examples.
REVIEW
"Lin has made a virtue out of minimalism. He has a real flair for reducing the space and time needed to convey his ideas while giving you richly layered, finely nuanced works. His works bring to mind Persian miniatures, those small worlds that mix reality and dreams and become more complex the longer you look at them."
～Taipei Times 2009.5.25
ARTICLES
Premiere Date: May 22, 2009
Performance Venue: National Theater/ Experimental Theater
Choreography: Wen-Chung Lin
Assistant creator: Ya-Lan Lin
Collaborative editor: Nai-Wen Lin
Stage Designer: Tzu-Yen Huang
Lighting Designer: Renault
Costume Designer: Ching-ru Lin
Graphic Designer: Tsui-yao (Alice) Chao
Photographer:
Video Image Producer: Wen-Chung Lin
Composer: Umi Hsieh
Dancers: Wen-Chung Lin, Hsiao-Yuan Lin, Yu-Wen Chiu, Yi-fen Dong, Yen-wen Huang, Chih-chieh Chang