Pointing out the New Year

14 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010 • TAIPEI TIMES BALLET BY DIANE BAKER MUSIC BY BRADLEY WINTERTON aohsiung City Ballet’s (KCB, 高雄城市芭蕾舞團) seventh annual PERFORMANCE noTES: choreographic showcase, Dance Shoe 2010 (2010點子鞋), STOP launches its three-city tour this weekend with two shows Kat the Experimental Theater in Taipei. Unfortunately for ballet Move over WHAT: Kaohsiung City Ballet’s Dance Shoe 2010 WHEN: Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at lovers in the capital, if you don’t have your tickets already you 2:30pm in Taipei, March 6 at 7:30pm and March will have to travel south next month to see the show. KCB founder and artistic director Chang Hsiu-ru (張秀如) began Mozart 7 at 2:30pm in Kaohsiung, March 13 at 3pm and the series to give young choreographers a platform for their work COMPILED BY HO YI 7:30pm in Tainan ny city laying claim to be a center and a chance to develop their own dance vocabulary. If the almost 國家戲劇院實驗劇 for classical music must stage its WHERE: Experimental Theater ( single-minded focus on modern dance in Taiwan has left ballet A NT$600 million in debt. 場台北市中山 share of world premieres. Taipei can ), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei City ( dancers at a disadvantage in terms of study and performance Another man who’s feeling 南路號 usually boast quite a number, and 21-1 ); Chihshan Hall, Kaohsiung Cultural opportunities, then choreographers who want to create ballets confident these days is tomorrow evening sees the unveiling Jay Chou Center (高雄市文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st have it even worse. Chang’s annual showcase has been a godsend (周杰倫). The versatile pop star of Ted Runcie’s String Quartet No. 1 Rd (高雄市五福一路67號); Yuansheng Theater, for them. turned to stuffed animals for at the Taipei Philharmonic Recital Hall. Tainan Municipal Cultural Center (台南市文化 The five choreographers on this year’s program are a mix of old inspiration while directing Panda Runcie, currently vice-principal 中心原生劇場), 332, Jhonghua East Rd Sec 3, and new faces, which is great because the Dance Shoe series offers Men (熊貓人), a television drama of Annie’s English School in Taipei Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號) audiences a chance to see how the different choreographers are co-staring his buddy County, has had an active and varied Devon Song ADMISSION: NT$400 for the Taipei shows developing as well as giving them a first look at some fresh talent. (彈頭) and J-girl (J女郎) Chiang musical career in Canada, the US (both are sold out); NT$300 for Kaohsiung The “old” faces in the lineup are Wang Kuo-chuen (王國權), (江語晨). (The term J-girl and Taiwan. He studied composition Yu-chen whose pieces were in 2007’s and last year’s Dance Shoe, Tsai Po- refers to female stars who have and Tainan. Tickets are available at McGill University in the 1990s, cheng (蔡博丞), whose works have been included for the past been romantically linked to Chou.) through NTCH ticketing or online at but soon found himself at odds with five editions and Yeh Ming-hwa 葉名樺( ), a former KCB dancer Despite a production budget www.artsticket.com.tw the school’s focus on contemporary who choreographed for the show for the first time last year. reportedly exceeding NT$100 experimentation and electronic music. Hsu Cheng-wei (許程崴) will be a familiar face to million, the story about two panda Instead, he was drawn to the more KCB fans because she worked with the company in suit-wearing super heroes has colorful and passionate music of the Chang’s production of The Peony suffered from low ratings and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos Jacky Wu is bringing his questionable Pavilion (牡丹亭). negative reviews in China. (1887-1959). “In his music I discovered business acumen to the world of ani- Twenty-four-year-old Huang The Chairman has embraced that ‘art’ music could also reflect a mated cinema. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES Huai-te (黃懷德) is the new kid the criticism by calling his work mid-American or South American on the block as far as Dance “retarded in an entertaining, funny experience,” says Runcie. Shoe shows go, but dance ow much are you willing to way,” “very cool” and “a classic.” Runcie decided that a similar fans may remember him from pay for a CD? Hong Kong Local audiences can judge for approach could also see Caribbean Horse Dance Company’s (驫舞劇場) singer-actor Jacky Cheung themselves when the show traditions incorporated into a classical H(張學友) believes his crooning production Growing Up (正在長高), staged premieres in Taiwan today on format. This doesn’t mean that in December. Judging from that show, he’s a terrific is worth far more than NT$300. CTS (華視). tomorrow’s premiere will necessarily dancer and he sounded interested in testing his After a five-year hiatus, Cheung Finally, China’s answer to prove easy-listening — neither this choreographic wings as well when I interviewed has returned to the music scene the Golden Raspberry Awards, quartet nor the second one, also him last November with the rest of the Horse with jazz album Private Corner. the Golden Broom Awards completed, will be easygoing for the members, so it will be interesting to see his solo The limited-edition glass CD (金掃帚獎), were held in Beijing on audience or the performers, Runcie this weekend, which he created for Yeh. of his record will set you back Saturday to recognize the worst warns. Even so, a work born of love Pulling double duty as a choreographer NT$60,000. in Chinese-language cinema over and performed by professional soloists Pointing out and performer — in separate pieces — is For those who are not familiar the past year. is always likely to have its rewards. always rough and Yeh said in an e-mail that with the relatively new audio Taiwan’s (林志玲) The quartet’s first movement Lin Chi-ling working on her new 20-minute ballet format, the transparent glass beat out compatriot (大S), contains folk-like melodies and Big S Ponytail and the solo “almost killed” her. CD is a Japanese invention that otherwise known as Barbie Hsu percussive moments packed into guarantees near-perfect sound (徐熙媛), to take home top honors the new year a clear sonata form. The second quality and is not affected by in the most disappointing actress PHOTO COURTESY OF KCB movement is in a habanera rhythm, humidity or heat. category for her performance in while the last could be equated to a Cheung is the world’s first the nonsensical adventure flick traditional rondo, while tipping its hat singer to use the glass CD for a The Treasure Hunter (刺陵). BY ALita RICKards to Latin American music at the end. major-label release, and there The gong for most disap- MUSIC This world premiere will be are only 6,000 copies available pointing director award went to given by a lineup of musicians from for purchase. China’s Zhang Yimou (張藝謀), Germany, Belarus and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Super whose A Simple Noodle Story (三 Free love — for now The program also contains shorter Band (縱貫線) returned home with 槍拍案驚奇) also shared the award pieces by Runcie, to be performed two farewell concerts at Taipei for most disappointing film with before the quartet itself. One of these, Arena (台北巨蛋) last weekend. The Treasure Hunter and City of hen the birthday of the world’s The band will do cover versions buying drinks.” Two Maroon Folksongs, will be given Comprised of venerable rockers Life and Death (南京！南京！). most widely known reggae star of some of Marley’s best known hits, Indeed, it is common to see customers its Asian premiere. At its premiere in Lo Ta-yu (羅大佑), Emil Chou (周 The Golden Broom Awards rolls around, it’s no surprise that with Foster as DJ Moses and drummer and musicians standing outside of the club Montreal in 1996 the audience reaction 華健), Jonathan Lee (李宗盛) were founded and are supported Wreggae band High Tide, winner of ICRT’s Gregory Russell as DJ Ting also spinning drinking beer from nearby convenience was so enthusiastic that the piece had and Chang Cheng-yue (張震嶽), by cinema periodical Youth Film Battle of the Bands in 2008, would want favorites like I Shot the Sheriff, No stores. Tsou expressed concerns about to be played again from start to finish, the group’s recent tour was a Handbook (青年電影手冊) and to celebrate the life of the man who Woman, No Cry, Could You Be Loved the viability of paying bands to play when Runcie recalls. smash hit with 58 shows in Hong independent film critics in China. introduced the genre to so many people. and Redemption Song. the fans aren’t ordering drinks. Runcie has also written a Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, “Bob Marley was not a musician Tonight’s show is a chance to see the “We want to support the bands,” she symphony, completed in Malaysia, Canada and the US as much as a messenger,” said Moshe band free of charge at Roxy Roots before said. “Especially to be able to pay extra 2006. Can he persuade in the past year. An estimated Foster, lead vocalist and guitar player the venue’s new cover charge policy for out-of-town bands to help cover their one of Taipei’s 1.7 million people attended the for High Tide, who credits Marley with begins next month, said Root’s new PR transportation costs or be able to pay for orchestras — possibly concerts, with Super Band pulling “voicing the emotions and struggles of manager, Patricia Tsou (鄒佩菁).

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