Taiwan Festival: Hung Dance - Birdy

A Contemporary DANCE reflection on CLASSICAL chinese CULTURE

Taiwanese contemporary dance company Hung Dance present the UK premiere of Birdy.

The Audience Award winner for Best Choreography in Tanzplattform Bern, Birdy is a delicate duet which blends the movement of the human body, the flutter of birds and contemporary dance to create a truly memorable performance.

“Its sensuous movement beautifully expresses the struggle to free ourselves from the cages we build out of our morals, beliefs, ideals and responsibilities, and the desire to follow our heart and chase our dreams.”

Birdy is performed to an eclectic mix of electronic and Chinese classical music. The female dancer wears a long swaying pheasant tail feather head piece called Ling Zi which was often worn on warrior’s helmets in traditional Chinese opera to show the warriors’ strength and skill. Here it is used to create the image of a bird, an extension of inner feeling, and the desire to escape reality.

Director / Choreographer
Lai Hung-chung

Sound Design
Hsu Chia-wei

Light Design
Tsai Chao-yu

Costume Design
Summer Lin

Performers
Cheng I-han, Lee Kuan-ling