Sixteen members of Taiwan's Formosa Circus Art (福爾摩沙馬戲團, FOCA) will present the troupe's latest production, "Songs of the Land (土地的歌)," at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston on Aug. 23 and 24. The Asia Society Texas Center will also host a free forum on Aug. 25 to discuss how these unique performers create enchanting experiences using storytelling techniques and acrobatic arts to explore Taiwan's unique history and culture.
Formosa Circus Art was established in 2011 with the purpose of developing contemporary circus arts with uniquely Taiwanese elements. The resulting new physical vocabulary is unique to its island of creation by combining traditional forms of movement with street culture and theater arts. Team members come from a wide range of practices in the performing arts, including acrobatics, dance, and drama.
For their two upcoming showcases in Houston, FOCA will present "Songs of the Land," a four-part production comprising "Seeing Taiwan (看見臺灣)," "Taiwanese Giants (臺灣巨人)," "The Turning Points of Taiwan (翻轉臺灣)," and "Embracing Taiwan (擁抱臺灣)." Each section will be accompanied by classic melodies emblematic of the era it presents, and jointly they shall present a chronological narrative on Taiwan's history.
This is a ticketed event for Miller's covered seating area. Free tickets are available (4 per person over age 16 while they last) at the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30am and 1pm. If tickets remain at 1pm, the box office will re-open one hour before show time to distribute the remaining tickets. As always, open seating on the hill is also available, and the show will go on rain or shine.
More information on FOCA, the first Taiwanese circus company to perform overseas and earn a spot at Edinburgh Fringe and Festival OFF D'Avignon, is available here.
‘Songs of the Land’ by Formosa Circus Arts
Aug. 23 performance at Miller Outdoor Theatre
Aug. 24 performance at Miller Outdoor Theatre
Aug. 25 artist talk at Asia Society Texas Center