Ministry of Culture-Performance Venues & Architectural Heritage

With support from the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris and the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain, Huang Yi Studio, founded by renowned Taiwanese choreographer Huang Yi (黃翊), is invited to present the award-winning performance "Huang Yi and Kuka (黃翊與庫卡)" at theaters in France and Spain from Mar. 24 through Apr. 9.

The tour will begin at La Filature, a modern theatre in Mulhouse, France from Mar. 24 to 25, followed by the next performance at Teatros del Canal in Madrid, Spain from Mar. 30 to 31, showcasing the unique charm of Taiwan’s dance and technological art to the European audience.

Harmoniously weaving together the art of dance and the science of mechanical engineering, "Huang Yi and Kuka" is a poetic work that intertwines modern dance, music and technology by Huang Yi, who is a choreographer, dancer as well as a programmer. The work is based on Huang’s childhood desire to have a robot as a companion and an expression of loneliness, self-doubt, self-realization, and self-comfort. During the performance, the robot "Kuka," conceptualized and programmed by Huang, interacts and dances with the dancers, expressing heartwarming affections. So far, it has been performed in 17 countries and 32 cities across the world, accumulating up to 78 performances.

"Huang Yi and Kuka" is the most well-known work of Huang Yi Studio. In 2013, Huang was the first Taiwanese artist to be invited by Ars Electronica to perform at the opening and finale of its award ceremony. In 2015, it was selected for the annual "Pitch New Works Projects" by the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA). In April 2017, Huang was the first Taiwanese to stand on the stage of the annual TED conference and was lauded by international media such as CNN and Time magazine.

(Photo by Summer Yen)