Taiwan choreographer Liu Kuan-hsiang (劉冠詳) has been invited to partake in the annual "Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia" showcase taking place on Jan. 4 and 5 in New York City.
Liu comes from a long line of artists and cultural professionals: his grandfather was a blind fortuneteller, grandfather was a jazz musician, and father was a photographer. The independent choreographer credits this background for bestowing an intuitive ability to translate human emotions to physical movement, and a music talent for composing original music to accompany his dance productions.
His upcoming performance, "Kids (我知道的太多了)," is an unorthodox and dazzling meditation on the eternal cycle of birth, life, and death. Three virtuosic dancers veer from calm ritualistic movement to twisted, frantic physical extremes, yet this deliriously wild and undulating work is suffused with serenity and even joy.
The luminous dance has deep autobiographical roots, as Liu draws on recordings of conversations with his mother prior to her passing to remember the exuberance of life in the valley of death. As the last gift that Liu could give to his mother, "Kids" won the 15th Taishin Performing Arts Award in 2017 and was performed at Aurhus ─ Aerowave in Denmark later that year.
Co-organized by the Taipei Cultural Center and Japan Society of New York, the "Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia" showcase will take place as part of the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Conference.
As the biggest non-profit organization for performing arts, APAP has members from around the world. Its annual conference takes place in New York City every January and attracts art agents who watch the showcases for prospective program purchases.
'18th Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia'