Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre to tour Japan after 16 years

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre will tour Japan twice this year, following a 16-year-gap, performing two works by choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍) after he succeeded group founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) in 2020, the group said in a statement.

The world-famous dance troupe will perform Cheng's 2020 work "Sounding Light" (定光) at the Setouchi Triennale in August, a contemporary art festival held every three years on the islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, according to the group.

As "Sounding Light" was created and premiered in Taipei during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-imposed isolation allowed Cheng to hear "the sounds of the forest -- the insects, the birds, the wind through the trees -- and reflected on the balance between, and the frailties of, human life and the natural environment," according to the dance group.

The show plays out on stage "under the arc of the sun shining through clouds and trees over a day," with dancers mimicking the natural sounds that inspired Cheng, according to Cloud Gate.

In December, the group will also tour its 50th anniversary production "Wave" (波) in Yokohama, Kyoto, and Kitakyushu on Kyushu Island, the dance troupe said.

For "Wave," Cheng collaborated with Japanese digital artist Daito Manabe, who used artificial intelligence to generate concepts for Cheng to put together the choreography. Manabe also designed the visual effects and music for the production.

In Taiwan, Cloud Gate will first stage "Sounding Light" at its home venue -- the Cloud Gate Theater in New Taipei -- in mid-April and Tainan Cultural Center on May 3-4.

Tickets are available on Opentix, it said.