35,000+ attend Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's 'Lunar Halo' outdoor show

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) More than 35,000 people gathered at the plaza between the National Theater and National Concert Hall in Taipei on Saturday for Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's free show of "Lunar Halo" as the dance troupe marked a 30th anniversary landmark.

Despite heavy rain in the afternoon, thousands of people rolled out picnic mats on the plaza before the free show began at 7:30 p.m.

Cloud Gate's outdoor presentation has been a staple among summer events in Taipei since the 1990s, and the group said in a recent statement that it celebrated 30 years of corporate sponsorship from Cathay Financial Holding Co. this year.

Cloud Gate Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍) told the audience that it was challenging to stage any dance piece outdoors successfully, and he picked his 2019 work "Lunar Halo" for the special occasion.

"The physical beauty is the best celebration," Cheng said.

It was the first time Cheng's 2019 work was staged outdoors, the dance troupe said, even though the piece has featured on two European tours and one North American tour since 2023.

"The performers' interaction with video design is often astonishing.

"You emerge into the chill night air as if having woken from a dark, exquisite, deeply unsettling dream," British newspaper the Telegraph praised the piece created with music by Icelandic band Sigur Rós after it was staged at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London in 2023.

Cloud Gate first performed "Lunar Halo" outdoors in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, a week ago.

"Cloud Gate's works bring everybody courage and strength, keeping Taiwan moving forward," said Cathay Financial Holding President Lee Chang-ken (李長庚), noting that more than 2.7 million people have taken part in 314 events sponsored by the company, including community workshops.

The night in Taipei concluded with a dance party and music arranged by Cheng's long-time collaborator Lim Giong (林強).

Following the free outdoor shows in Hualien and Taipei, which were held with corporate sponsorship, Cloud Gate will present another free performance of "Lunar Halo" organized by the local government in Taichung on Aug. 9, according to its website.