Cloud Gate Dance Poem Analysis

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“Rice” In Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan’s 2013 production, “Rice”, choreographer Lin Hwai-min narrated a life story regarding a beloved subject of his. During the length of seventy minutes, twenty-four dancers interpret the cycle of rice from the growth as seedlings, the intimacy of pollination, the severance of harvest, the endurance of the blaze, and the rebirth in nature. In this report, discussed is “Soil” and “Wind,” the first two of an eight sections in the performance. Melting traditional martial art and contemporary dance movements, “Rice” drew its audience into the world of the staple grain of Asia in the setting of rice paddy videography and folklore vocals; with subtext of historical challenges, perseverance, and ultimate …show more content…

He draws inspiration from his homeland, an island off mainland China in the Pacific Ocean (Lin Hwai-min's story: The Father of the Cloud Gate Dance). Taiwan has endured through European conquistadores, Japanese Imperialism, post WWII political upheaval, social conflicts, and is under constant threats from communist China. He was raised in a privileged family and demonstrated a gift of writing in his early age. It seemed all but certain that he would follow his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer when he started college. Yet, after a year of study, he switched his major to journalism. It was after he came to study in the United States that he decided to pursue his dream as a dancer. Influenced by Marcia Thayer, who Mr. Lin credited for his life-changing decision, he became a student at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance in New York. Cloud Gate was born in 1973 and has brought forth acclaimed pieces under the artistic directorship of Mr. Lin ("Lin Hwai-min: Biography"). From culturally-rich Taiwan, he seamlessly incorporated mythical characters in “The Tale of the White Serpent (1975),” historical significance in “Legacy (1978),” and Chinese classics in “The Dream of the Red Chamber (1983).” At age 69, Mr. Lin continues to work sixteen hours a day running the logistics of his group. Together, the company enjoyed the cheers both domestically as well as internationally, persevered through a period of disbandment from 1988 to 1990, welcomed the birth of its second troupe-Cloud Gate 2 in 1999, survived a devastating loss from a fire to their studio in 2008, and celebrated their new home opening in

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