Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre is staging its 2016 production "13 Tongues" in a field of rice paddies in Taitung County this weekend, which will also later be shown online in November, the group said Saturday.
"Nature is better than any designed images," Cloud Gate Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍) said during a press conference Saturday in rice-producing Chihshang Township in the southeastern county before the first of two ticketed performances took place that afternoon.
Cheng said he was moved by the ever-changing views of the clouds in Chihshang, with the stage set up in the rice field and with a backdrop of mountains.
In addition to the unique outdoor setting, the group is also joined by a guest artist in the performances in Chihshang -- singer 9m88.
"I believe artistic performances can help boost the economy and bring in visitors, allowing more people to enjoy the beauty of Chihshang," she said.
She will sing four songs before Cloud Dance puts on "13 Tongues," during which the singer performs along with the dancers, and then comes back on the stage for an encore.
After giving a performance for local residents Friday evening, Cheng said he felt plenty of energy and received a lot of feedback.
"It's like earning a special badge," said the choreographer, who is showing his work at Chihshang's annual autumn harvest festival for the first time. Cloud Gate has performed other works at the festival in 2013 and 2018, including the group's 40th anniversary production "Rice."
Liang Cheng-hsien (梁正賢), head of the Chih Shang Township Taitung County Culture and Art Association, a co-organizer of the annual festival first launched by the Lovely Taiwan Foundation in 2009, said he has seen the event help pull local residents together.
Liang, who is from a family of rice growers in Chihshang, said he hopes the festival can have a positive impact on the education of students in the township and can make people better appreciate Chihshang.
Following the two sold-out performances on Saturday and Sunday in Taitung, a recorded version of the piece will be shown on the KKTIX website on Nov. 27-28, with some behind-the-scene content, according to Cloud Gate.
