Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's enchanting work captures the serene beauty and spiritual sanctuary of the evergreen bamboo forests. Artistic Director Lin Hwai-min’s choreography masterfully blends ancient wisdom and modern artistry to create an immersive world, inspired in part by The Seven Sages in The Bamboo Grove, a group of third-century Chinese scholars, musicians, and writers, who retreated to the bamboo groves to escape persecution and to continue their political and artistic endeavors. Set to music by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and improvised melodies from Chinese flute player Huang Sheng-kai, the dancers create six expressive scenes that follow the ever-changing seasons: Morning Mist, Spring Breeze, Summer Heat, Autumn Path, When Rain Stops, At Midnight and Snow. With skillful meditative motion inspired by martial arts, contemporary dance, and ballet, dancers flow through tall stalks of bamboo. This work is a moving testament to the skill and caliber of Cloudgate Dance Theatre.
