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What's harder: watching dance or writing about it? Try both, then decide!

2022.02.27
What's harder: watching dance or writing about it? Try both, then decide!

by CHOU Shu-yi Weiwuying Artist-In-Residence

I often wonder why some people just don't like watching dance. The answer I usually get is that it's hard to understand, that they don't know what's going on. Of course there are those who just inherently dislike it. In our busy lives, I think that it is quite rare for people to find time to calm down and enjoy some sort of art, be it listening to a song or watching a dance performance. The city of Kaohsiung is seeing more and more art and cultural events, so it's not hard to find something to go to. If people can just change their perspective of themselves and the art world, they might find something amazing.

 

"I see someone wearing a white garment lying down quietly. He looks out of it. What's he doing? It seems like he's looking for something. There's a piece of glass between us, so maybe it's like we're in different worlds. And who am I?" Watching a dance performance might make you feel like the person who made the above statement after seeing a number. Questions come to mind, but you give up on trying to answer them and instead base your understanding on how it made you feel, and then, in the end, you think about how it has touched you, and you become emotionally stimulated. If you enjoy watching dance, do you ever invite your friends to performances? Or do you always find it hard to ask them? And after watching a show, do you tell people about it on social media? It is indeed a challenge for me to invite someone to a dance performance for their first time; in contrast, I find it much easier to share about it on social media. In this way, I can let people know how I feel about dance and how a performance has touched me. When I'm writing these posts, I secretly harbor this hope that those who read it will be inspired to see a show for themselves someday.

 

What's the difference between what one subjectively experiences from a show and a professional review? The former refers to writing down and sharing your feelings, which, if you watch a lot of shows, your mind will automatically gather together and turn into your own unique set of ideas. The latter refers to the objective appraisal of the form and style of the performance, as opposed to just subjective perception. I believe that each of these has its significance. It's like the types of reviews for films: Besides wanting to know how many stars it has gotten, you sometimes also want to hear a professional review of it before deciding whether to see it. There are platforms of professional review for dance in Taiwan, such as those of Performing Arts Redefined and ARTalks. Based on what Weiwuying has learned through its Writing About Dance Project, it plans to launch a column this year in which anyone can leave comments on dance performances they have seen. Also, Weiwuying's Writing About Dance Workshop  this year will be expanded to four sessions to get more people who enjoy writing about dance to share their experiences with Weiwuying and connect Taiwan to the world through the power of the written word.

 

"Do you remember the dance performance that has touched you the most? Have you ever cried while watching one?

"Has anyone ever asked you why modern dance is so hard to understand? How did/would you answer?

 

After having worked as a resident artist at Weiwuying for over a year, I'm still exploring these questions and trying out lots of ways to get people to come closer to contemporary dance. As the first phase of promotion for the event Bolero in Kaohsiung unfolded, my partners and I visited Fengshan, Zuoying, Qianzhen, Meinong, Qishan, Dashu, Gangshan, Mituo, and Liugui districts, thinking about how to bring Weiwuying 365+ Dance and different dance numbers to people there.

 

Thanks to everyone's hard work, we are finally going to hold dance events in public spaces where people can show their stuff. I want to give something back to the public in return for the touching moments they've created for me. From April to June this year, I'm going to lead independent dancers who have come to Kaohsiung and students from the dance class at Tsoying Senior High School on a dance journey. We look forward to seeing you – and don't forget to invite your friends!

 

 

Learn More:

Weiwuying Artist-In-Residence-CHOU Shu-yi

2022 Writing About Dance Workshop (Primary)

2022 Writing About Dance Workshop (Advanced)

Bolero in Kaohsiung

 

 

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