Stage photo of Rice Photo by LIU Zhenxiang

Stage photo of Rice Photo by LING Feng

The Rice is the seedling, the grain, the spike, the roots…symbolizing the feet into the muddy land, a powerful hand with a sickle and sweat dropping onto the soil…These are the images of the Rice dance in the eyes of scholar JIANG Xun. Created by Hwai-min Lin, the Taiwan Cloud Gate Dance Theatre founder and artistic director, the dance was shown at 2017 National Grand Theatre Dance Festival from 2-5, November, presenting a collision of souls between the dancers and the rice.

The inspiration of the Rice originates from the renowned rural scenery and the awareness of environmental protection of local residents in Chih-Hsiang. Initiating with the soil, pollen, grains, wind, water, fire and other natural elements, the dance tirelessly depicts the life cycle of paddy throughout the four seasons with projective images on the stage showing the beginning of the seedling, earing, harvesting, fields burning and spring water refilling the fields as if it were the course of life. The distant ancient rhythm of Taiwan Hakka, the high arias of Western Opera and the sound of rice fields wind, thunder and rain recorded in Chih-Hsiang jointly create the musical environment of the Rice, during which the dancers of Cloud Gate present the contemporary dance steps through the internal boxing and Tai Chi moves learnt for years, and strict control of their bodies to elaborate the close connection between people and the nature.