INTERVIEW
Interview with Chow Shu Yi: Winner of Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest 2009 By Yukihiko Yoshida / Photography by Cang-Chih Chen YY: I was glad to hear the news that you won the first Global Dance Contest by Sadler’s Wells. How do you feel about this result and you being the winner? CSY: I was at Cite des Art residency in Paris, and after I received the email I was staring at the email with eyes wide open. I confirmed thrice with the organizer before calling back to Taiwan to share the joy with the dancers. I can only say that we were very excited and happy, because we could go to Sadler’s Wells’ theatre in London to perform and to share this piece of work. YY: How did you get to know about the Contest and why did you submit your work? CSY: I got to know about it through the internet. At first, I was not convinced with this kind of competition, I felt it might be a fraud. So I only sent in my application to register on the last day, thinking maybe to have a go at it. YY: The contest was the first trial of dance competition by digital video and internet voting. As a dancer/choreographer, what do you think about this mechanism for a dance competition? CSY: It is very new and interesting. We did not have serious intention at the beginning, until six months after the application period. The competition website was full of dance videos; it was not like a competition at all because the duration was long. Finally I was informed by the theatre authorities about being on the top 10 list. I began to feel excited until the final selection. I feel that this mechanism is very good as dancers can perform in London after winning. The theatre also provides comprehensive resources and funding to the selected team, unlike other competitions where no funding is available. I think it will bring different experience and gains. 58
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YY: How did you make the work, “1875 Ravel and Bolero”? CSY: The first version of 1875 was born in 2006 at a four-week camp for young Asian choreographers. At that time the work was only 15 minutes. In 2007, it was rechoreographed to adapt to dancers who work long hours – Lin You Ru, Chen Yi Chun, Xu Wei Ling. Developed into 25 minutes, it became one of their graduation pieces at their Institute. Music has given me a lot of great ideas; repeated movements give me energy and a reflection of life. From the regular pace of life, to the different stages of life, how to face every moment of self and the present. That was the original concept of “Living in the Moment”. YY: As a winner, could you please give some advice to other Asian dancers and choreographers? CSY: Body and Dance is an international language, although contemporary dance has always been dominated by the West. But I do not want to compare the culture of the East and the West while doing my work. By looking
at “contemporary” creative scope, for me at this time, language has no boundaries. Asian choreographers should be more daring and have more freedom of creative thinking and think of the cultural language of their body. Dancers should reach for greater challenges while still staying connected with the world. YY: Could you talk about the artists that influenced you? How did each of these artists inspire you? CSY: I remember the first time I saw the social hall of Pina Bausch and William Forsthy’s creation during high school in Taiwan, it changed my views on dance and theatre. The former had me thinking about the relationship of human nature and the body, while the latter allowed me to explore more the possibilities of the body, and helped me realise that everybody should have different attitudes and outlooks of the body. So, that influenced me to explore my thoughts on my dance within the environment in Taiwan. Of course there are more choreographers from Europe, America and Asia who have widened my vision of dance.
YY: Why did you choose to become a dancer/choreographer? CSY: Because at the age of 10, I saw my female classmates dancing and I decided to be one. But not until I entered high school did my first creation open up my imagination towards dance. This was what really got me to decide to dance. YY: At the National Taiwan University of Arts in Taiwan, what did you study? CSY: Attitude, attitude towards dance has to be independent. That self-reflection will decide the thought of the body. Of course, through the University’s annual creation exhibition performance and the encouragement from teachers, I gained the experience and the passion for dance. YY: What did you learn from Cloud Gate and Lin Hwai-min? CSY: Communication and decision. It is about how to convey a message clearly, to communicate, and to decide the next step. He gave the younger generation advice and opportunities. These allowed me to identify my value in this profession. YY: Please comment about Taiwanese contemporary dance. CSY: The development of Taiwanese contemporary dance has gradually changed in this era. Perhaps I shall not say change, but it has opened up to the world. Multicultural involvement and the development of the economy have allowed us to experience performances from various countries. This allows the creation of a new generation and allows them to have more excitement in the creative content and to be different from the past. Of course, there are more comparisons and point of views worldwide. The culture in Taiwan is less mature. Most of them were formed by force by folk in groups. Independent dancers and artists are less recognised in Taiwanese culture. I think time will gradually solve this problem. YY: Is there a difference between Asian contemporary dancer/choreographers in the same generation and in the younger generation? CSY: The difference might be in the grown-
up environment and in the social context. The reclamation and development of contemporary dance in Asia could be explored and followed. The significance of the new generation is to create a new situation and perspective. It represents the context of development in different times, affecting the way of communicative language. Of course it is also related to the pace of social development. YY: When you performed in Judson Memorial Church and ADF, how did you feel? CSY: I did not perform in Judson Church. At ADF, I felt like I was in a dance summer camp. All the young dance students were enjoying themselves and experiencing different courses. I was given the opportunity to take part in the works of different choreographers. I performed two dances, Star with the Body and Solo for Musician. For the solo and group dance, I found out that [the students] were still unfamiliar with Asian dances and choreography. They were also very curious about the origin of our language. I was, of course, curious about their opinions too. YY: Your video works, “Eyes” and “On the Train” reminds me of video art and media art. How did you conceive the relationship between dance, body expression and the visual media art field? CSY: I think all development of arts is inter-related, only the media and tools of communication are different. In recent years, I have been very interested to convert body creation to other creative forms, such as to re-choreograph the song “Eyes” and “On the
Train” which was my travel residency records last year. I move through the train, watching and thinking of two different aspects, the speed and the scenery and the relationship in between. YY: What do you think about the relationship between body and (city) spaces? On one hand, you dance alone in small spaces and in video clip such as “On the Road” and “Bach Cello Suite #1”. On the other hand, you release works in city spaces such as “Visible City, People Filled with Air”. I think those elements are quite interesting. CSY: Life is born in space from within the body of a mother or soil or air. It affects everything; people have different feelings in different environments. So I left the theatre, to think about the city, the changes in living space and the impact of the environment and to gradually develop the restriction of the environment. Through the movement of dancers in space, I found breath. I also found that life exists in the environment. YY: What do you hope to do in the future? CSY: I hope to continue dancing and choreographing, whether in Taiwan or overseas, in the theatre or any outdoor space in the city. However, during this phase the thing I would like to complete the most is to perform a solo stage performance. “Depart from the Body” would be developed into another creation expected to come out in April next year. In between, of course, I will be travelling the world, stopping at places to find my thoughts and moving on to meet good partners. June - November 2010 | AsiaDanceChannel
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