The Kennedy Center to Welcome Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, 2/12-13

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan for two performances in the Kennedy Center Opera House, February 12 and 13, 2016. Opening night for the press is scheduled for February 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

Created in 2013-the company's 40th anniversary year-by founder and artistic director Hwai-min Lin, Rice enacts a human drama parallel to the life cycle of rice, telling the story of a landscape while contemplating the devastation of the Earth. Heralded as "the most important choreographer in Asia," and honored in 2013 with the prestigious Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, Lin often draws his initial inspiration from traditional Asian culture and aesthetics. The inspiration for Rice came in the form of the small farming village of Chihshang, located in the East Rift Valley in Taiwan. Environmentally conscious farmers used organic methods of farming after the valley was tainted by the use of chemical fertilizer. As a result of their efforts the valley was returned to its former glory and regained its title as Land of the Emperor's Rice.

The backdrop for the production was created from images taken over the course of two years on location in the valley, featuring elements that match the movements of the program onstage: clouds reflected in water, rice swaying in the wind, and fire ravaging the fields. Featuring folksongs in Hakka-the oldest among the existing Chinese dialects-and operatic arias from the West, Rice is a work about death and rebirth, devastation and resurrection.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan blends Asian mythology, folklore, and aesthetics with a modern sensibility. Dancers practice and perform using such diverse movement disciplines and artistic approaches as tai chi, chi kung, meditation, internal martial arts, modern dance, and ballet. The company was last seen at the Kennedy Center in 2010 with Moon Water.

Tickets start at $19 and can be purchased online, at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.

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