Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance Theatre was named winner of the Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company at the 19th National Dance Awards Feb. 18 in London.
The only Asian dance troupe shortlisted for the prize this year, Cloud Gate received the recognition from the U.K.’s The Critics’ Circle for its production “Formosa.” First staged in 2017, the acclaimed work incorporates poem recitals and singing by indigenous musicians.
According to Cloud Gate, the honor is like a birthday gift for the group’s artistic director and founder Lin Hwai-min, who turned 72 years one day after the awards ceremony. Lin, who is retiring at the end of this year, said he was very grateful for the dedication of his colleagues and the public’s long-term support for his dance company.
Accepting the award on behalf of Cloud Gate, Alistair Spalding, artistic director and chief executive of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, said Lin is an “extraordinary man,” and credited him with creating a dance culture and acting as Taiwan’s cultural ambassador.
“Formosa” has won a number of honors at home and abroad including show of the year for 2018 from prestigious German dance magazine Tanz. U.K. newspaper The Guardian also listed the production among its top 10 dance shows.
The piece will be staged at Istana Budaya March 16-17 in Kuala Lumpur, as well as at the Chekhov International Theatre Festival June 17-18 in Moscow.
Cloud Gate was formed in 1973 as the first professional modern dance troupe in Taiwan and has become one of the country’s major cultural exports. It has cultivated a global reputation for innovative works incorporating local cultural elements such as calligraphy, history and martial arts as well as Hakka and indigenous music. (CPY-E)
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