Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan 13 TONGUES

Founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min in 1973 as the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking community, Cloud Gate blends its roots in Asian mythology, folklore, and aesthetics with a modern sensibility. In 2020, Lin Hwai-min handed the artistic reins of Cloud Gate to Cheng Tsung-lung, whose work 13 TONGUES recalls his mother’s stories about a legendary street artist in the 1960s. Cheng transforms his childhood memories of Taoist rites and the bustling street life of Bangka (艋舺), the oldest district in Taipei, into a dreamlike fantasy world. Beginning and ending with the sound of a single hand bell, the evocative musical score interweaves Taiwanese folk songs, Taoist chant, and electronica, taking audiences on a journey from the ancient to the contemporary.