Lin Hwai-min’s Short List

Through his work with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Taiwan’s Lin Hwai-min has become one of Asia’s most highly acclaimed choreographers, pioneering the genre of Chinese contemporary dance. His pieces incorporate striking imagery from diverse aspects of Chinese culture, including classic literature and Taiwanese history. Here are some of his inspirations:

The Dream of the Red Chamber
This literary classic was a major source of inspiration through many of my works. It’s about decay — a glorious jubilation that gives way to precarious darkness. It’s a book that has everything.

Chinese calligraphy
I always like to look at those beautiful lines and their energy. Kinetic movement is always cursive and circular. When you’re using the brush, it’s actually an endless movement of circles.

Qigong
[This ancient meditation practice] is all about breathing. We sink down and take energy from the earth and are engaged in an internal dialogue.

Big River, Big Sea: 1949
This is Lung Ying-tai’s new book about the year the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan. There’s no winner in the war; everybody fails. Unearthed historical facts force me to look at new angles and realign myself.

The Tamsui River
I’ve been working on a new piece, Listening to the River. I’ve been living by the Tamsui River for more than 20 years. It speaks to you. It tells you much, but actually never utters a word. What we think the river says is only a mirror reflection of our hearts.

—Reported by Natalie Tso

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