Wang Yeu-Kwn, the Artistic Director of Shimmering Production, along with his collaborative dance piece Islands, Indonesian dancer Danang Pamungkas, and dramaturge Wang Shih-Wei, have been invited by the renowned British dance institution, The Place, to engage in a creative exchange in London. Islands is the second episode of Wang Yeu-Kwn's "A Trilogy — Quest of Relationships" choreography project; inspired by his 2019 trip to Indonesia in search of a giant fish: in the search for self-identity. On October 20th, the team held a workshop at The Place where they shared the creative ideas as well as discussion of the questionnaire which was sent out prior to the workshop. Moreover, on October 24th they also shared a piece of their work at The Place to performing arts professionals.
In 2022, during the staged development version of the performance Islands at the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan as part of the 'Taiwan Dance Platform,' artist Wang Yeu-Kwn caught the attention of Mr. Eddie Nixon, the Artistic Director of The Place. Subsequently, he invited his team to the UK for an artistic exchange and further development of the dance piece. Wang Yeu-Kwn expressed his happiness at having the opportunity to work purely and wholeheartedly with his creative partners at The Place's professional rehearsal space during the creative process of Islands. He also hopes to share the current stage of the creative concept with The Place and London's professionals, fostering discussions and igniting new collaborative opportunities through different perspectives.
This year, Dr Chen Pin-Chuan, Director of the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, collaborated with The Place to support Taiwanese artists in their overseas creative endeavours and was also invited to observe the proceedings. Dr Chen stated that this collaboration with The Place represents a new initiative for the Cultural Division in the UK. Over the past three years, Taiwan's performing arts scene has accumulated a significant creative energy, which needs an outlet due to the COVID-19-related travel restrictions. The aim is to provide Taiwanese artists with opportunities to engage in creative work abroad, drawing from the rich cultural and creative environment in London and the resources of professional institutions. Furthermore, they hope to capture the attention of local professionals to increase the chances of Taiwanese performing arts productions being invited for international tours in the future.
WANG Yeu-Kwn
Choreographer / dancer / founder of Shimmering Production
Wang only started his career as a choreographer after leaving Cloud Gate 2, where he was a professional dancer from 2008 to 2015. As a choreographer, Wang takes interest in exploring the connections and disconnections between people, people and environments, and among cultures. Relationships, in other words, have become the inspirations for his works. His award winning and internationally toured dance piece, “Beings”, is the first episode of his choreography project “A Trilogy — Quest of Relationships”.
Wang was selected as part of the "2020 Young Star, New Vision" creation project of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan. In 2021, he received triple awards at the 27th Yokohama Dance Collection in Japan, making him the first Taiwanese choreographer ever to make this achievement. With the support of the National Theater and Concert Hall, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts Waiwuying, residency programs at The Place in London and Kinosaki International Arts Center, Wang has started creating "Islands" (working title), the second episode of the “A Trilogy — Quest of Relationships” project, which is set to premiere in fall 2024.
Danang Pamungkas
Islands—Dancer
Dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Dan's Dance Studio Solo. Danang Pamungkas was a professional dancer at Cloud Gate 2 in Taiwan. After returning to Indonesia in 2011, he has continued his dance career and has actively studied traditional Javanese dance, using it as a basis for dissecting and exploring the realm of contemporary dance choreography.
He is a frequent artist at the Theater Arena Surakarta and Jakarta Salihara Theater in Indonesia. In addition, he has been invited to perform at international festivals and stages including the Indonesian Dance Festival, Salihara Festival and Salihara Festival in Indonesia, the Artquake in Autumn Festival in Taiwan, Welt Museum in Vienna, Austria, the National Museum in Singapore, and Boston Arts Center.
Aside from creating his own danceworks, his unique background and movements have also drawn attention from choreographers and dance companies for collaborations, such as Anikaya Dance Theater (USA), Su Wen-Chi (Taiwan), and Wang Yeu-Kwn (Taiwan). He was also invited by the Indonesian film director Garin Nugroho to choreograph for the movie "Satan Jawa".
Wang Shih-Wei
Islands—Dramaturge
Taiwanese director, dramaturge, performer, and journalist. After finishing his P.H.D. degree in University of Paris III, Shih-Wei has worked between France and Taiwan as an artist, cultural journalist and translator.
His projects comprise a variety forms, including theatrical adaptation Bal-con (2019), solo choreographic performance Masses (2019/2021) and Status Quo (2023), music theater, Existence of Absent Reality (2021) and traditional puppet theater, Blood Brothers (2023). Masses is the winner of 18th Taishin Performing Arts Award in Taiwan.
The Place, London’s creative powerhouse for dance development, has been leading the way in dance training, creation and performance for over 50 years. In a changing landscape, our vision for the future remains steadfast: We are powering imagination through dance, championing new ideas, embracing risks and creating a dance ecosystem unlike any other in the world, with optimal conditions for dance artists and enthusiasts to realise their full potential. The Place is home to London Contemporary Dance School, an extensive theatre and artist development programme, education projects, a range of classes and courses and a nationwide touring model. As a pioneering dance organization, we are committed to creating no-barriers access to exciting dance experiences and opportunities for everybody, offering a diverse and dynamic theatre programme for audiences, supporting artists and dance makers and giving young people access to the highest quality opportunities to touch their lives with dance.