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Bratislava in Movement | • Huang Yi (Taiwan)
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• Huang Yi (Taiwan)

15.02.10_HuangYiKuka267 by Jacob Blickenstaff

Huang Yi (Taiwan)

HUANG YI & KUKA

1 October 2017, 7 pm

Municipal Theatre POH

HUANG YI

Taiwanese dancer, choreographer, inventor, and videographer Huang Yi’s pioneering work is steeped in his fascination with the partnership between humans and robots. He interweaves continuous movement with mechanical and multimedia elements to create a form of dance which corresponds with the flow of data, effectively making the performer a dancing instrument. Named by Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to Watch,” Huang was immersed in the arts at a young age, spending much of his childhood in his parents’ studio watching them teach tango and learning to paint alongside his father. He is widely considered one of Asia’s most prolific choreographers.

Huang’s groundbreaking and award-winning work, Huang Yi& KUKA, in which he performs alongside a robot he conceptualized and programmed, opened the 2013 Ars Electronica Festival (Austria), the internationally renowned unique platform for digital art and media culture. In April 2017, Huang Yi& KUKA was the opening performance for the TED Conference in Vancouver. Works choreographed by and featuring Huang have received high praise at venues internationally, including Joyce Theater; Engien-Les-Bains Centre des Arts (France); Tasdance and Dancenorth (Australia); Cloud Gate 2 (Taipei); the Indonesian Dance Festival (Jakarta); New York Live Arts; and the American Dance Festival (North Carolina). Huang’s collaboration with Cloud Gate 2 continues to tour internationally, to much acclaim. He has received awards for his work at the Digital Arts Center Taipei (2010 & 2012); and the 3rd Cross Connection Ballet International Choreography Competition in Copenhagen (2010), among many others across Europe and Asia.

HU CHIEN

Taiwan native Hu Chien received his MFA in Performance and Choreography from the School of Dance of Taipei National University of the Arts. Recent performances include Huang Yi’s Special Order, Double Yellow Lines, Second Skin, Sand and Whisper. He was the leading actor for the micro film Immortelle by Dutch director David Verbeek (nominated for the Spectrum Shots section at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Taiwan’s Shortcuts series at the 2013 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Hu was a member of Cloud Gate 2 from 2012-2013 and has danced with Huang Yi Studio + since 2010.

LIN JOU-WEN

Taiwanese dancer Lin Jou-Wen received her BFA in dance from the Taipei National University of the Arts. Recent performances include Huang Yi’s Special Order, Light, Symphony Project and Spin 2010; Tong Yang-Tze’s Sao at TIFA 2014; leading actress in the micro film Immortelle by Dutch director David Verbeek (nominated for the Spectrum Shots section at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Taiwan’s Shortcuts series at the 2013 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival); movement design for Process of Death (first prize winner of the digital performance competition at the 2nd Taipei Digital Art Festival); among others. Lin was a recipient of the American Dance Festival Scholarship in 2009. She was a member of Cloud Gate 2 from 2010-2014 and has danced with Huang Yi Studio + since January 2014.

HUANG YI & KUKA

Concept&Choreography: Huang Yi

Music: Arvo Pärt, J.S. Bach, David Lang, W.A.Mozart

Costume: Hu Chien&Lin Jou-Wen

Performed by: Huang Yi, Hu Chien&Lin Jou-Wen

Technical Director: Cheng Hao-Ting

Technical Assistant: Guan Sheng-Zhu

Tour Manager: Luo Sih-

HUANG YI & KUKA is an original production of Huang Yi Studio +, developed at 3LD Art &Technology Center, in association with Sozo Artists. Commissioned by Quanta Arts Foundation.

Advisory: Lasers and strobe lights will be used in this performance.

“Dancing face to face with a robot is like looking at my own face in a mirror… I think I have found the key to spin human emotions into robots.”HuangYi

As a child, Huang Yi longed for a robot companion. As an adult, he created a robot to dance with.

Acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer and dancer Huang Yi and his robot companion KUKA bring razors harp precision and stunning artistry to Bratislava. Harmoniously weaving together the art of dance and the science of mechanical engineering, HUANG YI & KUKA is a poetic work that flawlessly intertwines modern dance and visual arts with the realm of robotics.
HUANG YI & KUKA reveals humanity through a series of vignettes between live dancers and KUKA, a robot conceptualized and programmed by Huang.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I was born in a wealthy family. When I was 10, my parents went bankrupt due to investment losses. My family of four moved from a luxurious house to a 40-square foot room. As a child who was constantly moving from one tiny room to another and seeing my parents go through suicide attempts, I grew up knowing that I had to be a perfect child. I detached all my emotion- passion, anger, and sadness, to be that perfect child, and to be like a robot: obedient, friendly, outstanding, considerate, never rebellious, perhaps no personality.

As a child, my favourite cartoon was Doraemon, a Japanese animation character and a cat robot who is always there to solve problems for his owner. Apparently I have something with robots since I was little- Is it because they represent a character that is loyal? Or is it because their destiny of being selfless? Thankfully, my parents let me choose to be a professional on stage, which became the best outlet for my compressed emotion. And I wanted to find a way to dance with a robot.

I did my research on the most advanced industrial robots, and KUKA stood out for stability, and the fluid design like the shape of human. In 2010, I called KUKA company in Taiwan. When I told them my idea, they said, “According to the regulation, when the robot is moving, human beings cannot enter the area of its action. If you can find a way, I will lend you a KUKA.”

I have found a way, and now, thanks to Quanta Arts Foundation in Taiwan, I have a KUKA.

For me, “HUANG YI& KUKA” is a process of beautifying the sorrow and sadness when I grew up. It is the expression of loneliness, self-doubt, self-realization, and self-comfort. I was trying to make a beautiful illusion just to assure others that everything was fine. I wanted to remind us of our simplest hope from the very beginning, that we are all just grown up kids, but still kids.

Huang Yi