Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: 13 Tongues

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, founded in 1973 by choreographer Lin Hwai-min as the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking community, blends its roots in Asian mythology, folklore, and aesthetics with a modern sensibility. Praised for reaching “back to ancient wisdom and ahead to future fruitfulness, with a cool, unforced yet insistent power” (The Washington Post), the company has made a significant impact on the international dance community.

In 2020, Lin Hwai-min handed the reins to Cheng Tsung-lung as Artistic Director, and the company returns now to the Kennedy Center to embrace a new era while celebrating its history. For 13 Tongues, the new artistic director recalls his mother’s stories about “Thirteen Tongues,” a legendary street artist in the 1960s. Cheng transforms his childhood memory of the sights, sounds, and vitality of Bangka—Taipei’s oldest district—into an exquisite fantasy world.