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TEACHER RESOURCE MATERIALS

FOR

MOON WATER

CLOUD GATE DANCE THEATRE OF TAIWAN

29 September – 2 October 2009

Brisbane Festival 2009 Teacher Resource Materials Moon Water 2

Teacher Resource Material Writers: Dr Sandra Gattenhof, Katie Hollins and Robyn Shenfield, Queensland

University of Technology, Creative Industries Faculty (Drama) with thanks to Holly Reif from Brisbane Festival and Mitchell Holmes from Centenary State

High School.

Copyright – © 2009 Sandra Gattenhof, Katie Hollins and Robyn Shenfield.

Brisbane Festival is entitled to use the work for the purpose for which it was

commissioned. Any other reproduction must seek the permission of the

copyright holders. Contact [email protected]


CONTENTS

Teacher Resource Materials: How to use this guide 4

Show information 5 Synopsis 5 Content suitability 6 Curriculum applications 6

Orientating activities

The Company: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan 7

The Choreographer: Lin Hwai-min 7-8

Reviews 8-9

New York Times Review of Moon Water by Anna Kisselgoff 9-10

Post-show discussion 10-11

Taoist philosophy 11

Tai Chi warm up 12

Enhancing Activities Tag Shape 13

Creating Tension with Binary Opposites 13-14

Chinese Calligraphy: using symbols to create stylised movement 14-16

Synthesising Activities Performance analysis of Moon Water 17-18

Writing a Review – Part One (photocopy resource) 18

Writing a Review – Part Two 19

Possible Assessment Tasks 20

Resources to assist Understanding 21-22


TEACHER RESOURCE MATERIALS - HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Teacher Resource Materials are a guide designed to enhance students’ knowledge about, and responses to, performance experiences. It provides information about the performance, student activities, advice about audience roles and responsibilities, and resources for further investigation by students and teachers. Teacher Resource Materials gives you, the educator, the ability to prepare your students for the process of reading and interpreting a performance whether that is through performance themes, form and style, or design elements. Experience and research indicate that students’ understanding of, and responses to, performance are enhanced through sound educational experiences. This material will help you lead students to discover information, to explore processes, and to respond in critical and creative ways. Because teachers are accountable for how students use time during the school day, time at performances, like time in the classroom, must be justified for educational value. Teacher Resource Materials ensures that learning outcomes for performances are both appropriate and clear. As an educator, you may like to make use of all the activities in this guide to prepare your students to view and unpack the performance. However, Brisbane Festival also understands that your visit to a performance is not a one off event, but forms part of a larger unit of classroom work – an investigation into contemporary theatre, the use of the elements of drama within a theatrical performance, or enabling students to analyze a performance work using the structures of theatre criticism. Therefore you may not wish to use all the suggested activities, but ‘pick and mix’ what is appropriate for your classroom work and your students.


MOON WATER Venue: Playhouse, QPAC Season: Tuesday, 29 September to Friday, 2 October 2009 Choreographer: Lin Hwai-min Music: Selections from Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach Lighting Design: Chang Tsan-tao Set Design: Austin Wang Costume Design: Lin Ching-ju Co-commission: National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Centre, R.O.C (Taiwan) Synopsis Moon Water is a mesmerising 70-minute performance that investigates the real vs. the unreal, effort vs. effortlessness, and yin and yang to thus explore the elasticity of time. The production uses the body as a primary tool to investigate the differences between inhaling and exhaling, the dancer's dialogue with him/herself, the mutual interactions between two people or between an individual and a group, and the relationship between the performer and empty space. Using light, shadow and reflection, Moon Water combines meditation, tai-chi, martial arts and Chinese opera movement with modern dance to return to the basic investigative nature of Eastern philosophy. The result is a stunning and spiritual theatrical work of art.

The black stage floor contrasts against the dancers’ costumes, reflected by mirrors hung in midair and upstage. An illusion of a celestial landscape is created when water seeps onto the stage towards the end of the performance, reflecting the dancing bodies against the wall of mirrors, as though they are moving through clouds.

The performance is accompanied by selections of Bach's Six Suites for Solo Cello recorded by Russian Cellist Mischa Maisky. However, rather than contrasting the modern and classical components, Moon Water melds movement and music perfectly to create a seamless piece of dance theatre that transcends conventional boundaries between forms.

Choreographed by artistic director Lin Hwai-min, one of the world's master choreographers who this year was honoured with the International Movimentos lifetime achievement award, Cloud Gate’s Moon Water is exclusive to Brisbane Festival 2009.


CONTENT SUITABILITY FOR MOON WATER Year Levels Years 10, 11 and 12 Language Nil Sexual References Nil

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS Drama Physical theatre, ritual, cross cultural

theatre, visual theatre, contemporary performance

Dance Queensland Senior Dance Syllabus units: Exploring Contemporary Dance, Iconic, Ritual, Fusion

LOTE Appreciation of Taiwanese and Chinese cultures


ORIENTATING ACTIVITIES THE COMPANY: CLOUD GATE DANCE THEATRE OF TAIWAN

According to legend, Cloud Gate is the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritual dance of some 5,000 years ago. In 1973, choreographer Lin Hwai-min adopted this classical name for the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese speaking community: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.

Cloud Gate's rich repertoire has its roots in Asian myths, folklore, and aesthetics, but it brings to these age-old beliefs and stories a contemporary and universal perspective. The company is made up of two-dozen dancers whose training includes Tai Chi Tao Yin (an ancient form of Chi Kung), meditation, martial arts, Chinese Opera movement, modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy.

Cloud Gate has been on extensive overseas tours throughout the continents of Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America, including engagements at New York's Next Wave Festival, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival, Lyon Biennale De La Danse, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Adelaide Festival, Berlin Festival, the festival celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Pina Bausch Tanztheatre Wuppertal, Sadler's Wells Theatre and Barbican Centre in London, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Kennedy Center.

THE CHOREOGRAPHER: LIN HWAI-MIN Founder and Artistic Director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Lin Hwai-min is heralded as “the most important choreographer in Asia” (Berliner Morgenpost) and “unchallenged giant in Asia . . . one of the greats of the twentieth century” (South China Morning Post, Hong Kong). He draws his inspiration from Asian cultures and aesthetics to create works with contemporary resonance which has prompted the Dance Europe to acclaim: “No company in the world dances like Cloud Gate. It presents a distinct and mature Chinese choreographic language. The importance of this evolution in Asian dance is no less profound than the impact of Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt on European classical ballet.” In addition to receiving rave reviews internationally for his choreography, Lin is also a recipient of many awards and honours, including Honorary Doctorates from Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan, and Hong Kong Baptist University; “Choreographer of the 20th Century” by Dance Europe and “Personalities of the Year” by Ballet International; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Department of Culture of New York City; the Joyce Award of Chicago; the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the so called “Nobel Prize of Asia;” and the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award. In 2005, Lin Hwai-min was honoured by the Time Magazine as one of


the “Asia’s Heroes.” In 2008, he was awarded the “Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters,” which is one of the highest cultural awards in France, in recognition of his significant contributions to the arts and culture. In 2009, the International Movimentos Dance Award, jointly founded by the European TV channels ARTE and ZDF, and Autostadt/Volkswagen AG., honors him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. REVIEWS Moon Water presents a distinct and mature Chinese choreographic language. The importance of this evolution in Asian dance is no less profound than the impact of Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt on European classical ballet.

Dance Europe Moon Water is not about meditation but is a meditation in itself. Mr. Lin has accomplished what creative artists rarely succeed in doing today: challenging the audience with a work unlike any other. The tour de force is the way Mr. Lin has extended and transformed the movement of tai chi exercises into an expressive dance vocabulary. . . . Unexpectedly, this syncretic fusion of a codified Asian movement vocabulary with Bach’s Baroque dance forms is a perfect fit. A special experience in the theater.

The New York Times

Moon Water is a dream of a show, one of the most ravishing things I’ve seen in a theatre, an experience of beauty . . . Gripped at the start, then lulled into enchantment.[The dancers] have such stringent, elastic control that they can suddenly blast upwards into high, light jumps that for a moment you fancy might not come down again. The grace of it is, in a way, balletic, but its evasion of the norms of gravity, its total fluidity, suggests that there is a new book of the human dancing body waiting to be written with t’ai chi training.

The Daily Telegraph, London

The 70-minute production is a sublime ascetic spectacle with a spiritual dimension. . . . [The dancers’] concentration, clarity of purpose and control are exemplary, and their physical plasticity extraordinary. Rather than merely duplicating Bach’s tempi and tones, they reach inside his music from the core of their own bodies.

The Times, London Moon Water reflects the relationship between appearance and essence, effort and effortlessness, man and woman. It is a strikingly beautiful and lyrical piece. Within its 70-minute duration, a unique cosmos unravels where a completely different feeling of time reigns.The entire stage is transformed into a mirrored cabinet. Reality and appearance melt inseparably into each other.


In an unforgettable final image, the dancers seem to move as though on clouds in a celestial landscape—magically removed from all worldliness. There is nothing this season to compare with its sublime beauty.

Ballet International REVIEW OF MOON WATER The Syncretism of Tai Chi and Bach The New York Times Thursday, 20 November 2003 Writer: Anna Kisselgoff With its silvery mirrored surfaces, and trickle of water across the stage, there is no doubt about the stunning theatricality of Moon Water, the New York premiere that choreographer Lin Hwai-min is presenting with his Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan at the Brooklyn Academy of Music through Saturday. Yet Moon Water is anything but a conventional dance piece, and its production values have a metaphoric resonance. Unlike Mr Lin’s previous works, also seen at the Next Wave festival at the Academy, Moon Water is not about meditation but is a meditation in itself. Mr Lin has accomplished what creative artists rarely succeed in doing today: challenging the audience with a work unlike any other. Exquisitely and subtly, the entire spectacle of Tuesday night evoked water and moonlight as symbols of illusion. Outwardly all was slow: the extraordinary fluidity of the 18 magnificent dancers, reflected in the mirrored panels behind or above them, and even more amazing slow tempos of the accompanying recordings by Mischa Maisky as he plays nine selections from Bach’s cello suites. The tour de force is the way Mr. Lin has extended and transformed the movement of tai chi exercises into an expressive dance vocabulary. Virtually all is flow and continuous energy, punctuated with martial thrusts amid repeated sinking and rising of bodies.

Unexpectedly, this syncretic fusion of a codified Asian movement vocabulary with Bach's Baroque dance forms is a perfect fit. In his exceptionally slow playing, Mr. Maisky offers a consistency of tone that matches the choreography's nuanced stream of energy. Bach's stately sarabandes suddenly become whole with the dancing.

By the end the dancers embody the music rather than, as at the beginning, dance to its notes. Nor does the action on stage seem only plotless. Nothing happens in a narrative sense, but audiences used to Asian theater's time sensibility will understand the evolution of Mr. Lin's structure.


''Moon Water'' evokes a journey toward purification of body and soul. In this remarkable adaptation of tai chi, Mr. Lin works on a symbolic plane. He has used this flow of energy through the entire body to empty the body of energy, to start afresh in finding a new dance vocabulary.

In this age of spiritual retreats, many will understand the mind-body connection of ''Moon Water.'' The performers are astonishing in their focus and concentration. As trancelike as they appear, they are professionally trained modern dancers who know how to splice an occasional back fall from Martha Graham's technique without breaking the overall flow.

Contrasting with the dancers' fluidity is the surprising angularity of their body shapes: hips jut out, elbows are bent, flexed wrists sprout into splayed hands and dancers drop into deep knock-kneed pliés. How weight is shifted is primary.

Here again metaphor plays its part: sharpness contrasts with serenity. As Mr. Lin's program note suggests, ''Moon Water'' is a study of the real versus the unreal. His springboard was a Buddhist proverb: ''Flowers in a mirror and moon on the water are both illusory.''

Nonetheless, if such images are ideal rather than real, humankind strives for enlightenment. ''Moon Water'' evokes a spiritual journey, although it is not without strain. (Notice the big toe flexing away from a raised flexed foot.)

Austin Wang's set and Chang Tsan-tao's lighting magnificently suggest both darkness and light as various soloists in Lin Jing-ru's beautiful white costumes stand out from the group that enters and exits. A blurred reflection on a suspended panel mirrors the first solitary traveler, Tsai Ming-yuan in his controlled twisted solo. Huang Pei-hua and Mr. Tsai dance together but do not touch. Wen Ching-ching and Tang Kuo-feng make contact as the group drifts behind them from one side of the stage to the other.

Chou Chang-ning swings her leg wide in a body-stretching solo before the group spreads out into five couples led by one pair, then two contrasting couples. Sheu Fang-yi, outstanding as a dancer in Martha Graham's company last winter, embodies a stronger dynamic. Her hint of angst is washed away as water trickles onstage. The group members fall and splash on the floor, the bodies reflected above until all leave: a special experience in the theater. POST SHOW DISCUSSION

1. Discuss cross-cultural theatre / dance / performance. What is it? Can you think of any examples of dance, theatre, music, art works, films etc that are influenced by more than one culture?

2. Brainstorm what companies you know in Australia that use a cross- cultural approach to their performances.


3. Students discuss and research companies such as Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre, who are influenced by Japanese training forms (The Suzuki Method of Actor Training) and performance style (Butoh), Bangarra Dance Company (Indigenous Australian dance and contemporary dance) and Taikoz (Japanese drumming). Consider: How does the combination of eastern and western forms, styles, training methodologies and philosophies create new styles of contemporary dance, theatre and performance?

4. As a class come up with a definition for physical theatre. What does a performance need to have in order for it to be considered as a piece of ‘physical theatre’?

TAOIST PHILOSOPHY ‘Tao’ means road, path or way. In the early days, Taoism was considered to be more of a philosophy than a religion. Traditional Taoist principles and ideas are based on many of the most basic human experiences – birth, death, loss, gain, simple dignity in the face of challenge, how to judge the character of a person, when to move forward, when to retreat and so on. Most of the stories are from the classic writings of Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu (Towler, 2005). Consider the following tale from Taoist philosophy: A Beautiful Illusion The master had preached for many years that life was but an illusion. Then, when his son died, he wept. His students came to him and said, ‘Master, how can you weep so when you have told us so many times that all things in this life are an illusion?’ ‘Yes,’ said the master, wiping away his tears while they continued to course down his ancient cheeks, ‘but he was such a beautiful illusion!’ Extract from: Towler, S. (2005). Tales from the Tao. London: Watkins Publishing. Discussion:

a. What is master referring to as a ‘beautiful illusion’? What do you think he means by this?

b. Can you think of any examples of your own life or in the wider world that reflect the essence of this story?

TAI CHI WARM UP Tai Chi is an ancient form of Chinese exercise and martial art. Tai Chi is derived from traditional Taoist principles, and relates to the ‘yin and yang’ of


all life being harmoniously interconnected. ‘Chi’ means ‘energy’ or life force and the following exercises are designed to be slow and meditative.

1. Wu Chi (Raising the Arms) a. Place your feet shoulder length apart, making sure your feet are almost

parallel b. Slightly bend your knees and sink down a little. This is commonly

known as ‘horse riding stance’. Breathe in and out naturally. Keep your spine straight.

c. Raise up both arms to shoulder height in front of you shoulder width apart with palms facing down. Breathe in as you do this, and imagine your arms floating up to shoulder height like balloons.

d. Slowly move your palms down until your hands are by your sides again. Exhale as you do this.

e. Slightly bend your knees as you lower your arms. f. Repeat this movement a few times.

2. Holding up Heaven a. Begin in the horse riding stance as described in the previous activity.) b. Link your hands together with your fingers, making sure your palms are

facing up. c. Inhaling, draw your linked hands slowly upwards, at the same time

rising on the balls of your feet. d. Still inhaling, continue to press the palms upward whist fully stretching

the body towards ‘heaven’. e. Follow your hands with your gaze. f. Hold your breath for about three counts, and then slowly exhale,

gradually reversing the order of the movements you just completed. Remember to turn your palms back over at chest height.

g. Make sure you complete the movement and exhalation by the time you reach the beginning pose.

Adapted from Thomas, P. (2002). The Magic of Relaxation. Castle Hill: Pademelon Press.


ENHANCING ACTIVITIES Activity 1 – Tag Shape Throughout Moon Water, choreographer Lin Hwai-min used a variety of interesting shapes of bodies in space to create dramatic meaning. Physical Theatre directors Anne Bogart and Tina Landau (2005, p. 9) state that shape can be “broken down into either (1) lines, (2) curves, or (3) a combination of lines or curves” and that a shape can be either “(1) stationary or (2) moving through space.” The exercises ‘Tag Shape’ (Bogart and Landau, 2005, p. 58) can be used for students to physically explore these concepts:

1. The class stands in a small circle. 2. A volunteer moves into the centre of the circle and makes a shape. 3. A second person enters the circle and adds to their shape. 4. As the third person runs in the first person runs out. 5. This continues until the entire class has participated. There should

always be a shape in the centre comprised of two bodies. Activity 2 – Creating Tension with Binary Oppositions

The yin-yang from Taoist philosophy is a symbolic representation of the entwined duality of all things in nature. Black represents ‘yin’ and white represents ‘yang’. The philosophy of yin and yang shows how opposites need each other to exist. The yin-yang can be seen as a visual representation of binary opposites. Binary oppositions are concepts that are regarded to be in opposition with each other. For example: high and low, black and white, day and night etc. DRAMA Tension, an element of drama, can be created through the exploration of binary oppositions.

a. Students brainstorm a list of everyday binary oppositions. Eg. day and night, white and black, male and female etc.


b. Students work in small groups to create a realistic short scene which incorporates two binary oppositions and the tension between them.

c. Students present. d. Students then return to groups and transform the scene into something

more abstract, removing everyday dialogue and movement. Teacher may provide some interesting instrumental music as aesthetic stimulus.

e. Students present. f. Extension Responding Task: Moon Water created tension by

exploration of “the real vs. the unreal, effort vs. effortlessness, and yin and yang” (Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and Brisbane Festival 2009). Write a paragraph explaining how the performers’ bodies were instrumental in conveying these binary oppositions to the audience. You could also refer to the performers’ spatial relationships, shape and tempo.

DANCE

a. Students brainstorm a list of everyday binary oppositions. Eg. day and night, white and black, male and female etc.

b. Students in pairs pick a binary opposition and individually create three different movements that express each opposition.

c. Students combine their opposition motifs to choreograph a short dance piece that explores the binary opposition.

d. Students present. e. Extension Students return to their groups and further explore their

dance by tailoring their binary opposition dance to a specific theme, such as love, revenge, war etc. How does the influence of the new theme change original the dance?

Activity 3 - Chinese Calligraphy: using symbols to create stylised movement Calligraphy is an art dating back thousands of years and it is still widely practiced throughout China today. Although it uses Chinese words as its vehicle of expression, it is not essential to be able to understand Chinese to appreciate the beauty of calligraphy. Like many contemporary art forms, Calligraphy can be viewed as a type of abstract art. While viewing a Western abstract painting or contemporary performance for example, one does not ask "what is it?" The art is more about evoking an experience rather than clearly stating meaning. Similarly, when viewing Chinese calligraphy, it is not important to ask "what is the Chinese word?" in order to appreciate its beauty (Pei, 2009).


Here are some characters from Chinese calligraphy:

LAUGHTER HATE

DESIRE CRISIS Images retrieved from http://www.cultural-china.com/Kaleidoscope/cultural_tool/Chinese_Symbols/index.html

DRAMA

a. Students are shown a clip of a Chinese Calligrapher available from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ghtJolXC8

b. Students the view a clip from Moon Water available from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmzMCetOM6w

c. Focus questions: “In your opinion, how did Lin Hwai-min draw from Chinese calligraphy to inform the style of movement in Moon Water?” “What kind of examples can you think of from the performance?”

d. Students divide into small groups. Each group is given a symbol Chinese Calligraphy (such as those above) and brainstorm the type of emotion, language and movement the symbol evokes.

e. Students work in these groups to create a short performance illustrating their symbol and the act of calligraphy. Teacher may provide some interesting instrumental music as aesthetic stimulus.

f. Students present. g. Extension After presenting, students think about how they are

breathing during their performances. Students work in their groups


experimenting with how their performance quality changes when by using their breath. Eg. Execute the same movement on an inhale, then execute it on an exhale. What is the difference? What does it do to the quality of the performance? How does it make you feel as a performer? How does it make the audience feel?

DANCE

a. Students are shown a clip of a Chinese Calligrapher available from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ghtJolXC8

b. Students the view a clip from Moon Water available from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmzMCetOM6w

c. Focus questions: “In your opinion, how did Lin Hwai-min draw from Chinese calligraphy to inform the style of movement in Moon Water?” “What kind of examples can you think from the performance?”

d. Students work in small groups and choreograph a short contemporary piece of 8 beats to act as a motif for their performance.

e. Students present. f. Students respond to each others performances and discuss elements

such as time, energy, forms and action. Students concentrate on one of these elements to explore how they elements can be manipulated to expand and change their original dance.


SYNTHESISING ACTIVITIES Thinking, talking about, and responding to the performance After viewing the performance a discussion with students is needed to unpack the form, style and content of the performance. The following questions will provide a basis for discussion to occur. The questions may be tackled individually, in small groups or whole class discussions. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF MOON WATER One basis for taking students to view live performance is to enable students to analyze a play in performance. They will therefore need some prior exposure to concepts of theatre analysis. One way of doing this would be to provide them with a range of written resources that explore theatre from a variety of perspectives. These may include: The ‘Theatrical Review’ Whilst the ‘Theatrical Review’ may not strictly speaking be a form of pure theatre analysis, it is nonetheless a way of enabling students to gain an understanding of a particular reviewers’ perspective. These will also introduce them to the idea of making critical judgments. Production Company Notes Many theatre companies now produce extensive notes for students on their various productions. These notes often include interviews with the director, designers, and actors and are aimed at providing students with an insight into the collaborative nature of theatrical production. The Program Many programs also include material on the play – a review, an interview with the director and may provide a source for some additional material for the students. Magazines/Newspapers There are a number of theatrical magazines that provide some level of analytical response to theatrical performance. The Internet The Internet is rich in a variety of theatre resources, but there are few websites dedicated to the specifics of current theatre performances in Australia. One site which does have a variety of contemporary reviews is http://www.stageleft.com.au The following worksheet from Queensland Studies Authority Sourcebook Module titled Spotlight on Script will help students to structure information post-performance in readiness to write a performance review.


PHOTOCOPY RESOURCE WRITING A REVIEW – PART 1 Here are some questions you may want to consider when you are thinking about a play in production. Use drama terminology when jotting down ideas. What is the title of the play and what expectations does this set up?

Who wrote it? When was it written? Was it written for a particular purpose? What were the circumstances under which it was written (for example, in response to an incident or event, for a commission, in collaboration with a youth theatre company)?

What is the theme? Does the play have a particular message or several messages?

What is the plot (in as few words as possible)?

Is it set in another time or place? When? Where? How did that impact on the staging? Costume? Make-up?

How did the venue and performance space affect the staging? What was the set like and how did that support the play and the performances?

How did lighting/sound/media support the production? Were there any special effects?

Were all the actors believable in their roles? Could you see and hear them? Did you feel any connection with them? Did any stand out?

What style would you say this play belongs to? What aspects of the style could you see?

What form or structure did the play follow? Was there a clear pattern to the tension?

What contributed to the mood of the production? How was this managed and changed throughout the production?

What struck you about the roles, relationships and language?

Did the production highlight any elements or conventions of drama in unusual ways? How? Why?


WRITING A REVIEW – PART 2 The following information and activities are drawn from Centre Stage (2000) by Mathew Clausen pp. 88-89. The flowchart may assist students in the writing phase after viewing a performance. After watching a performance, you will have quite a strong sense of whether or not a performance was effective. This is usually reinforced through feelings of whether or not you were engaged, moved, excited or disinterested. Using the words from the reviewers and interviewer as well as students’ own impressions and understandings, undertake an analysis the performance according to the following categories and questions. This could be done in written or oral form. PLOT This is the actual action that happens on stage. Try to reduce the whole story into a brief paragraph that includes all the main events. DISCUSS THEMES AND ISSUES Outline the themes and issues that your feel were important in the play. The themes and issues carry the message of the play and are important in helping the audience gain meaning from the performance. ANALYSE CHARACTER OBJECTIVE AND MOTIVATION Describe and analyse the characters. To find the character’s objective, ask yourself the question: What does the character want to achieve by the end of the play? To find the character’s motivation, ask yourself the question: Why does the character want to achieve their goal? EVALUATE THE PERFORMER How well did the actors use body language to express their character? Were their movements and gestures appropriate for their character? How well did they use their voice to express character and deliver lines? How focused did they seem during their performance? How convincing did the performer seem in their portrayal of their character? COMMENT ON THE USE OF PRODUCTION ELEMENTS Were the costumes suitable for the characters? How did the choice of colours and designs suit the overall look of the performance? Was the set an effective use of space? Was the set easy for the actors to manoeuvre about?. In terms of colour and layout, did its design enhance the performance? Did the signs and symbols used within the production enhance meaning? Was special lighting used at any time for a particular effect? Did the use of live or recorded sound enhance or detract from the performance?


POSSIBLE ASSESSMENT TASKS DRAMA One Person Show (Forming task) Students research Asian fables. Select one fable story of interest and create a one person show using Asian and Physical Theatre conventions and style explored throughout the unit. Performance Analysis (Responding task) Analyse and evaluate how Moon Water employs the Elements of Drama (such as space, mood, symbol and movement) skills of performance, styles and conventions to create dramatic meaning. DANCE Case Study (Appreciation task) Choose an Australian dance company that practises cross-cultural dance write a case study. How has traditional and contemporary Asian dance influenced western dance styles? You should consider changing audience, companies training and methodologies, styles of choreography and performances. Performance Analysis (Appreciation task) “Moon Water presents a distinct and mature Chinese choreographic language. The importance of this evolution in Asian dance is no less profound than the impact of Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt on European classical ballet.”

Dance Europe After viewing Moon Water, discuss in an essay the extent to which you agree with the reviewer that the dance is a work that showcases ‘evolution’ in Asian dance forms. Support your view with specific reference to the dance components used.


RESOURCES TO ASSIST UNDERSTANDING In Print Boal, A. (2002). Games for Actors and Non Actors. London: Routledge. Bogart, A. & Landau, T. (2005). The Viewpoints Book: A practical guide to viewpoints and composition. New York: Theatre Communications Group. Burton, B. (2001). Living Drama. South Melbourne: Pearson Education. Crawford, J. et al (2003). Acting in Person and in Style in Australia. Roseville: McGraw Hill. Gadaloff, J. (1998). Spring Boards: Australian Drama. Sydney: Jacaranda Wiley Australia Schechner, R. (2006). Performance Studies: an introduction. New York: Routledge. Stinson, M. and Wall, D. (2006). Dramactive Book 2. Sydney: McGraw Hill. Solomon, R and Solomon, J. (1995). East meets west in dance: voices in the cross-cultural dialogue. Chur, Switzerland: Hardwood Academic Publishers. Brocklett, O. Ball, R. (2004). Chapter 10: Asian and African Theatre In The essential theatre. Fort Worth : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Callery, D. (2001). Through the body: a practical guide to physical theatre. New York: Routledge Towler, S. (2005). Tales from the Tao. London: Watkins Publishing. Thomas, P. (2002). The Magic of Relaxation. Castle Hill: Pademelon Press. Online Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. (2009). Retrieved 20 June, 2009, from http://www.cloudgate.org/ Shang-yi, L. (2009). Lin Hwai-min: from quiet study to exploding stage. Retrieved 31 July, 2009, from http://web.cca.gov.tw/E%20-inde/02/02-60-65.pdf Taiwan: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (2009). Retrieved, 20 July, 2009, from http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/taiwan/index.html Taiwan.com.au: a cultural and business conduit between Australia and Taiwan (2009). Retrieved 20 June, 2009, from http://www.taiwan.com.au/index.html Tate, S. (2006) Butoh Physical Theatre from Asia’s Largest Island – Australian. Retrieved 21 July, 2009, from http://www.zenzenzo.com/images/PDFs/dqarticle_state.pdf DVDs Contemporary Arts Media (2004). Creating physical theatre: the body in performance. Freemantle: Contemporary Arts Media. Drama Queensland. (2004) Physical theatre performance and pre-text. Brisbane: Drama Queensland.


Other Companies That Practise Cross-Cultural Forms and Styles Bangara Dance Theatre. (2009). http://www.bangarra.com.au/home.html (accessed 20 April 2009) Bodyweather: Tess de Quincey. (2009). http://www.bodyweather.net/ (accessed 15 April 2009) Frank Theatre. (2009). http://www.ozfrank.com.au (accessed 15 April 2009) Legs on the Wall. (2009). http://www.legsonthewall.com.au (accessed 16 April 2009) Taikoz. (2009). http://www.taikoz.com/ (accessed 21 July 2009) Siti Company. (2009). http://www.siti.org (accessed 21 July 2009) Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre. (2009). http://www.zenzenzo.com/news (accessed 15 April 2009) All Internet address (URLs) given were correct at the time of research and printing. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, some addresses may have changed, or sites may have ceased to exist. No responsibility for any such changes can be accepted by either the writers or Brisbane Festival.

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c Copyright 2009 Sandra Gattenhof, Katie Hollins …...Costume Design: Lin Ching-ju Co-commission: National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Centre, R.O.C (Taiwan) Synopsis Moon Water is a