INTERVIEW
Interview with Chow Shu Yi: Winner of Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest 2009 By Yukihiko Yoshida / Photography by Cang-Chih Chen YY: I was glad to hear the news that you won the first Global Dance Contest by Sadler’s Wells. How do you feel about this result and you being the winner? CSY: I was at Cite des Art residency in Paris, and after I received the email I was staring at the email with eyes wide open. I confirmed thrice with the organizer before calling back to Taiwan to share the joy with the dancers. I can only say that we were very excited and happy, because we could go to Sadler’s Wells’ theatre in London to perform and to share this piece of work. YY: How did you get to know about the Contest and why did you submit your work? CSY: I got to know about it through the internet. At first, I was not convinced with this kind of competition, I felt it might be a fraud. So I only sent in my application to register on the last day, thinking maybe to have a go at it. YY: The contest was the first trial of dance competition by digital video and internet voting. As a dancer/choreographer, what do you think about this mechanism for a dance competition? CSY: It is very new and interesting. We did not have serious intention at the beginning, until six months after the application period. The competition website was full of dance videos; it was not like a competition at all because the duration was long. Finally I was informed by the theatre authorities about being on the top 10 list. I began to feel excited until the final selection. I feel that this mechanism is very good as dancers can perform in London after winning. The theatre also provides comprehensive resources and funding to the selected team, unlike other competitions where no funding is available. I think it will bring different experience and gains. 58
AsiaDanceChannel | June - November 2010
YY: How did you make the work, “1875 Ravel and Bolero”? CSY: The first version of 1875 was born in 2006 at a four-week camp for young Asian choreographers. At that time the work was only 15 minutes. In 2007, it was rechoreographed to adapt to dancers who work long hours – Lin You Ru, Chen Yi Chun, Xu Wei Ling. Developed into 25 minutes, it became one of their graduation pieces at their Institute. Music has given me a lot of great ideas; repeated movements give me energy and a reflection of life. From the regular pace of life, to the different stages of life, how to face every moment of self and the present. That was the original concept of “Living in the Moment”. YY: As a winner, could you please give some advice to other Asian dancers and choreographers? CSY: Body and Dance is an international language, although contemporary dance has always been dominated by the West. But I do not want to compare the culture of the East and the West while doing my work. By looking
at “contemporary” creative scope, for me at this time, language has no boundaries. Asian choreographers should be more daring and have more freedom of creative thinking and think of the cultural language of their body. Dancers should reach for greater challenges while still staying connected with the world. YY: Could you talk about the artists that influenced you? How did each of these artists inspire you? CSY: I remember the first time I saw the social hall of Pina Bausch and William Forsthy’s creation during high school in Taiwan, it changed my views on dance and theatre. The former had me thinking about the relationship of human nature and the body, while the latter allowed me to explore more the possibilities of the body, and helped me realise that everybody should have different attitudes and outlooks of the body. So, that influenced me to explore my thoughts on my dance within the environment in Taiwan. Of course there are more choreographers from Europe, America and Asia who have widened my vision of dance.