Cloud Gate Press/VIP Launch

On July 30, 2013, top leaders of Chicago’s Asian Pacific American community joined members of Chicago’s Asian press corps at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, to celebrate the Chicago Asian Pacific American Press/VIP Launch for the 2014 Chicago Engagement of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan - performing Songs of the Wanderers, on March 14th at 7:30 p.m. and March 16th at 3 p.m. at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan – performing Songs of the Wanderers, is a co-presentation with The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, and The Joffrey Ballet with generous underwriting support from the ALPHAWOOD FOUNDATION.

CLOUD GATE 2014 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PRESS/VIP LAUNCH HELD AT CHICAGO’S HISTORIC AUDITORIUM THEATRE

LIN HWAI-MIN IN CHICAGO

TICKETS: On sale August 9, 2013 ONLINE at AuditoriumTheatre.org. 

Also available by phone  August 12, 2013 at 10 a.m.at 800.982.ARTS (2787) or at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office, 50 East Congress Pkwy, Chicago, Illinois.

Tickets: $25-$68 with group (10+) discounts available at 312.341.2357.

Asian Pacific American Media/Community Outreach: Please contact ENERI Communications at 312.635.0888 or info@enericom.net .

Audience members were treated to a rare opportunity to meet Special Guest Star internationally-renowned Lin Hwai-min, Founder and Artistic Director, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.

Top representatives of the Co-Presenters were present. Auditorium Theatre Board Chairman Mel Katten welcomed everyone to the Historic Landmark Stage. Other speakers included: Jan Kallish, Executive Producer for the Engagement; Ashley C. Wheater, Artistic Director, The Joffrey Ballet; and Phil Reynolds, Executive Director, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.

 

Irene Cualoping of ENERI Communications welcomed emcee Marc Rita to the stage.

LIN HWAI-MIN

Lin Hwai-min, Founder and Artistic Director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, studied Chinese opera movement in his native Taiwan, modern dance in New York, and classical court dance in Japan and Korea. He founded the company in 1973. An internationally renowned choreographer, Lin often draws from traditional Asian culture for inspiration to create works with innovative forms and contemporary relevance, which have received rave acclaims around the world.

A two-time winner of the National Culture and Art Foundation’s National Award for Arts in Taiwan, Lin Hwai-min holds honorary doctorates from five Universities in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Among the international honors received by Lin are the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award, New York, the Joyce Award of Chicago, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the so called “Nobel Prize of Asia,” the “Best Choreographer” at Lyon Biennial Festival, and the “Chevalier of The Order of Arts and Letters” from the France Ministry of Culture. He was celebrated by the Time magazine as one of the “Asia’s Heroes” in 2005. In 2009, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Movimentos Dance Prize, Germany.

Lin Hwai-min has been the subject of full- length television documentaries in Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and in Discovery Channel’s Portraits Taiwan: Lin Hwai-min, Opus Arte’s Floating on the Ground and ARTE/ZDF’s Lin Hwai-min - Interface Between Worlds. Many of his choreographic works have been made into DVDs. Among them, Cursive II, Moon Water, Bamboo Dream, and Songs of the Wanderers were filmed and produced in Europe.

His dance works have been restaged by dance companies and universities in the U.S. And Europe. In 2004, his production Smoke was restaged, for the first time by a classical ballet company, by the Zurich Ballet. In 2006, at the invitation by Sylvie Guillem, he choreographed a solo piece, Sally, for her. Lin’s opera direction credits include Rashomon in Austria and Tosca in Taiwan.

An acclaimed writer, Lin holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Writers’ workshop, University of Iowa. His novella Cicada from 1969 enjoys a rare longevity in Taiwan, and several of his short stories have been translated into English and published in the United States.

His biographies, Legend of Lin Hwai-min and Cloud Gate and Hwai-min as A Young Man, are popular sellers in Chinese speaking communities

As an educator, Lin founded the Department of Dance at Taipei National University of the Arts in 1983 and served as its Chairman for five years. In 1993 and 1994, he was the founding dean of the University’s graduate dance program. In 1999, he gave workshops in Cambodia assisting local dancers to organize teaching materials of Khmer classical dance for children.

Since the year 2000, Lin has also been serving as the Artistic Director of “Novel Dance Series,” introducing internationally renowned groups and artists to dance lovers in Taiwan, including Jérôme Bel, Akram Khan, Emanuel Gat, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In 2003, Lin donated his prize from the Executive Yuan National Cultural Award, the highest honor of its kind in Taiwan, as the seed money for the Wanderers’ Fund, which supports local young artists to travel in Asia.

Veteran director/actor Marc Rita emceed the event.

Marc Rita is a Chicago-area theater director, actor and producer. During his career of over 26 years, he has worked for theater companies in Chicago and Los Angeles. These include Bailiwick Rep., Victory Gardens, Organic Theater Company, Wisdom Bridge, Silk Road Rising, Peninsula Players, and Rasaka Theatre Company. He trained at the Steppenwolf Theatre, where he served as
an assistant director.

Marc Rita has been a supporter and developer of Asian American theater since 1983, when he and seven other actors co-founded MinaSama-No, Chicago’s first Asian American theater company. Also active in community affairs, he can often be seen as an emcee or serving as a director for various charitable events.

Jan Kallish, Mel Katten, Ashley C. Wheater, Phil Reynolds and Lin Hwai-min

Jan Kallish, Executive Producer for the engagement, at the podium.

“It is a great honor and privilege to be standing before you on the stage of this magnificent theater, Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, designed by architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler in 1889,” said Jan Kallish, Executive Producer for the engagement. “Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, founded by artistic director Lin Hwai-min,  is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. The opportunity to participate in bringing the company to Chicago again, where they first performed on the stage of this historic landmark/great theatre, is indeed an honor.” 

“On behalf of our three co-presenters, please join me in thanking the Alphawood Foundation and Fred Eychaner for their generous support of this engagement of Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, and of their support over the years of this important company, and this grand theatre. I would also like to thank my colleagues and co-presenters as well as the staff of all three institutions and everyone involved in today's launch of the company's engagement. We will look forward to seeing all of you again in March,” said Kallish.

Auditorium Theatre Board Chairman Mel Katten 

welcomed everyone to the Historic Landmark Stage.

Ashley C. Wheater, Artistic Director, The Joffrey Ballet

Phil Reynolds, Executive Director, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

The warm and wonderful, Lin Hwai-min!

  

  

Ashley C. Wheater, Artistic Director, The Joffrey Ballet and Phil Reynolds, Executive Director, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.

 
Sunny Leon of Sino22 and SuncasTV

Lin Hwai-min

Lin Hwai-min

Q & A

A delicious lunch was provided by one of Chicago’s newest restaurants, Vora, sister restaurant to popular Tamarind restaurant.

C.W. Chan, May Young Chin, Sophie Williams, Amie Hana and Martino Tangkar.

Irene Cualoping, Managing Partner, ENERI Communications

 

Director/Actor Marc Rita, Program Emcee

  
James D. McDonough, Executive Director, Alphawood Foundation

 

Tatsu Aoki, Artist, Composer,

Musician and Founder of the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival.

Jan Kallish, Executive Producer for the Engagement

 

Ashley C. Wheater, Artistic Director, The Joffrey Ballet

Mel Katten, Chairman, Board, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University

Phil Reynolds, Executive Director, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Jan Kallish (Executive Producer)
Brett Batterson, Irene Cualoping (Show Director), Jill Chukerman, Colleen Flanigan, Ligia Popescu, Philip Reynolds, Brian Smith and Joelle Weber

SPECIAL THANKS
Katie Brown, CJ Dillon, Judie Moore Green, William Oren, Steve Sell, Noe Villagomez, Lisa Klier , Amanda McAlpine

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Lisa Ko and Paul Ko Vora, 1028 North Clark Street, Chicago 312.929.2035 vorachicago.com
Sister Restaurant to Tamarind, 614 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, 312.379.0970 tamarindsushi.com

Amie Hana Photography, Official Photographer

ENERI Communications

JAC Communications

TASTEMAKER VIDEOS

HMS Media
Scott Silberstein, Kristin Klinger

Tatsu Aoki, Chef Tony Hu of Lao Gourmet Group, Josephine Lee

VISIT OUR WEBSITES, which contain electronic versions of our Season Calendar and press releases.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
AuditoriumTheatre.org
joffrey.org
colum.edu/Dance_Center