Cloud Gate is said to be the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritual dance dating back some 5,000 years. Cloud Gate is also the name of a dance group from Taiwan currently performing at the Seventh China Arts Festival in Hangzhou. But the group is not presenting the ancient ritual, but original contemporary dance. They've brought their internationally acclaimed show "Moon Water", already performed 95 times overseas, which is being hailed as a must-see in the 17-day national art extravaganza.

It is far beyond just a dance performance. It is a work focusing on a study of real versus unreal, effort versus effortlessness, yin and yang, and, in the end, a study of time. It is a black and white production, which starts from the fundamentals of the body to examine, onstage, different relationships. The relationship between inhaling and exhaling, the dancer's dialogue with him or herself, the mutual interactions between two people or between an individual and a group, and the relationship between empty space and existence are all examined. It returns to the fundamentals of Tai Chi and to the basic investigative nature of Eastern philosophy.

Using only one musical piece composed by Bach, the dance brings its audience into an atmosphere of peace, but it also provokes.

The group is no stranger to the Chinese mainland stage. Since 1993, Cloud Gate has performed three times in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Moon Water, a milestone in the development of contemporary dance, entrances every audience with its poetry of philosophy, calm and provocation.

(CCTV.com September 14, 2004)