Seeing nor mountain, nor sea, nor wind, nor rain, and nor path back,
Understanding nor flower, nor grass, nor bamboo,
The trees withered, nor calculating nor grasping the pentatonic,
Nothing but nothingness,
Turning and spinning, the sky and the earth are dancing with you.
River Journey
The name of ‘River Journey’ comes from a poem penned by HUANG Chih-chun at the end of his fourth visit to the Buddha's hometown in 2001. The closing line of the poem reads: " Turning and spinning, the sky and the earth are dancing with you." During this wandering journey, his thoughts flowed freely. The bustling streets, the banks of the Ganges, crowded trains, and the rice fields in front of humble cottages—all became sources of inspiration.Storks, begging monks, blind flute players... all contributed to the natural emergence of poetic verses. Along the way, he sent letters to his wife, children, and the members of U-Theatre, sharing the joys and sorrows of the journey or recalling the moments of training and performance together. These letters were carefully preserved and became the inspiration for River Journey, transforming poetry into dance and music, weaving them into chapters.
Incorporating U-Theatre's unique artistic strengths in drumming, music, dance, martial arts, and drama as well as the “Gurdjieff Movements“ ,with ”A journey at River Ganges ” as the framework, River Journey under the compelling music, the interweaving of music and body movements creates a poetic landscape that celebrates the journey of life.
The eleven sections of River Journey include,
Dancing with You, Encounter, Departure, A Blind Piper,
Dervish/Medicant Monk, Storks, Hands, Life in completion/Living Completely,
Unfettered, Wandering Minstrel, Dancing with You Finale.
2021 Weiwuying Cultural Center for the Arts
2021 Taichung Theater
2020 National Theatre, Taipei reproduction
2006 National Theatre, Taipei premier
Creative Team
Artistic Director│LIU Rou-yu
Composer/Choreographer/Poet│HUANG Chih-chung
Guidance of Gurdjieff movements│Jivan SUNDAR
Set and Lighting Design│LIN Keh-hua
Costume Design│Tim YIP
Videographer│Ethan WANG
Calligraphy│DONG Yang-zih