Cloud Gate 2 choreographer Tsung-lung Cheng’s “On the Road” has won Best Group at Premio Roma Danza’s International Choreographic Competition and the first prize of the International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands, MASDANZA, this year.
Cheng, which graduated from TNUA in 2002, turned his personal journey into a 70-minute amazing work danced to the tunes of different styles of music, including rock and roll, Taiwanese folksong, Satsuma biwa, Kashmir religious music, and Beethoven, which represent different moments of the journey.
In April, Cheng received a sponsorship from the National Culture and Arts Foundation for “On the Road.” There were no professional stage settings or lightings for his intensive practices and rehearsals in a small, simple classroom lit only by natural light.
But his eventual public performance won wide acclaim and he later received an invitation to stage the work at the National Experimental Theater in July.
Then he took “On the Road” to Premio Roma Danza and MASDANZA, and won top honors in both competitions.
“One step at a time, and you will reach your destination,” said Cheng, recounting his creation of “On the Road.”
Cheng said he is not keen to seek fame or win the audience’s applause, but rather to do something for himself and others.
He said all along he has experienced ups and downs, but every time when he was lost he had the encouragement and help of many mentors, such as Prof. Lo Man-fei, Prof. Lin Hwai-min and Prof. Heng Ping, all of whom helped him rediscover himself.
Cheng is embarking on a new journey to New York in December. He is going to stay there for a year to create new works.