Prof. Lin pointed out that choreography is no romantic work, and the choreographer is an “artisan” who has to finish the work in a meticulous process that needs a lot of problem solving along the way. If one doesn’t like solving problems and relies on inspiration, he or she cannot stay in choreography for long.
Prof. Lin illustrated his point with “Legacy,” a dance he created in 1978. The props used in the dance are only a piece of white cloth, several pieces of red cloth and ribbons. The white and red pieces of cloth change forms constantly during the dance, generating different symbolic meanings. But he said he came up with the idea just to work around the lack of resources and funding at the time.
At the most difficult times when you decide to do something and yet a wall stands in the way, you either have to demolish the wall or simply give up.
Prof. Lin also encourages young choreographers to use classical music when creating dances, as the classic pieces by Beethoven, Bach and others have already passed the test of time, offering good frameworks.