After a fun-filled evening at a TAS teacher's housewarming party, we headed to Taipei Eye, an "artistic performance celebrating the culture of Taipei" (according to its description).
With such a general description of the performance, I really had no idea what to expect. To be honest, I wasn't particularly excited. It had been a long week, and all I really wanted to do was sleep! However, I'm so glad we went! I took about 100 pictures/video during the performance, so what you'll see posted here are only the very best ones. If anyone wants to see more when I get home, I would love to share them!
The performance started out with lions, which actually looked more like a cross between a puppy and a dragon. They reminded me of the dragons we used to see on movies about China in elementary school--you know, the ones with the long, elaborate costumes with a bunch of people underneath? Maybe that's a horrible way of describing it. In any case, these costumes were amazing!!! There were two (a white one and a yellow one), and each lion had two people inside of it: one person standing up in the front, and the other person crouched down in the back. The person in the front was even able to control the eyelids of the lion, and the person in the back could wiggle the lions tail. They looked so real that I kept catching myself forgetting that they weren't actually animals...the actors did an amazing job of moving in an animal-like way and giving the lions convincing, lifelike personalities.
Perhaps the most awe-inspiring part of the show was when the lions jumped onto the platforms at the front of the stage. There is a video at the bottom of this post (the first video)!
There were also some great acrobats at Taipei Eye. I couldn't believe how much energy they had--they probably danced and tumbled for almost half an hour straight. The choreography was pretty unrelenting...they just kept jumping and leaping and flipping! It may not have been perfect, but they were on stage for so long that I couldn't believe they could even make it through the whole thing, especially while keeping their elaborate costumes, makeup, and hairstyles intact! There are some highlights in the second video on this post!
So basically...if anyone ever decides to endure the 13 hour flight, the 90 percent humidity, and the pesky insects here in Taipei...go to Taipei Eye! Yes, it may be incredibly touristy, but it is a great opportunity to know more about the culture here and see a great show!
That was incredible!!!! And the Crimson Girls complain about an exhausting performance! Ha! Very beautiful and entertaining video. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat was so beautiful and amazing! What an awesome adventure you are having!
ReplyDeleteWhy hello english major, i seem to have stumbled across a flaw in your writing..."The person in the front was even able to control the eyelids of the lion, and the person in the back could wiggle the lions tail. They looked so real that I kept catching myself forgetting that they were actually animals".. i'm very sorry but i don't believe they were actually animals, but were humans acting as animals inside costumes, merry travels
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Matthew. I edited according to your feedback. However, you may want to look over your conventions in your comment. I thought for sure that you would be well-versed in including a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence and a period at the end, not to mention adding a comma before each conjunction or capitalizing "I". :P
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