UC San Diego

In light of Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of genre, this thesis examines the stylistic transition of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's repertoires in terms of Director Lin Hwai-min's narrative and performative strategies from epic-like unification in the 1970s to novel-like liberation in the 1990s. Focusing on the development of Cloud Gate's repertoires in the 1990s, I analyze Cloud Gate's response to socio-political conflicts in Taiwan and cultural tensions on a global scale. Through an analysis of "The Tale of the White Serpent," "Legacy," "Nine Songs," and "Portraits of the Families," I argue that Cloud Gate has utilized different strategies and attitudes to evolves from an entrenched allegiance to the center of Chineseness to an open-minded hybrid of Chinese, Taiwanese, and other cultural elements. Through spiritual- and philosophical- based choreography in "Songs of the Wanders" and "Moon Water," I exemplify Cloud Gate's cultural strategy in a global age: On one hand, Cloud Gate impresses Western audiences, gains worldwide fame, and compensates for Taiwanese anxiety that Taiwan is not recognized as a nation-state internationally. On the other hand, Cloud Gate resists and challenges the view of Western gaze, managing to preserve cultural subjectivity. In the conclusion, I highlight how the ambiguity of movements along with novel-like theatrical design enables the coexistence of different ideologies, and how Cloud Gate's repertoires embody a satisfactory consensus on the representation of Taiwanese culture