Art and Entertainment

Papa Don’t Breach: 7-Eleven leaks date of Madonna’s first Taiwan gig

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-15
By: CNA

Madonna is scheduled to hold her first concert in Taiwan on Feb. 4 next year, according to

Madonna performs in Puerto Rico on Sept. 5 on the first leg of her Rebel Heart tour. (File photo/CFP)

Madonna performs in Puerto Rico on Sept. 5 on the first leg of her Rebel Heart tour. (File photo/CFP)

a promotional poster that was accidentally posted at a local 7-Eleven convenience store.

Tickets to the Rebel Heart Tour concert will go on sale at 11am on Sept. 26 at http://ticket.7net.com.tw/ or at 7-Eleven’s in-store ibon kiosks, according to the information on the poster.

A photo of the poster was posted on the Madonna Taiwan Facebook fan page on Sunday. Information on the poster includes both the date and the venue, Taipei Arena.

Rumors about a Madonna concert in Taipei have surfaced since August and concert promoter Live Nation Taiwan said in early September that it will announce whether or not there will be a concert on Sept. 15.

When asked about the poster on Sunday, Live Nation Taiwan said it would not disclose nor confirm any information about the concert until Sept. 15.

Local media reported that the poster was accidentally posted earlier than scheduled by employees of the 7-Eleven store.     [FULL  STORY]

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre to perform ‘Rice’ in New York

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/15
By: Hwang Chao-ping and Lilian Wu

New York, Sept. 14 (CNA) Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance Theatre will present its work titled

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

“Rice” in New York Wednesday.

“Rice” will be the opening work of the Next Wave Festival of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAW), and will have four showings.

Joseph Melillo, executive producer of the festival, lauded the work, saying that it will be a feast for the eyes and ears of the audiences.

The New York Times also ran a piece on Cloud Gate, its creative works, and its founder, Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).

“Rice,” a work that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the group’s inauguration in 1973, was first performed in 2013 in Chishang (池上), Taitung County, an area famous for its rice, and has since won acclaim both in Taiwan and overseas.

Rice is the perennial rural image in Lin’s childhood, and his choreography displays his respect for Taiwan and for the famers of Chishang.     [FULL  STORY]

Fans gear up for Maroon 5 concert in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/14
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) Fans were lining up inside of the Taipei World Trade Center 201509140023t0001Nangang Exhibition Hall Monday evening full of anticipation for the first of two concerts by American pop rock band Maroon 5 in Taiwan.

“I’m so excited. I look forward to all of their songs, especially ‘Maps,'” said 22-year-old Mary Fang, who came with two of her friends.

Fang said she tried to snatch up a concert ticket at a convenience store for two hours, but failed to do so because of the overwhelming demand.

Luckily for her, a friend who had a ticket could not go to the concert, so Fang bought the NT$1,800 (US$55) ticket from her, Fang said.

Vivian Wang, 21, has been a fan for years and was eagerly awaiting the show.     [FULL  STORY]

Jody Chiang locks microphone away at end of goodbye tour

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-14
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

Taiwanese diva Jody Chiang concluded the last of her 25 farewell concerts around the

Jody Chiang's farewell concert at the Kaohsiung Arena, Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy of Kuang Hong Arts)

Jody Chiang’s farewell concert at the Kaohsiung Arena, Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy of Kuang Hong Arts)

island at Kaohsiung Arena on Sunday by ceremonially locking away her microphone, signaling the end of a singing career spanning more than three decades.

Chiang slowly placed one of her most precious microphones into a jewelry box that was showered by some 10,000 keys from the rooftop. She then shut the box and locked it with a key before bowing to the audience.

Microphones have been the most precious tool in her singing career and she wanted to mark the end of her career accordingly, Chiang said.

Chiang performed the first of 25 farewell concerts on July 25. One of the biggest names on the Taiwanese-language music scene,

Jody Chiang locked her microphone in a gold-encrusted transparent case after her final concert in Kaohsiung, Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy of Kuang Hong Arts)

Jody Chiang locked her microphone in a gold-encrusted transparent case after her final concert in Kaohsiung, Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy of Kuang Hong Arts)

she unexpectedly announced on Jan. 2 that she would be putting down her microphone for good after a series of 16 goodbye concerts.

Her surprise announcement triggered a rush for tickets that overwhelmed the official ticketing site and ticketing machines at convenience stores around Taiwan during the three-day sale period. The website of Kham Ticket crashed as 180,000 users attempted to get tickets simultaneously.  [FULL  STORY]

World famous Dutch DJ to perform in Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/13
By: Jeffrey Wu

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) Armin Van Buuren, one of the most influential DJs in the world, will

Armin Van Buuren (photo courtesy of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office)

Armin Van Buuren (photo courtesy of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office)

perform in Taiwan next week with two other renowned Dutch DJs Afrojack and Fedde Le Grand, according to the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office (NTIO).

The three Dutch DJs will participate in the Road to Ultra dance event at Taipei’s Dajia Riverside Park (大佳河濱公園) on Sept. 20, promising “a full day of great dance music” on the banks of the Keelung River, said the NTIO, the main Dutch office in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

“Holland was one of the first countries to adopt dance music into their culture, and we were the first ones to have really big waves. I grew up in that atmosphere in the early 1990s, and I was very interested in how dance music was made,” Armin Van Buuren was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the office.     [FULL  STORY]

Jody Chiang concludes farewell tour with microphone ceremony

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/13
By: Sabine Cheng, Christie Chen, and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) Taiwanese diva Jody Chiang (江蕙) concluded the last of her 25 201509130020t0001farewell concerts around the island at Kaohsiung Arena on Sunday with a ceremony to lock away one of her microphones, signaling the end of her singing career spanning more than three decades.

During the ceremony, Chiang slowly placed one of her most precious microphones into a jewelry box that was showered by some 10,000 keys from the rooftop.

The 54-year-old then shut the box and locked it with a key before bowing to the audience.

Microphones have been the most precious tool in her singing career and she wanted to mark the end of her career with the ceremony, Chiang said.

Chiang opened the first of her 25 farewell concerts in Taiwan on July 25 after ticket selling systems were unable to cope with intense demand for her farewell concerts.     [FULL  STORY]

Poster reveals Madonna to give first Taiwan concert in February

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/13
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) “Queen of Pop” Madonna is scheduled to hold her first concert in

Madonna in this undated file photo.

Madonna in this undated file photo.

Taiwan on Feb. 4 next year, according to a promotional poster that was accidentally posted at a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Tickets to the “Rebel Heart Tour” concert will go on sale at 11 a.m. on Sept. 26 at http://ticket.7net.com.tw/ or at the 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, according to the information on the poster.

A photo of the poster was posted on the Madonna Taiwan Facebook fan page on Sunday. Information on the poster includes both the date and the venue — Taipei Arena.

Rumors about a Madonna concert in Taipei have surfaced since August, and concert promoter Live Nation Taiwan said in early September that it will announce whether or not there will be a concert on Sept. 15.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese artists present works at City Sonic @Mons 2015

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/12
By: Leaf Chiang and Lillian Lin

Mons, Belgium, Sept. 11 (CNA) Four Taiwanese artists are presenting their works at the

(from left to right) Chang Yung-ta (張永達), Wang Fujui(王福瑞), Yao Chung-han (姚仲涵), and Wang Chung-kun (王仲堃).

(from left to right) Chang Yung-ta (張永達), Wang Fujui(王福瑞), Yao Chung-han (姚仲涵), and Wang Chung-kun (王仲堃).

13th City Sonic: International Sound Arts Festival being held at the 2015 European Capital of Culture in Mons from Sept. 11 to 27.

More than 40 artists from Belgium, France, Britain, Portugal, and Taiwan are attending the international exhibition, which shows prospective, poetic and playful approaches to sound arts, according to the curator of Transcultures, the sponsor of the annual art event.

Among them are Wang Fujui (王福瑞), Yao Chung-han (姚仲涵), Wang Chung-kun (王仲堃) and Chang Yung-ta (張永達) from Taiwan.

Presenting “Hyper Transmission,” a work combining sounds and dance, Wang Fujui will give a live performance during the exhibition.     [FULL  STORY]

Bon Jovi adds Taipei concert after China concerts cancelled

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A promotional photo of Bon Jovi. (Photo/Live Nation Taiwan)

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-11
By: CNA

Taiwanese fans have received an unexpected benefit from the cancellation of Bon Jovi concerts in China, when the US rock band announced Thursday that it would stage an additional concert in Taipei after its concerts in Beijing and Shanghai were cancelled by the Chinese authorities.

After Bon Jovi’s China concerts were cancelled, many Asian countries have vied for additional concerts, but Bon Jovi decided to add a concert in Taiwan because it is the first Asian country in which tickets for the tour have sold out, Live Nation Taiwan, the local promoter of the shows, said in a statement.

The additional concert will take place Sept. 29 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, according to Live Nation Taiwan.

Tickets for that concert will go on sale Sept. 13 at http://ticket.7net.com.tw/ or at the 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, with ticket prices ranging from NT$1,800 (US$55) to NT$6,800 (US$210).

The first and only other Bon Jovi concert in Taiwan on the current tour will be held on Sept. 28, also at the Nangang Exhibition Hall.     [FULL  STORY]

Movie review: Ways into Love 來得及說再見

The commissioned documentary consists of three shorts by three directors who address social issues surrounding the old, the poor and the sick

Taipei Times
Date:  Sep 11, 2015
By: Ho Yi  /  Staff reporter

Ways into Love (來得及說再見) is a work of socially-responsible filmmaking funded by

When a Women loves a Man by Huang Chia-Chun. Photo courtesy of Good Day Films

When a Women loves a Man by Huang Chia-Chun. Photo courtesy of Good Day Films

President Chain Store (統一) with an aim to raise public awareness of issues surrounding the old, sick, isolated and poor.

The documentary is composed of three stylistically diverse shorts by filmmakers Singing Chen (陳芯宜), Shen Ko-shang (沈可尚) and Huang Chia-chun (黃嘉俊). Each tackles a different topic and is supported by one of the three participating welfare organizations: Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation (門諾基金會), Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation (肝病防治學術基金會) and Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation (弘道老人福利基金會).

In A Real Meal (好好吃飯), Chen’s modest and patient use of the camera introduces three elderly people who live alone and rely on services provided by volunteers from Mennonite, who deliver two meals a day to the old and the needy across Hualien. Chen subtly reveals the fear and longing of her subjects and shows how a simple act — opening a bag of rice — can be an insurmountable task.     [FULL  STORY]