20 Minutes for the 20th Century, but Asian

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Based on a research on the performing archive, the form and title of this performance parodies the artist Tino Sehgal’s 20 Minutes for the 20th Century (1999), a collage of 20 iconic choreographies from Merce Cunningham to Pina Bausch to Jerome Bel among others. This performance negotiates how to reconsider 20th century history of dance within an Asian context. The dancer Wen-chung Lin’s personal history and bodily memory serve to investigate the cultural progress of Chinese folk dance, ballet and the Graham technique amongst others. From the collective body and memory to the individual, the dancer performs and questions the historical transformation of inter-cultural embodiment. Concept and choreography: River Lin, Performer: Wen-chung Lin.