ShenYun and Bon Iver

      We have just returned from our trip to Taiwan. The trip was filled with adventure, intrigue, and new found friends whom I will never forget. Our first week and a half of the journey was spent in Taichung, a city on the western coast of the island, and the last four days were spent in Taipei. While in the capitol city of Taipei, we saw a show called ShenYun.
      The show was a Chinese and French ballet collaboration. Some of the things that left an impression on me the most from the show was the lighting, the organic shapes of the set pieces and costumes, and the swift set changes. Throughout the entire performance I kept thinking how the show reminded me of a Bon Iver music video I once saw called Calgary.  I have attached the video below

      A picture is worth one-thousand words, so I have also attached a few sketches from my own observations and interpretations of the show.

          This image shows my observation of the sets many layers and how the actors interacted with those layers. It also shows the dramatic abstract lighting used.

This sketch reflects on part of the show that deeply interested me in the costume design. Dancers perform in the foreground while it appears an ameba transforms into a mermaid behind the translucent curtain.