2026 Taipei Arts Festival to Feature Hors La Loi's 'The Great Ensemble Dance'

The 2026 Taipei Arts Festival will take place in September, presenting a vibrant lineup of performances. Among them, Hors La Loi Dance Theatre, active for over 20 years, will premiere its new work 'The Great Ensemble Dance'. Artistic director Su Wei-Chia stated, 'This piece challenges those who once claimed our dancers are too individualistic to perform ensemble dance.'

Artistic director Chen Wu-Kang expressed gratitude at a press conference, saying, 'Creating, performing, and promoting dance is exhausting. I'm thankful that the Taipei Performing Arts Center has embraced us, with sponsorship from the CTBC Foundation for Arts and Culture.' He added, 'In our third decade, we aim to bring the troupe to the next stage. Only after officially starting rehearsals did we realize that our 22 years of creative process have all been preparing us for this grand production.'

Su Wei-Chia noted that after more than two decades of refinement, the troupe's identity has become clearer: 'We may appear spontaneous, but our movements are precisely controlled—chasing, rushing, jumping, colliding, twisting, throwing, folding—our style is intensely dynamic.'

He emphasized that the troupe has long been criticized for having dancers with overly strong individual styles, making ensemble work impossible. 'This year, we're using this 'Chronicle of the Body' to challenge that very notion.'

The 2026 Taipei Arts Festival explores themes of theater, memory, and family, bringing together artists from Lebanon, Indonesia, China, Japan, and Taiwan. The program features multiple works focusing on identity, displacement, and contemporary conditions.

Wang Wen-Yi, Chairman of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, described the festival as 'a long-overdue reunion.' She said, 'Many beloved artists we haven't seen in years, along with exciting new talents, will meet Taiwanese audiences. These creators are already accomplished, yet they continue creating fearlessly, challenging the unknown—this, I believe, is theater's greatest charm.'

This year marks the first Taiwan appearance of Wajdi Mouawad, a leading figure in contemporary French-language theater. He will present his signature works 'On the Sea's Edge' and 'Solitary', drawing from his own exile experience to explore loss and displacement across language, family, and cultural identity. Mouawad said he believes Taiwanese audiences will deeply resonate with these works.

The Creation Theatre Company will also make a comeback at this year's festival with 'Niang Niang Kyo-gen', written and directed by Hsu Hui-Ling. The play highlights overlooked figures in history, invoking unspoken emotions and historical shadows through the life fragments of two elderly friends.

Wang Mo-Lin, nearing 80, continues to question the world through his solo performance 'The Last Recording'. Using voice, archival material, and memory fragments, he creates a poignant testament to Taiwan's small theater history.

The 2026 Taipei Arts Festival will run from September 4 to October 25, with tickets going on sale June 22.