A Million Miles Away

A Million Miles Away

If you could journey back to any chapter of your history—which one would you choose?

Renowned Taiwanese choreographer, dancer, and inventor Huang Yi spent ten years contemplating this question, and in 2019 answered it with a revolving stage and mesmerizing stories in A MILLION MILES AWAY. Using his signature tapestry of artistry and blending technology into an invisible presence, Huang invites audiences to continue with him on his exploration of the nexus of humans, technology, and dance.

The canvas onto which the stories of A MILLION MILES AWAY are painted is a 9 meter (30 feet) diameter revolving stage, custom designed for the work and built to break down into easily transported wedges. An exquisitely constructed symbol for the perpetual advancement of time, the stage is modeled after a cross section of a tree trunk, symbolizing nature’s rings of time as the foundation of the performance. Dancers illuminate stories revolving around the fabric of time and the bonds of family, rivals, partners, and self—at moments they advance easily in sync with the rotation; others depict movement in situ, stumbling backward, and soaring above with the precision of digital rigging. The dancers’ interactions and resolutions draw back the curtain on goals, values, and the greater design of our own moments within life’s cyclical patterns.

△ Dancer / Li Yuan-Hao, Chen Wei-An | Photo / Summer Yen
舞者 / 李原豪、陳韋安 ｜ 攝影 / 顏翠萱

△ Dancer / Lin Jou-Wen, Hu Chien, Luo Shih-Wei, Chen Wei-An, Chung Shun-Wen, Li Yuan-Hao | Photo / Summer Yen
舞者 / 林柔雯, 胡鑑, 駱思維, 陳韋安, 鍾順文, 李原豪 ｜ 攝影 / 顏翠萱

△ Dancer / Hu Chien, Huang Yi | Photo / Summer Yen
舞者 / 胡鑑, 黃翊 ｜ 攝影 / 顏翠萱

△ ▽ Dancer / Hu Chien | Photo / Summer Yen
舞者 / 胡鑑 ｜ 攝影 / 顏翠萱

A MILLION MILES AWAY premiered to critical acclaim at Taipei’s National Theater for the 11th annual Taiwan International Festival of Arts in February 2019, and was the first joint commission in history from the National Theater & Concert Hall, National Taichung Theater, and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying).