HUANG Yi & KUKA Introduction
Acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer, dancer and inventor HUANG Yi and his robot companion KUKA blend razor-sharp precision and stunning artistry, harmoniously weaving together the art of dance and the science of mechanical engineering. This poetic work flawlessly merges modern dance and visual arts with the realm of robotics, revealing a unique aesthetics of coexistence.
HUANG YI & KUKA reveals humanity through a series of vignettes between live dancers and KUKA, a robot conceptualized and programmed by HUANG—a rigorous process where a single minute of choreography takes 10 to 20 hours of programming. Sharing the stage with HUANG are dancers HU Chien, CHEN Chao-Li, and TAI Yi-Fen. The work is HUANG’s way of beautifying the sorrow and loneliness of his childhood—an expression of isolation, self-doubt, realization, and comfort. “Dancing face to face with a robot is like looking at my own face in a mirror… I think I have found the key to spin human emotions into robots.”
A seamless synthesis of soul, ingenuity and innovation, HUANG YI & KUKA continues to captivate global audiences, celebrating the future of humanity and technology. The piece has been performed at Ars Electronica Festival (Austria), TED Conference (Vancouver), NYU Abu Dhabi (UAE), Swiss STEPS Dance Festival, Holland Dance Festival (Netherlands), Festival International Cervantino (Mexico), among others.
To date, it has toured 20 countries and 48 cities—including Austria, the United States, Switzerland, Australia, the Arab world, Singapore, Poland, South Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, Hungary, Japan—and has been performed a total of 112 times.
Co-Production I 3LD Art & Technology Center, NYC (World Premiere, NYC, February 2015)
Commission I Quanta Arts Foundation, Taiwan Support I Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
Management & Booking I Sozo Artists, NYC