Taiwan Festival 2024

Award-winning Taiwanese contemporary dance collective Anarchy Dance Theatre make their UK debut with Second Body, an immersive audio-visual spectacular.

Blending dance and 360º full body-length projection, Second Body utilises technology to interrogate the boundaries of dance and immerse audiences in an unforgettable visual experience.

Second Body begins by establishing the presence of a human body which becomes fully functional and starts to change and be changed by the environment surrounding it. A 360º full body-length projection then creates a non-natural second body, creating distinct movement that forces the first to learn and adapt to its presence.

“The concept of “Second Body” comes from the experience of driving cars. If I want to steer the wheel, to brake, to step on the gas, I don’t need to consciously think, yet the car can still go ahead, turn, and park at the correct spot according to my will.

Moreover, when I am driving, I know how big my car is when I weave through narrow alleys, and I know where the four wheels are as the car proceeds in its tracks. Manoeuvring a car is an experience done almost entirely out of reflex, without the need for the brain to actively think.

This reminds me of the way we move our hands and feet, which move naturally without the need for us to think. When we are infants, we learn how to use our own bodies: we learn to stand on our feet, move, and run, and gradually learn to exercise our bodies as we will. We even learn how to use our bodies to the max in certain sports and exercises.

The accumulation of knowledge, concepts and training allows us to use our bodies without conscious thought, making the use of our bodies an extension of the natural, physical body itself.” — Chieh-hua Hsieh

Second Body had its world-premiere in Taiwan in 2015. Following a global tour, most recently captivating audiences at Chroniques – Biennale of Digital Imagination in France, this extraordinary piece has received much praise from audiences as well as critical acclaim.