Where do people go when they disappear from our lives?

This question lingers in the mind of a woman waiting quietly on a train platform. As the minutes slip by, memories surge like a tide—the searing glow of a fleeting young romance, a loved one taken too soon by fate, and the faces that have faded into fog, never properly said goodbye to. One by one, the drawers of memory open, awakening a past filled with love and loss.

Kiss & Cry is a sensory journey where finger dance intertwines with live film. The stage transforms into a miniature dreamscape, playful and poetic, yet tinged with sorrow. Through intricate choreography performed entirely by the dancers’ fingers, the life of a woman unfolds in five episodes. A world of dollhouse sets, detailed hand movement, and shifting camera angles gives rise to a “live cinematic theater” experience that bridges stage and screen in real time. Audiences witness the film crafted live before their eyes, in a seamless, unedited performance that reimagines the language of theater.

In 2021, Belgium’s Astragales Company received critical acclaim in Taiwan with Cold Blood, a similarly crafted production that left audiences deeply moved. Since its premiere in Mons, Belgium in 2011, Kiss & Cry has toured globally with over 300 performances and more than 180,000 audience members who have experienced its poetic intimacy. Performed in multiple languages including French, English, and Japanese, this celebrated work of contemporary hybrid theater now comes to Taiwan with Mandarin narration, voiced by Golden Horse Award-winning actor MO Tzu-yi. The production invites audiences into a tender and surreal voyage through the landscapes of memory.

Astragales
Founded in Belgium by choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey, Astragales is an innovative performance collective that bridges dance, theater, and visual art. The company is dedicated to exploring the intimate connections between body, emotion, and memory, crafting works that are poetic, nuanced, and philosophically reflective.
Known for its ability to express the fragility and intimacy of human existence through movement and spatial composition, Astragales has become a vital force in contemporary performance. Kiss & Cry, one of its most iconic creations, breaks the boundaries between stage and screen by pioneering a unique form of “live cinematic theater.” Frequently invited to tour internationally, Astragales stands as a key reference point in Europe’s contemporary performing arts landscape.