Taiwanese choreographer Lai Hung-Chung continues to show he is a rising star.──Lucy Ribchester, The List.

The fairies never say, “We feel happy”

They say, “We feel like dancing!”

After Peter Pan has been interpreted in various ways around the world for a century, the dance drama Peter Pan conceived by Hung Dance starts from the original work The Little White Bird over a hundred years ago, searching for the boy who refuses to grow up. “Does Peter Pan understand growing up better than us?” Choreographer LAI Hung-chung believes, “In that world, Peter Pan has already grown up, experienced inner struggles, and finally became himself.”

Peter Pan first appears in the novel The Little White Bird, created by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie in 1902. In this fantasy tale, he remains eternally 7 days old and takes flight from the nursery window to Kensington Gardens, where he, like the Greek god Pan, plays the flute, rides goats, and frolics with fairies and birds. In the dance drama Peter Pan, there is no Wendy, no Captain Hook; all the characters are Peter Pan himself.

Peter Pan is a dance drama that blends Eastern and Western aesthetics, combining contemporary dance with the graceful movements of fledglings to showcase a curiosity-filled, adventurous attitude towards the world. With one prop transforming into ten different scenes, it pays homage to children's abundant imagination. From the unrestricted perspective of children, it portrays the struggles and flights amidst the journey of growing up, seeking the questions that both children and adults must answer together.

Hung Dance

In 2017, choreographer LAI Hung-chung established Hung Dance, with the name “Hung” symbolizing the spirit of soaring freedom. In 2019, the “Stray Birds Dance Platform” was launched to support emerging choreographers, offering opportunities for production and touring, fostering international collaboration, and injecting new vitality into Taiwan's dance scene, thereby advancing the growth of dance in Taiwan. Hung Dance places emphasis on the interactive aspects of dancer training, nurturing dancers' skills, and conceptualizing works. It develops a dance training system tailored to creative concepts, blending traditional Tai Chi elements to strike a balance between contemporary thought and dance . Hung Dance aims to captivate and move audiences with its performances, inviting the public to join in the liberating experience of dance, both onstage and within the community.

Taichung Municipal Wen-Hua Senior High School Dance Classes for Talented Students

Taichung Municipal Wen-Hua Senior High School Dance Classes for Talented Students were established in August 1991. It is the only municipal high school in the central region of Taiwan with outstanding dance program for talents, and has already nurtured 30 graduating classes. Through solid academic and artistic training, students have consistently achieved excellent results, winning first place in the group finals of the National Student Dance Competition year after year. In terms of further education, graduates have been admitted to the dance departments of domestic and foreign universities, some have also pursued further studies in dance abroad. The alumni have pursued diverse career paths, including serving as performing arts teachers in high schools and universities, professional dancers in domestic and foreign dance companies, theater actors, and arts administrators.

Credit List

Artistic Director & Choreographer / LAI Hung-chung

Rehearsal Director / CHENG I-han

Technical Director / TSAI Chao-yu

Dancers / LEE Kuan-ling, KUO Chueh-kai, LU Ying-chieh, Wu Shin-jie, HO Tzu-wen, CHEN Ting-yu, HSU Li-en, ONG Kuan-ying, TSAI Yun-ting

Music Designer / Alexandre Dai Castaing

Lighting Designer / SUNG Yung-hung

Costume  Designer / YANG Yu-teh

Stage Props Designer/ TSENG Wen-chi

Stage Manager / HUANG Yu-wen

Master Electrician and Lighting Programmer / WU Yi-ju

Sound System Design / CHUNG Yang-che

Company Administrator / CHEN Yuan-yu 

Administrative Assistant / HUANG Yu-chi

Copywriting / Fion LEE

Key Visual Designer / CHNAG Min-han

Promotional Video / Crazy Family Productions

Production Organization / CHIU Mei-fang, Ruru CHEN, LIN Rui-zi

Marketing Organization / LIOU Meng-Ling

Commissioned by National Performing Arts Center, Taiwan R.O.C. - National Taichung Theater