2002年8月，我在16小時飛行所造成的嚴重時差中抵達台北，身邊只帶著奧地利新買的一些CD，還有對於跨國合作的好奇心，以及開放的態度。對於這個國家、舞團及舞者，我一無所知，該找什麼人、該用什麼方式工作，我全無頭緒。為了要更進一步了解彼此，第一個星期我們在排練室玩耍、學習我近期作品的舞彙、探索、以及即興。兩天之後，兩位舞者因這支舞的激烈能量運作，導致舊傷復發而退出，另一個精力旺盛的舞者張曉雄緊急加入「救火」。

如果舞蹈不是世界語言，那溝通和合作就會很困難，幸好它是。但即使這些舞者都說得一口好英文，我們也分享同一套舞蹈語彙，翻譯仍佔了排練工作的一大部分，不僅針對語言本身、想法、對舞作的意見、解釋與回應，都需要透過翻譯的詮釋。

越界的舞者技術純熟、經驗豐富，他們也都各有多采多姿的人生故事。因他們那份願意分享的心，在困境中找到幽默，欣賞蛻變之後的美麗，使我們的心緊密結合，合作過程十分愉悅。這支新作品中令人期待的或許不是技術，也不是東方遇見西方，而是人性，是過往的肢體能力與情感生活累積的能量，是深深蘊藏在舞者身體背後的故事。隨著歲月增長，這些故事更加深刻，變得複雜、震撼、時而荒謬。《囍宴之後…》的編舞讓我深刻體驗了關於愛情和婚姻的有趣、笨拙、以及痛苦等種種況味。

越過地域與文化的疆界來到台灣，重新提醒我自己為何一向投入舞蹈劇場的創作：創作舞蹈劇場過程讓人重新坦白面對生命，將曾經歷過的痛苦與歡樂轉化成連陌生人也能了解、共享的經驗語言！越界的舞者所擁有強烈的生命經驗，塑造了舞團的特質，也形成他們想要繼續跳舞的理由。他們的生命特質、認同、以及技巧，正是舞作本身所想要傳達的。

在此要特別感謝英國文化協會的支持，讓《囍宴之後…》得以順利的誕生。這支舞作場景設於婚宴之後，當大部分的客人離去時，其中試圖處理親膩的家庭關係，關於新娘、新郎、新郎的母親、母親的情人、及新郎的祖母之間的故事。囍宴之後，在酒酣耳熱之際，隱藏在現實背後的人性正暗潮洶湧逐一浮現。

I arrived in Taipei mid August 2002, jetlagged from a 16-hour flight and armed only with a bunch of new CDs from Austria, an interest in international collaboration and a relatively open mind. I didn’t know much about the context, the country or the company, who I would find, or what approach I would take when I got here. To find out more about each other, we spent the first week in the studio playing, learning some recent phrases from my own work, exploring tasks and improvising together. After two days, two of the original dancers left the project due to recurring injuries brought on by the energetic nature of the work, and Xiao Xong Zhang- an energetic dancer indeed - joined the group.

It would be difficult to communicate and collaborate if dance was not the universal language that it is. Whilst we share a set of codes, and even though these dancers speak excellent English, translation is still a primary pre-occupation in a project such as this: translation of language itself, translation of thoughts into ideas given and our responses to them.

As a company of skilled and experienced individuals, Crossover shares a multitude of colourful and devastating stories. It is the willingness to share these, to find humour in difficulty and beauty in disintegration which connects us, and which makes these performers a joy to work with. It is the human element, not technique, nor the notion of West meeting East, which is so exciting about making something new.

The remnants of our physical and emotional lives are carried deep within the body. With maturity these stories deepen and become more complex, vibrant and often ridiculous. Making After the Party has exposed me to funny, awkward and painful stories about love and marriage.

Crossing the geographical and cultural boundaries to be in Taiwan has reminded me of why I make new dance theatre work. It has to do with putting your life on the line. It has to do with finding a way of working with strangers to translate the pathos and hilarity of life’s stories into a shared experience that others can recognise as their own. Crossover’s dancers share a powerful life force which defines the spirit of the company and their reason for wanting to perform. Their life force, commitment and skill go a long way towards defining the spirit of dance itself.

‘After The Party’ has grown out of a four-week collaboration between myself and Crossover Dance Company, funded and supported by The British Council in Taipei. Set in the aftermath of a wedding party, when most of the guests have gone home, the piece reveals the sticky family relationships between the bride, the groom, the groom’s mother, her suitor and the groom’s grandmother. After hours of drinking and dancing together, they begin to discover more about each other than perhaps they need to know.

CHARLOTTE VINCENT
TAIPEI, 29/10/02