Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Returns to Kaohsiung After 11 Years with Outdoor Performance of 'Cannot Turn Off the Ears,' Attracting Over 10,000 Audience Members

'Cathay Cloud Gate On the Go' 2026 Outdoor Performance by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre made its second stop last night (1st) at the circular plaza of Kaohsiung Cultural Center. Cloud Gate returned to outdoor performance in Kaohsiung after an 11-year hiatus, attracting over 10,000 people who brought blankets and sat on the ground with their families, enjoying Artistic Director Zong-Long Cheng's work 'Cannot Turn Off the Ears' in the summer evening breeze, collectively creating an artistic summer night scene befitting the port city. Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs Deputy Director Jian Jia-Lun and Cathay Securities CEO Liu Shang-Qi attended the performance, sharing this significant moment of Cloud Gate's return to Kaohsiung with the full audience.

Jian expressed that Cloud Gate's outdoor performances are cherished summer memories for many people. After 11 years, seeing the event return to Kaohsiung Cultural Center and witnessing families with three generations enjoying the performance together, he felt the power of art to transcend generations and unite people. He also thanked Cathay Financial Holding and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre for their long-term efforts in promoting arts education, enabling more people to access performing arts.

This year's outdoor performance featured Zong-Long Cheng's 2025 creation, a Taiwan-France co-production titled 'Cannot Turn Off the Ears.' Following its tour across Taiwan's three major theaters, it was adapted for the first time into an outdoor version, moving from the theater into urban public spaces to reinterpret the relationship between sound and environment.

The Cultural Center transformed into an open-air theater, with sound, dance, and light intertwining to create an immersive artistic experience. The work was co-created by Golden Horse Award-winning sound designers Du Du-Zhi and Du Jun-Tang, along with French composer Esteban Fernandez. Combining sound design with dance, lighting, laser, and mist effects, the outdoor plaza became an immersive performance space. During the performance, 12 dancers responded to various sound changes through physical expression, ranging from delicate solos to powerful group dances, synchronized with everyday sounds like stepping on leaves, splashing water, breathing, and footsteps, guiding the audience to rediscover the sonic landscapes often overlooked in daily life.

As dancers moved across the plaza, beams of light crisscrossed and mist filled the air, transforming the entire circular plaza into a large-scale open-air theater, delivering a rich visual and auditory experience. Before the performance began, Cloud Gate Dance Classroom led the audience in a '全民律動' (Everyone in Motion) warm-up session, with many parents and attendees stretching and moving to music, warming up for the evening show and filling the plaza with a lively and joyful atmosphere in advance.

The organizers stated that Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's return to Kaohsiung after 11 years attracted over 10,000 audience members, once again demonstrating the public's deep affection for outdoor performances. After this event, 'Cathay Cloud Gate On the Go' will continue its 'Dancing with Cloud Gate' community tour, visiting Taichung, Miaoli, Taipei, and Tainan from August to September, offering free activities to bring dance art closer to more people and allowing art to continue entering cities and daily life.