Polymer DMT brings The Seas Between Us to The Place in London
Taiwanese somatic narratives cross cultural boundaries to foster dialogue with the UK
The Cultural Division of Taipei Representative Office in the UK has once again partnered with renowned London dance venue The Place to invite PolymerDMT —founded by Taiwanese choreographer Fang Yun Lo— to present two evening performances of The Seas Between Us on 6 and 7 October. The performances drew near-capacity crowds, attracting over 500 members of the UK cultural sector across the two nights. Following the performance on 7 October, a networking reception was held. Rep. Vincent Yao of Taipei Representative Office in the UK attended to show his support, engaging in warm and lively exchanges with Taiwanese artists and British arts professionals.
Artistically directed by Fang Yun Lo, The Seas Between Us was co-created and performed by Taiwanese dancer Chou Shu-Yi and Singaporean dancer Lee Mun Wai, who is based in Germany. Combining water-based spatial installations with documentary elements, the piece sees the two dancers navigate between togetherness and separation. Through their movement, they carry personal life memories and cultural experiences—much like a river crossing borders, converging, turning, and branching out—reflecting personal journeys and identity formation across diverse cultural backgrounds.
PolymerDMT’s visit to the UK marked the British premiere of The Seas Between Us. In addition to the performances, Fang Yun Lo held a masterclass at The Place, sharing creative research methods and the application of multimedia tools with students from the London Contemporary Dance School, whilst exploring how political and cultural identity issues can be integrated into artistic practice. Following the show on 7 October, Lo and the creative team joined the post-performance reception. Dancer Chou Shu-Yi noted that the work does not aim to offer singular answers or create conflict; instead, it invites the audience to confront ongoing realities, reflect on how to address tension and divergence, and rediscover possibilities for dialogue even in seemingly intractable situations. Bringing the piece to London also allowed overseas audiences unfamiliar with Taiwan’s situation to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary Taiwanese social and cultural contexts through movement and theatrical language.
The Cultural Division noted that PolymerDMT’s performance builds on previous successful collaborations with The Place featuring Taiwanese companies Shimmering Production and Tjimur Dance Theatre. By partnering with landmark performing arts institutions, the Division aims to assist Taiwanese artists and groups in expanding their UK dance networks. This UK tour of The Seas Between Us began on 2 October at Bournemouth’s Pavilion Dance South West before moving to The Place in London on 6 and 7 October. Through performances and professional exchanges across different cities, Taiwanese dance creations have forged stronger connections with British audiences and the UK dance community, laying a solid foundation for future UK–Taiwan artistic collaborations.
The Seas Between Us is a key Taiwan–Germany transnational project by PolymerDMT in recent years. It was co-produced by HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts in Dresden and PACT Zollverein in Essen. Preliminary research for the work was supported by the National Theater & Concert Hall in Taipei and the Goethe-Institut Taipei, alongside funding from the National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF).
For more detail of the performance please visit:
https://www.pdsw.org.uk/events/the-seas-between-us/
https://theplace.org.uk/events/autumn-winter-26-the-seas-between-us/
