THE PO.REOGRAPHIC SYSTEM

2026｜65min NET examines how individuals are entangled in complex webs of systems, relationships, and history. Through physical expression, the performance unpacks the tension and silencing effects of these entanglements. Structured in five movements—Birth, Entanglement, Descent, Shattering, and Reweaving—the work traces a journey from voicelessness to expression, from despair to mutual support. NET is a choreographic experiment in reconnection and healing, weaving together a living tapestry of memory and hope, drawn from the lives and resilience of the people themselves.

2025｜65min Flowing translates the Eastern symbol of the koi carp—an icon of auspiciousness rooted in Taiwanese daily life—into a contemporary movement vocabulary. Inspired by Cai Jiu-Wu’s ink paintings and structured by the lunar solar terms, the choreography depicts the cyclical nature of time and the endless flow of existence. Dancers’ bodies morph between fluid water and schools of fish, exploring the intricate rhythms of gathering and scattering that mirror human connection. More than a cultural tribute, Flowing is a lithe, poetic meditation on the constant intersections of time, emotion, and life’s perpetual change.

2024｜45min＆60min According to scientific research, the ongoing melting of the glaciers induced by climate change will cause ancient viruses and bacteria in the thawing permafrost to resurface. We can extend this report into an emotional allegory for our modern days: when a relationship shows signs of fracture, a crack appears, the two sides akin to a melting glacier – simmering resentment erupting in fiery anger. Long-suppressed discontent resurfaces; the cloak of silent endurance, now gone, renders the beauty and completeness of what once was irretrievably lost. Alone on the frozen plateau, gazing back in solitude, one is powerless to salvage what has melted away.

2024｜75min Commissioned by Stadttheater Bern, Don Quixote is a soul-stirring comedy that leads the audience on a profound journey through the intersections of time and reality. Echoing the philosophical depth of Miguel Cervantes—who famously noted that while tragedy belongs to humans, "comedy is divine"—this work reinterprets the classic narrative through a powerful contemporary lens. It invites us to navigate the delicate space between illusion and truth, discovering the transcendent resilience of the human spirit. ©Gregory Batardon

2023｜70Min B.DANCE is proud to present its 10th Anniversary production ABYSS, featuring TSAI Po-cheng’s trademark fusion of Eastern and Western movement and cultural elements. The new piece is a visual and aural spectacle that embodies TSAI’s view of human desire as a gravitational pull from the abyss. For his new creation, TSAI worked closely with Rockid LEE, winner of the 2022 Golden Horse Award for Best Sound Effects, who integrated traditional Taiwanese instruments with post-modern electronic music to create the score. His long-time collaborator, stage and lighting designer Otto CHANG, envisioned a parallel space-time, turning the stage into the chaos of an upside-down ocean: the performers are briefly tossed out of the world, pulled into the abyss, seeking for a faint light at the bottom… The intertwining of dance, sound and stage design stirs a wave, a swell of emotions that leaves a mark deep into our heart, into our consciousness.

2023｜ Bach Recomposed brings together a global dialogue of choreographic visions from three continents, each offering a distinct lens on the timeless music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Already a celebrated "shooting star" in Bern, Taiwanese choreographer Po-Cheng Tsai seamlessly weaves contemporary dance with the profound elegance of Asian movement traditions, showcasing his signature aesthetic. In parallel, Mauro Astolfi, Artistic Director of Rome’s Spellbound Contemporary Ballet, crafts an intimate movement universe through his symbolic and narrative-driven choreography. Both works mark significant world premieres commissioned specifically for Bern Ballett. ©Gregory Batardon

2022｜65min In these post-pandemic times, a bright white light floods the stage, begins to speak to me: close your eyes, come with me toward the supernormal, let’s go to ＿＿＿＿, to that transcendent space-time jump. Every character is in me: so which one is the real me? On the verge of disassociation, light leaks out in the shadow, a new day has dawned… but, today, which one of me will go along?

2021｜70min Before We Say Goodbye is B.DANCE’s fourth full-length production, choreographed by Artistic Director Po-Cheng Tsai. It weaves together life stories of the ten dancers with those of several elders in the community, to fabricate a readable canvas, filled with their innermost memories, bringing to light, and to the stage, the dark and bright corners of their souls and minds. The dancers’ emotions are channeled into physical movements, representing the rain and shine of life: the performance becomes a delicate ceremony of commemoration and reminiscence, a celebration of the undying human will against the impermanence of it all, one that stirs the strings of one’s heart until life’s ultimate chapter.

2021｜65min ALICE draws us with the breathtaking choreography, haute couture costumes and a stylish stage design into a very special wonderland, with an uncanny and deeply psychological atmosphere. A labyrinth of mirrors, artistic projections and black and white ink drawings unite poetry and fairy tale, as well as the western and eastern culture. In this international collaboration between TSAI Po-cheng’s B.DANCE and Kathleen McNurney’s «Tanz Luzerner Theater», TSAI reimagines this classic work of children’s literature, as a fantasy world of wonder meets the artistry of Zen.

2020｜18min The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years. The elegant, confident, peaceful, honest, brave attitude grows in their heart to help to face the unknown world. In this bustling city, I believe that not a woman is born strong, they’re the ones who know what it’s like to be weak but have their own reason to get stronger. Some of them may choose to live ordinary routes, some others refine the definition of life, and celebrate the daily in every single second. Life is infinity. -For my mother.

2019｜8min Presented as a highlight of the COLOURS International Dance Festival 2019 at Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Meet the Talents was a prestigious mixed-bill production that showcased the vibrant diversity of contemporary choreography. This collaborative showcase featured a lineup of distinguished global voices, including Po-Cheng Tsai, alongside acclaimed artists such as Eyal Dadoun, Valerio Longo, Norge Cedeño Raffo, Nadav Zelner, and Adrianna Benedetti.

2019｜35min People indulge in lust appareled gorgeously, with crazy expressions, waiting for the century-end party to come.

2019｜70min Before an explosion, would there be billions of unimaginable sounds? Or simply the most incredible sense of soundlessness? Do we exist in the eternal cycle where the next new creation can be the end of all? Inspired by the idea of chaotic cosmos from Nordic mythologies, choreographer Po-cheng Tsai has crafted this imaginative and volatile space fluctuating with changeful, otherworldly dance moves that resembles the endless, cosmic landscape of emptiness. Here is where the real meets unreal, past merges into present, and the borders of time and space dissolve fluidly.

2015｜45min Rage is inspired by the eponymous crime novel by the Japanese writer Yoshida Shuichi and the film directed by Lee Sang-il. Beyond an apparent serenity, this creation exposes the violence and anger of our society. By exploring the depths of the human soul, Po-Cheng Tsai reflects on the ability to face and adopt current societal tribulations. Through beauty and fluidity, the bodies convey a narrative of desolation and loneliness.

2018｜10min Through the concept of ORTHRUS, I express that many things are like two sides of the coin.People are divided into good and evil. Things can be black or white. Even our life can be real or not. I think that good and evil, black and white, and phantom and reality are inseparable. When we must make a choice, Which side are you on?

2018｜25min Commissioned by Konzert Theater Bern, Einstein transcends traditional biography to explore the electric brilliance of a genius mind. By translating the rapid firing of neurons into a high-energy movement vocabulary, the work harnesses the diverse physicalities of the dancers to offer a vibrant, contemporary reimagining of this 20th-century icon.

2017｜25min The soul stands in line, where will it go? Gloomy drumbeat breaks through misty silence. On the stage without any setups, lighting constructs a murky prison in the center. Simple but broad. All dancers gather in the middle of stage, covering with scarlet silk yarns on the faces and ponytails on the back of the heads. The dancers put on high color well-fitting black dresses, neatly making swings from left to right. It seems very hard to see through the emotions supposed to be in the bodies, only shudder wind and the silence around.

2017｜15min Where is the mind going? Multiple dancers on stage explode from one mind. It is confusing but what else could it be? Consciousness is our own tiny world. Our lives are in color even though we see in black and white. No matter if we are laughing or crying. It is real because we feel it. We are reality and dream dancing as one yet split to slit. My mind is slit and myself is split yet still living together in one consciousness. Enjoy the dark. Smile… just for a little while.

2016｜11min Have you investigated that human's personatlity were programmed, by nature or nurture or programmed by AI system?

2015｜10min In old Norse mythology there are two ravens sitting on either shoulder of Odin: Hugin and Munin, whose names mean "thought" and "memory", respectively. Flying out over Midgard (as their world is called), they serve as Odin's eyes and report back to him what they have seen. In the assembly of the Gods, Odin informs about what news the ravens have brought. The choreography is an exploration into the realms of thought and memory, investigating what they mean to us humans and how they shape our lives.

2015｜60min Floating Flowers is inspired by a traditional Taiwanese religious celebration that takes place at the Ghost Festival, one of the most beautiful and popular Buddhist ceremonies in the country. Floating lanterns placed on water are meant to worship deities, to send away bad luck, and bring happiness. In Southeast Asian culture, the lanterns are to deliver wishes and pay your respects to the deceased.