It has been seven years since Taiwan’s legendary Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performed in Hong Kong, and in his first interview in the city since taking charge, artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung says the return allows Hongkongers to see the shift in energy since the departure of his predecessor Lin Hwai-min.“I am from a different era from him, and we live in a different era now, so I hope the Hong Kong audience will appreciate how Cloud Gate has changed – we have become more manic!” Cheng tells the South China Morning Post ahead of Cloud Gate’s performances of Lunar Halo – a production choreographed by Cheng that premiered in Taiwan in 2019 – at the Xiqu Centre in West Kowloon from July 10 to 12.Lin, who founded Cloud Gate in 1973, stepped down at the end of 2019. He was known for pioneering a blend of Asian and Western cultural traditions and imbuing the company with its hallmark hypnotic beauty – epitomised in works such as Moon Water (1998) and the Cursive trilogy (2001-2005).This signature style came from a cross-fertilisation of the many things Lin has studied: tai chi, qigong, Chinese calligraphy, ballet, Peking opera, New York modern dance movements and classical court dance in South Korea and Japan.Lin Hwai-min founded Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in 1973 and stepped down at the end of 2019. Photo: Nora TamCheng stresses he has retained the rigorous physical foundations Lin nurtured in Cloud Gate’s dancers while adding his own interpretation of our hyper-digitised world.