[Photo provided to China Daily]

He also chose Mischa Maisky's recordings of the Bach pieces, which he used to train the dancers for the performance.

"I thought about not using Bach's music because I thought it was too risky. But it was also a tempting idea because I had been listening to Bach for more than 20 years, and he is my favorite composer," says Lin, adding that the interpretation of celebrated cellist Maisky is full of energy.

In 2003, the New York Times selected Moon Water as "the best dance of the year" and it was also featured at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival and 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad.

"I guess the reason why Moon Water is enjoyed by people around the world is that the audiences can breathe together with the dancers. That's the power of tai chi," says Lin.

As a young adult, Lin, who holds a master's degree in fine arts from the University of Iowa, had a successful career as a writer, publishing works of fiction and essays.

While studying in the US, he took modern dance classes and started choreographing, which took him back to dance, a passion he has had since the age of 5 after watching the famous British ballet film, The Red Shoes.

After launching Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Lin founded the Cloud Gate Dance School in 1998 and Cloud Gate 2 in 1999 to encourage young choreographers in Taiwan.

All of Lin's works are seen as a message for his audiences, which is like "writing with bodies in space".

In Legacy, the company's first full-length production in 1978, he portrayed families, which had left the mainland and moved to Taiwan hundreds of years ago.

In Songs of Wanders, which was inspired by Lin's pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya in India in 1994, he used 3.5 tons of rice grains onstage.

"Each of our works is a result of random thoughts. I never plan anything," says Lin, recalling his dance company's achievements.

He also attributes the success of his dance company to the dancers, who Lin describes as "dancing differently from other companies in the world".

"Some of my dancers have been working with me for 20 years. They bring our works to life, though some of them have been performed hundreds of times," he says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

7:30 pm, Aug 25 to 28. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.