U-Theatre of Taiwan, a Taiwanese art troupe that came to SIP for the 2018 Suzhou Jinji Lake Art Festival, did a set of dancing and drumming exercises by the side of Jinji Lake on Oct 17, in their annual self-cultivation training. Abouy 100 citizens participated and learnt the exercise skills from the troupe members.

The troupe, founded in 1988, incorporates a variety of exercise and performance elements such as Jerzy Grotowski's body training methods, oriental martial art, drumming skills and Taiji exercise to form a modern way of physical training and art performance. It enjoys a high fame in the modern stage show circle. New York Times said its performance presents a kind of "high-level and complicated beauty".

It is the troupe's tradition to host a training session of the kind each year wherever they are for the artists to look inwardly to avoid being disturbed and misled by the outside world, which they call "cultivating self to gain power".

It is learnt that the troupe will give the performance Sound of the Ocean at Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre on Oct 19 and 20.