This year is the 20th anniversary of the Neo-Classic Dance Company. Over the past two decades, group after group of "neo-classical" dancers have poured out sweat, and even tears, to develop themselves to a high level of excellence.

For them, "Ms. Liu" has done more than just teach them dance. She has worked into them an attitude toward life.

An old apartment building across from the Lungan Primary School on Hsinsheng South Road is the home of the Neo-Classic Dance Company. Cars pass by in a ceaseless stream. "Thirty years ago this was still public irrigation, and there were willows by a stream," says Liu Feng-shueh, drawing an imaginary picture from her balcony.

Starting from wiping the floor

For decades the 60-square meter instruction room has seen students come and go. The earliest dancers in the Company came from all over. Many were students of Liu's in the Department of Physical Education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) who left school to follow her. Others had studied fine arts, psychology, or foreign languages. This was one of the special features of the Company. "Ms. Liu didn't want us to be restricted by our previous training. She enjoyed teaching people from scratch. She enjoyed the challenge," says Tseng Ming-sheng, who is currently teaching physical education at NTNU.

Liu has taken just about anyone willing to learn. In return, students have had to accept her pedagogical philosophy.

In Liu's view, the classroom is like a temple for cultivating the self. The first assignment she gives students is always--wiping the floor. Besides being a good spiritual exercise, wiping the floor has lots of other good points, too. It makes a good warm-up exercise, focuses concentration, and is preparation for the dance practice that follows. "I used to do this myself, and because I got so much out of it, I introduced it to my students. Unwittingly it has become a tradition," she laughs.

Aside from floor-scrubbing, she also demands punctuality. If someone oversleeps and is late for rehearsal, they know they are in trouble. Yet, there is little choice but to face the music. Once a company member--who was already a teacher in his own right--arrived late. Liu had already locked the door to the classroom. But he didn't dare to leave, and was still standing there when she let class out in the evening. This gives you some idea of Liu's authority. "We often practiced from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. It was only when Uncle Chi [Liu's husband] came to pick up Ms. Liu that we knew when the day's rehearsal would finally end," recalls Tseng Ming-sheng.

The beloved tyrant?

Liu is normally soft-spoken, but becomes a different person when class begins. In rehearsal, it is common to hear her yell: "That's terrible. Go off to the side and do it 1000 times." Her female students are frequently reduced to tears. "Eventually we figured out the logic behind it: The closer one is her, the more demanding Ms. Liu becomes. So people can actually console themselves with being severely criticized," says Chang Chung-hsuan, who is now teaching in the Department of Dance at the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts.

Chang was a mere six years old when she began studying at Liu's "Modern Dance Center." At that time the Neo-Classic troupe had not yet been founded. Liu often encouraged her students to be creative, giving them a great sense of accomplishment. They wanted to go to class even if there was a typhoon. After the Neo-Classic Dance Company was formed, the pressure was correspondingly increased. Chang recalls that she was somewhat rebellious in middle school. Once, unable to dance the "handkerchief dance" to the satisfaction of the teacher, Chang threw the handkerchief on the floor and cried "I'm not dancing anymore!" This was a major act of insurrection. Liu was so furious that she nearly threw the tape recorder she was holding across the room. Having thought better of that gesture, she simply smashed the cassette tape on the floor.

At a seminar at a 40-year retrospective on Liu's work, everyone laughed heartily when Liu's former students told such tales.

"The old students say that Ms. Liu treats us much better, and isn't so harsh as she used to be. They envy us," says Lin Ching-ling, who played the role of Chen Mi in Liu's recent production. Nevertheless, rehearsals are still hard work, because Liu still makes them go off to the side to repeat something 1000 times, and she still insists on punctuality. Students joke that it is evident when they go out for a snack after practice who has been severely scolded that day: That person orders a glass of rice-ball milk tea, because they can grind their teeth in frustration on the chewy rice balls.

A strict teacher makes outstanding pupils

Despite all this, there is great coherence in the troupe. The older generation of students are especially loyal to Liu. They often come back to help her observe the dancing, or to "translate" her desires to the younger generation. "Ms. Liu should feel that she has been very successful. She is very strict with students, yet, no matter how severe her criticism or punishments, she couldn't get rid of them if she tried," laughs Chang Chung-hsuan.

Once Liu collected a rich variety of movements from Chinese drama, martial arts, and dance, and blended them into a stretching and exercise regimen. She produced a 13-part series of dances that her students still use. But she especially emphasizes that the students not just learn specific moves. Instead, she wants them to use their bodies as flexible performing tools. By the time they complete the basic movements, they should be able to adopt any dance posture and express their own ideas. One of Liu's adages is "Don't be a dancing robot."

She also encourages her students to go abroad for further training, and at times has even helped financially. The Neo-Classic troupe is remarkable in the academic achievements of its members--a number have earned master's or doctorate degrees. "The teacher has led by example, so we dare not be lazy," says Chang, who earned a PhD in dance instruction at Columbia University. Liu is also especially proud of Chao Li-yun, head of the National Institute of Compilation and Translation, who holds a doctorate in physical education, and Tseng Ming-sheng, a cutting-edge choreographer with an MA from the University of California. Even some of the key senior members of the Cloud Gate Dance Company, such as Luo Man-fei and Liu Shao-lu, were founding members of the Neo-Classic Dance Company 20 years ago.

"We got far more from the Company than I ever imagined we would. Ms. Liu not only taught us how to dance, even more, she taught us how to get along in the world," says Wang Hung-hao, now a phys.ed. teacher in a middle school. For example, the dancers of the troupe know what to do to help the stage crew with setting up. Also, for the recent performance of "Tsao Pi and Chen Mi," many costumes were required, but there was no need for a special costume manager. Every member took care of his or her own outfits. At practices one could see all the members carrying bags large and small, and if a button came off, the dancer had to sew it back on by him- or herself. The lead was even personally out in the street passing out leaflets. . . . The dancers and the Company are one.

"To be a dancer for Liu Feng-sheuh takes more than technique. It takes dedication as well," says Lin Ching-ling. This is also a case of leading by example. When they see that Liu holds herself upright and carries on no matter how tired she may be, they dare not show their exhaustion. But, in any case, they are all with Liu because they want to be, and because of their own special qualities of enthusiasm and perseverance. "Those who come here to dance don't do so merely out of interest. For them, dance is virtually a religious experience," says Chang Chung-hsuan. "This is especially so if they did not study dance in school," she adds, "for they must truly be passionate about dance. And by drawing on their life experiences and what they have learned in their own special fields, they are by no means inferior to the dance majors when it comes to performing."

Tall, short, fat, thin. . . .

The Neo-Classic Dance Company has traveled a number of times to Europe and North America to perform, receiving favorable reviews. One German critic praised them as "a dancing symphony in Chinese style." In 1993, at the invitation of the PRC's China Dance Association, the Company went to Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. They performed for the gate, becoming the first Taiwan dance troupe to work in the mainland on a commercial basis. They performed "Greatness Over the Four Seas," "Carmina Burana," and other works. Among these, the PRC's Central Orchestra was invited to do the accompaniment for "Carmina Burana," with the Central Choral Group doing the singing, sparking an intense response from the audience.

At the exchange seminar after the performance, some people involved in dance in mainland China admitted that they couldn't help but feel wonder when they first laid eyes on the Neo-Classic troupe: "They've got tall, short, fat, thin, everything!" After seeing the performance, however, they were impressed by how the dancers fit together on the stage, creating contrasts between high and low. It was declared that the Company "is able to hold firmly to a foundation of traditional culture, absorb foreign culture to enrich itself, and then go in its own direction; it is fresh and reflects its era."

On the other hand, Liu Feng-shueh has praise for the technique of the mainland dancers. "When they choose dancers they assess them according to a single standard, checking to see if their necks, legs, and waists meet the regulations," she laughs. "Although an art is expressed through technique, without spirit and content it is all in vain."

Not looking for a handout

Despite the impressive results, the Company is very low key when it comes to its management. Liu personally covers its expenses, and the troupe operates with virtually no outside support. In the first decade, most dancers rehearsed and performed as volunteers; they rarely got even traveling money. Back then most members were students of Liu from NTNU, the Taipei College of Physical Education, and the Department of Physical Education at Fujen Catholic University. Since graduating, most have found teaching positions, so they are not hard- pressed. The current members, mostly students from university dance departments, draw regular salaries. Though these are tiny, this is still a huge difference from ten years ago.

This style reflects Liu's own personality. She is not skilled at self-promotion, and spends little time "networking." She once said dismissively, "I don't want to waste my life on unnecessary activities." But in the eyes of her students, "Ms. Liu has the perspective of a traditional literatus. She sees applying for funding as 'asking for a handout,' and is very reluctant to do so," explains Chang Chung-hsuan.

But this is an era which calls for promotion and fundraising. Though it's important to have skills, if there is not adequate promotion one may get lost in the crowd. Today, as arts management becomes increasingly specialized, it is hard to retain professional dancers without adequate funding. Sometimes her students try to bring her around: "Ms. Liu, if the money is there for us, then just take it." The recent entry of the Company into the ranks of the Council for Cultural Planning and Development's International Performance Support Group only came about when the Company manager went behind Liu's back to apply; everyone was delighted when the troupe was selected.

Yet, whether there is money or not, the Company members don't seem to care. "I consider myself lucky to be able to come to the rehearsal after work," says Wang Hung-hao. And Lu Yu, currently doing advanced study in New York, avers "one should feel very fortunate just for the chance to dance one of her works, because it's a rare choreographer in Taiwan who has the depth to produce something like 'The Game of Arrow-Pitching' or 'The Seance,' not to mention pieces like 'Greatness Over the Four Seas' or 'Dance of the People,' which no other troupe even attempts."

Having finished its second decade, the Neo-Classic Dance Company continues to take tradition as the starting point to produce dance that belongs to modern Chinese.