Lin Hwai-min didn’t set out to become a choreographer or to found a dance company; he was a writer, an acclaimed one, whose novels and stories garnered prizes and continue to garner acclaim. And yet he became the founder and creative genius behind the Taiwan-based Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, renowned worldwide. Its upcoming appearance here is one of the most anticipated events of the University Musical Society season.

Cloud Gate, the first contemporary dance company in a Chinese-speaking community, dates back to 1973. But when the group appears Friday and Saturday at Power Center, the company immerses us in recent, rather than distant history with Lin’s newest creation, the full-evening “Water Stains on the Wall.”

The title may sound a little clunky to American ears—I visualize plaster in need of a serious re-do—but it has an exalted meaning to those knowledgeable about Chinese arts. “Water stains on the wall" is a popular metaphor for the highest aesthetic aspirations of Chinese calligraphy, and it is calligraphy that inspired Lin - not just in “Water Stains” but in three previous works, “Cursive” (2001); “Cursive II” (2003); and “Wild Cursive” (2005). The title of the last refers to a particular style of calligraphy.

Lin took some time recently to talk about his work, the company, its particular style, and, of course, about “Water Stains on the Wall.”

Q. What is the training of the company members?

A. The company is trained in traditional body disciplines, meditation, martial arts, chi gong, and we also practice calligraphy. Calligraphy is also a breathing exercise. Those inks are the just the traces of masters hundreds of years ago, the traces they left with the brush in their hand. Just as in the traditional movement exercises, where movement can be had in circular ways, so can calligraphy. Starting in 2001, I did a trilogy, “Cursive,” three pieces inspired by the aesthetics of calligraphy.

Q. How do those pieces relate to “Water Stains”?

A. This one is not taking the aesthetics of calligraphy as an excuse to dance. The title derives from a legend in Chinese calligraphy about a young monk who became the greatest practitioner of the wild cursive style, Huai Su. He went to pay a visit to a grand master, and he described how he cultivated his style:

“I observe summer clouds that resemble mountains with spectacular peaks. The most exciting parts remind one of birds flying out of woods and snakes slithering into bushes.”

The old master asked: “How about water stains on the wall?”

“Right on” You old devil!” Huai Su responded.

The point is that the highest state of calligraphy has no trace of artificiality. It is natural, effortless.

Q. So is that what you are trying to emulate?

A. Yes. Water stains are not artificial, they are natural. We built a stage with a very steep slope, covered in white Marley and raked so that the audience can see the projections of black clouds on it. But you don’t see them as black clouds, you see them as ink, shapes always moving, always changing. It’s lively space, every minute. That’s the only thing we have as a set.

Q. Is it hard for the dancers to perform on that stage?

A. It is a challenge for the dancers. They claim that they dance on high heels all the time, spinning and dancing on this. That’s the initial look for the dance, and of course the dancers move in circular, spiral patterns all the time. I was very excited and scared and so were the dancers. They had to learn to stand, to adjust the weight, to walk, to run. They mastered it in one week. In martial arts, all the training is very grounded, very earthbound. That training helped it. I was very afraid that maybe it would kill some of the dancers, that maybe there would be a lot of injuries, but nothing happened. We did 15 sold-out performances in Taiwan.

Q. What’s the relationship between the movement and Toshio Hosakawa’s score?

A. I like Toshio’s music, it is so contemporary and natural to me. The music breathes and provides a lot of empty space—it’s very organic; it reminds me of the rock gardens in Kyoto. That is a very strong metaphor in my mind. The movement and music have a dialog - it is not that one is the general and one is the troop. They go arm in arm.

Q. Do you see a relation between your company and the butoh dance that the Japanese company Sankai Juku performs?

A. I think we are very different. Yes we also have quiet, slow-motion movements, but we are different, we are open. In Sankai Juku, they draw into themselves, into a very dark space. I think we are … healthier. We are more technical, with a bigger dynamic range. We can be still as a stone—we are very good at that—but we are very vibrant, we are crazy sometimes. We are wild, we are rich. We are not deliberate, and we don’t do ikebana.

Q. What is company class like?

A. They take turns, one ballet class to stretch, and then chi gong and modern dance about once a week; the rest would be martial arts. In martial arts and traditional movement, we always ask the teacher not to teach the fancy routines but the basics. We do a lot of low-weighted movement, and there is a great emphasis on breathing, circular movements. In choreographing, we apply those principles. One of our masters in the late ‘70s came to a premiere and congratulated me. But he asked: “Did you realize you did everything wrong?” Of course we did: we don’t do any kind of classroom routines.

Q. What is your dance background?

A. I shouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing. I didn’t mean to become a dancer. I was a late starter. I didn’t start regular classes till 23. I was at the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, and I did a modern dance minor while I got my MFA degree. I also danced at the Martha Graham summer school for two summers for the heck of it. Then I went back to Taiwan to teach, and at the university, the dancers made me teach them, and they wanted to perform, so Cloud Gate was born. It was founded by a guy with no training who regarded choreography as writing.

It took me about 20 years to erase the words in my mind. Then I started to think more kinetically and spatially. I’m good at that now. Now I can’t write as fast as I could. I can’t find the words.

Related events:

• UMS Lobby: Calligraphy in the Lobby, each night before the performance, 7 pm - 7:45 p.m., in the Power Center Lobby. "Water stains on the wall" is a popular metaphor that represents the highest state in the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy. You're invited to join local calligraphers in exploring and experimenting with the art of calligraphy in the Power Center lobby before show. Must have a ticket to attend.

• A question and answer period with the artistic director, Lin Hwai-min, follows Friday’s performance.