He also said that his mission in guiding young members of the Lan Yang Dancers has been to teach them to “appreciate their culture [by] using dance to open their hearts and minds in order to reach the profound spiritual meanings in life … . We need to develop kids to care about their surroundings and culture so that they will be aware after they grow up.”
One of the greatest hurdles for Michelini, as for many other artists in Taiwan, has been funding constraints. Although he complained, he said he was demonstrating his “commitment to the advancement of Taiwanese folk dance.”
Michelini hopes to establish a Lan Yang University of the Arts in order to carry out his goal of creating a better environment for arts education. He said the basis of this education would be to teach “an appreciation of the beauty of human life.”
Since 1992, as a further step towards improving the training of the dancers, Michelini has dedicated considerable effort to developing ballet skills within the group, and invited instructors from Hungary and Russia to pay regular visits to Taiwan to disseminate their techniques.
“Ballet is the foundation of all dance forms,” said Michelini, “therefore, all members of the Lan Yang Dancers must take ballet classes as part of their training routines.”
In the course of his efforts, Michelini has cultivated several hundred young dancers, some of whom later made a career in dance.
The works to presented, though drawn from the company's repertoire, have been restaged, with new props and costumes.
The program will include Chinese folk dance, Taiwanese folk dance, and Aboriginal dance. A dance based on the “Chiang Gu” (搶孤) — a folk competition that is part of the annual ghost festival — presents local Taiwanese customs.
Ilan native and Germany-based choreographer Lin Mei-hong's (林美虹) delicate and graceful choreographic work titled Peacock Forest (孔雀林) is worthy of note.
Lin has choreographed for the troupe for many years, and in this piece, she wove an ancient Chinese folk story into the dance. Her previous choreography, Princess Kavalan, was a successful example of multidisciplinary dance, in which elements of folk dance, ballet and even Chinese opera were incorporated.
Michelini has successfully drawn on Taiwan's culture to create a special performance — for the Lan Yang Dancers are more than a dance troupe. They are a medium for the preservation of Ilan's and Taiwan's dance heritage, and they touch the hearts of Taiwanese and international audiences. This retrospective show encapsulates the long journey Michelini has taken with the Lan Yang Dancers.
Performance Notes:
What: The Best of 40 Years of Lan Yang
When and Where: Tomorrow at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm at the Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25 Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市八德路三段25號); Aug. 26 at 7:30pm at the Yilan Performing Arts Center, Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳), 482 Zhongshan Rd Sec 2, Ilan City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號); Sept. 16 at 7:30pm at the Taichung County Cultural Center (台中縣立文化中心), 782 Yuanhuan E Rd, Fungyuan City, Taichung County (台中縣豐原市圓環東路782號); Oct. 1 at 2pm at Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心), 265 Jianguo Rd Sec 2, Minsyong Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號)
Tickets: For Taipei performances tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,200, for other performances tickets are NT$200 to NT$600; available through ERA ticketing outlets. Visit www.ticket.com.tw or call (02) 2341 9898
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