Two years ago, the extremely popular musical On the Road, Taiwan’s first Aboriginal musical, allowed Aboriginal culture and metropolitan culture to come together and be shared with the public. Now, after two years of preparations, the sequel to On the Road, La Michael, is ready. The story starts out in an Amis village on Taiwan’s east coast, using film, dance, music and theater to express contemporary Aborigines’ passion for music and dance.
La Michael comes from an Amis word for social rank. The plot takes place a year after the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson was sent to the emergency room after suffering cardiac arrest and died. After loosing a dance competition for mimicking Jackson, a frustrated Aboriginal dancer dejectedly returns home to his village, where a group of young Aborigines are striving to make a name for themselves by imitating Jackson’s moves, and a teacher works to promote traditional dance. It is the story of how these three characters from entirely different backgrounds are trying to make their dreams come true.
Chang 43, the producer, says that the musical, using the complex and beautiful music and dances of the Amis, combines modern dance and street dance with the traditional dances of the Amis, breaking the barriers of formalism to develop a nascent dance style. For the music they are once again working with the National Symphony Orchestra, but also adding electronic musical elements in an effort to go beyond the stylistic limitations of On the Road.
Photo: Chen Hui-ling, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳慧玲
Performers and people working on the musical include Shan Cheng-chu, director of The Magic Flute Fantasy, Lungnan Isak Fangas, the Amis director of the documentary The Making Of On the Road, songstress Lee Cin-yun, Golden Melody-award winning singer Hao-en, the Horse dance theater, and renowned street dance artist Rube Red. Suming, an Aboriginal singer/songwriter who won the Golden Horse Best Newcomer Award in 2008, will also be performing in the musical. La Michael will be on stage at the National Theater for three performances on Sept. 7 and Sept. 8.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
二年前造成一票難求的原住民電影音樂劇《很久沒有敬我了你》,讓原住民文化與都市文化透過演出找到分享與串聯,籌備二年,《很久沒有敬我了你》第二集《拉麥可》將以東海岸阿美部落為起點,透過電影、舞蹈、音樂及戲劇,展現當代原住民樂舞的熱情。
Photo courtesy of Wonderful Time Film Production
照片由韶光電影提供
《拉麥可》名稱是從阿美族階級取名而來,故事發生背景在流行音樂天王麥可傑克森因突發心臟病,送醫急救宣告不治的後一年,一個因模仿麥可傑克森失去奪冠機會黯然返鄉的失意舞者,一群企圖想要模仿麥可力爭頭銜的部落年輕人們,以及一個致力發揚傳統舞蹈的老師,三個來自不同背景的角色如何完成夢想的過程。
製作人張四十三表示,這次融合了阿美族繁複華麗的樂舞文化,將傳統的阿美族舞蹈加入現代舞與街舞的跨界結合,打破形式疆界,發展出新的舞蹈風貌。在音樂上,這次將再度與國家交響樂團合作,並加入電子樂元素,希望可以突破第一集的形式。
參與幕後工作人員包括「魔笛狂想」導演單承矩,「很久」紀錄片導演龍男‧以撒克‧凡亞思,音樂才女李欣芸,金曲製作人昊恩,驫舞劇場以及知名街舞舞者Rube Red、等,並邀請第四十五屆金馬獎最佳新人舒米恩擔綱演出。該劇將於九月七日首演,一連將演出三場,地點在國家劇院。
Photo courtesy of Wonderful Time Film Production
照片由韶光電影提供
(自由時報記者趙靜瑜)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too