A number of local art troupes will tour the nation putting on free performances beginning next month, with shows featuring music, dance, singing and traditional puppetry, organizers said.
Since 1997, the Council for Cultural Affairs has been organizing free performing arts tours throughout the country, said Chuang San-hsiu (莊三修), director of the National Hsinchu Living Art Center, one of the tour’s major organizers.
WIDER AUDIENCES
“Residents in Taipei and other major municipalities usually have a better chance to enjoy the performing arts,” he said. “This annual tour offers people in the counties or smaller cities an opportunity to see some good shows.”
The three-month tour, which starts in Yilan on July 2, will travel to 16 different counties and cities, including Penghu and Kinmen, Chuang said.
In cooperation with county and city governments, the annual event has drawn more public attention each year, attracting almost 30,000 spectators last year, organizers said, adding that their cooperation model allows local art troupes to also participate, giving the audience more performances to watch.
ARTS PROMOTION
“We hope to promote a local ambiance of art and culture, and hopefully, more townships will actively join us,” Chuang said.
To attract large crowds, the organizers have also invited 11 pop entertainers and groups to perform with the art troupes.
This year, the tour — a combination of modern popular culture and classical arts — has invited more than 20 art troupes, including the Yilan County-based Lan Yang Dancers, the award-winning Taipei Male Choir and the Hsinchu Wind Orchestra.
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