Father Gian Carlo Michelini became a naturalized citizen of the Republic of China (ROC) on Thursday, the first foreigner to be naturalized in recognition of his work in arts and culture.
It was the latest in a series of well-deserved honors for the Camillian priest, who has made Luodong Township (羅東) in Yilan County his home for more than half a century.
Michelini, who turns 82 this year, did not have to give up his Italian citizenship to gain ROC citizenship because of an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) passed in December last year that allows high-level professionals in several fields who have served the nation’s interests to apply for citizenship.
Michelini certainly met the requirements.
He has steadfastly served the interests of the nation since he arrived 53 years ago and has made a major contribution to the Taiwanese dance world.
An interest in traditional Chinese opera and dances led him to establish the Lan Yang Dance Group (蘭陽舞曲) in 1966 to teach youngsters in Luodong traditional Chinese and Aboriginal folk dances, as well as the Luodong Youth Catholic Center — now the Lan Yang Luodong Youth Catholic Center.
The center initially offered dance, art and music classes, as well as sports activities, but financial difficulties led Michelini to narrow his focus to dance classes and the dance troupe, which began with just 10 members.
However, that dedication has paid off with a dance program that is renowned in Taiwan — having trained more than 1,500 students, a well-traveled troupe — now known as the Lanyang Dance Troupe (蘭陽芭蕾舞團), with about 60 members and a second center in Taipei — and scores of former students who have gone on to become professional dancers, including Lin Mei-hong (林美虹), the artistic director of the Landestheater Linz ballet company in Austria and Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancer Chou Tzu-chao (周子超).
In addition to working to preserve Taiwanese and Aboriginal folklore and dances, Michelini has hired Chinese teachers and dancers to help his students research and learn traditional Chinese dances, especially those of the Chinese minorities, and Russian teachers from the Vaganova School in St Petersburg to boost the caliber of the center’s ballet classes.
Successive members of the Lanyang troupe, who range in age from nine to 22, have traveled widely and this week are representing Taiwan at the Internationales Schlitzerlander Trachtenfest, a folklore and music festival in Schlitz, Germany.
Michelini has also served as general secretary of the Folklore Festival Association of the ROC and as a general secretary of the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts, after helping the nation become a member of the UNESCO-affiliated organization.
Michelini and his connections helped establish the annual Yilan International Children’s Folklore & Folkgames Festival, the first of which was held in 1997 and the latest edition of which opened a week ago, as well as ensuring that a wide variety of foreign companies perform at the festival.
Among the honors and awards that Michelini has received are the International Communications Award in 1989; the National Cultural Heritage Conservation Award in September 2012; and in December 2015, the Order of Brilliant Star with Violet Grand Cordon, which was presented by then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Over the decades, the name Michelini has become synonymous with that of Lanyang, Luodong and Yilan. He, his students and his dancers have proudly represented Taiwan on stages around the world and at international forums. Now he can continue to do so as citizen of this nation.
Taiwan can be proud to have someone like him as a citizen.
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