If watching the Winter Olympics ice skating competition whetted your appetite for sequins and pirouettes, you’re in luck. More than 90 ballroom and Latin-style dancers from over 25 countries will compete in the 2010 Open Professional Ballroom Dance Championship — Asian Tour Taipei Open (2010職業國標舞世界大賽亞巡賽台北站) tomorrow at the Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋), the last stop in the competition. At stake is a top prize of NT$3.3 million.
The competition, which is recognized and overseen by the World Dance Council, was launched in 2008 by the Taiwan International Sport Dance Development Association (TISDDA, 中華民國國際運動舞蹈發展協會). TISDA’S goal is to establish a dance contest on par with similar events held in Europe and the US. Before the event was launched, Japan was the only Asian country to host world-class ballroom dance competitions. This year marks the second time the Open Professional Ballroom Dance Championship — Asian Tour Taipei Open has been held. According to TISDDA, the first attracted more than 10,000 spectators in Taipei. This year’s contest traveled to South Korea and Macau and made two stops in Japan.
Competitors hail mainly from Japan and the US, with some couples coming from as far away as Finland, Ukraine — and Azerbaijan. Dancers range in age from under 16 to senior citizens. Couples to keep an eye on include Americans Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova, ballroom dancers who have already triumphed in the Japan, South Korea and Macau stops of the tour, and Victor Fung and Anastasia Murayama, also representing the US, who are currently among the top three Latin dance couples in the competition.
Following the shock complete failure of all the recall votes against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on July 26, pan-blue supporters and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were giddy with victory. A notable exception was KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who knew better. At a press conference on July 29, he bowed deeply in gratitude to the voters and said the recalls were “not about which party won or lost, but were a great victory for the Taiwanese voters.” The entire recall process was a disaster for both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The only bright spot for
As last month dawned, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in a good position. The recall campaigns had strong momentum, polling showed many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers at risk of recall and even the KMT was bracing for losing seats while facing a tsunami of voter fraud investigations. Polling pointed to some of the recalls being a lock for victory. Though in most districts the majority was against recalling their lawmaker, among voters “definitely” planning to vote, there were double-digit margins in favor of recall in at least five districts, with three districts near or above 20 percent in
From Godzilla’s fiery atomic breath to post-apocalyptic anime and harrowing depictions of radiation sickness, the influence of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki runs deep in Japanese popular culture. In the 80 years since the World War II attacks, stories of destruction and mutation have been fused with fears around natural disasters and, more recently, the Fukushima crisis. Classic manga and anime series Astro Boy is called “Mighty Atom” in Japanese, while city-leveling explosions loom large in other titles such as Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Attack on Titan. “Living through tremendous pain” and overcoming trauma is a recurrent theme in Japan’s
The great number of islands that make up the Penghu archipelago make it a fascinating place to come back and explore again and again. On your next trip to Penghu, why not get off the beaten path and explore a lesser-traveled outlying island? Jibei Island (吉貝嶼) in Baisha Township (白沙鄉) is a popular destination for its long white sand beach and water activities. However, three other permanently inhabited islands in the township put a unique spin on the traditional Penghu charm, making them great destinations for the curious tourist: Yuanbeiyu (員貝嶼), Niaoyu (鳥嶼) and Dacangyu (大倉嶼). YUANBEIYU Citou Wharf (岐頭碼頭) connects the mainland
RSS