Yi-Tzy Folk Dance Theatre (藝姿舞集) marked its 19th anniversary in February, an impressive record for a troupe based in Tainan, rather than Taipei or Kaohsiung. Company founder and artistic director Christina Kuo (郭玲娟) established the troupe a couple of years after graduating from Chinese Culture University’s dance department. After attending several dance festivals abroad, she decided that there was a need for a company that could promote Taiwan’s unique multi-ethnic heritage. Her work has focused on preserving and celebrating Taiwanese and Aboriginal traditional dances and customs from festivals and temple fairs. The group’s latest production, Ina (伊那), focuses on the traditions of the Siraya, an Aboriginal community centered in Tainan that has been fighting for official recognition from the central government. The then-Tainan County government recognized them as a distinct Aboriginal people in 2005. The title of the work, Ina, comes from the Siraya word for “mother.”
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, New Taipei City Arts Center (新北市藝文中心演藝廳), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao Dist, New Taipei City (新北市板橋區莊敬路62號)
■ Remaining tickets are NT$400 and NT$600; available through NTCH ticketing, online at www.artsticket.com.tw and at convenience store kiosks
Photo courtesy of Yi-Tzy dance theatre
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