Physically demanding traditional arts are finding their place in school athletic programs. Teachers say that activities such as performing dragon dances and practicing diabolo spinning are ways to get students excited about fitness while participating in a culturally meaningful activity.
"Students love the performance aspect of the dragon dance," said Wang Yao-te (
"They push themselves really hard so that our routine will impress the audience. Our group had the opportunity to perform in front of the presidential residence last year," Wang said.
Wang said a lot of hard work went into making the dragon seem to effortlessly frolic on the stage.
"We start with basic fitness training because dragon dancing takes both strength and aerobic stamina," Wang said.
Students start their basic training towards the end of the fourth grade and start dragon dancing in the fifth and sixth grades.
Although only boys do dragon dancing, girls are encouraged to participate in flag dancing and as part of the drumming troupe, he said.
"Dragon dancing is now a part of our school's culture," Wang said. "Newly arrived students are greeted by a dragon dancing and flag dancing performance."
"We also teach students about the history and cultural significance of dragon dances along with other traditional arts in our module on cultural history," he said. "By the time we start recruiting in fourth grade, many students are eager to join up."
The Genliao school is not the only school using traditional arts as physical education.
Hualien's tiny Kang-le elementary has only 97 kids, roughly a third of which are on the diabolo team.
"So many kids that might not enjoy physical education classes love the diabolo, said the school's sports director, Su Han-bin (蘇漢彬). "Kids that are smaller or not as strong can still reach a very high level because it takes skill and dexterity rather than brawn."
The diabolo is an hourglass-shaped wooden toy that is balanced on a piece of string. Like a yo-yo, the spinning diabolo can be made to do a wide range of tricks.
Unlike the yo-yo, the diabolo can leave its string, allowing for sophisticated moves involving tossing it into the air and catching it.
"Kids love showing off," Su said.
"They run around a track voluntarily because I told them that if they improve their cardiovascular fitness they'll be more likely to perform sophisticated [Diabolo] moves correctly," Su said.
Su said he has chosen not to have diabolo competitions at the school because he wants all the children to feel included.
"As soon as you introduce competition, you add pressure," Su said, "it ceases to be fun for a lot of kids."
"I've seen a difference in so many kids who might not be stars in the classroom who find self-confidence in dragon dancing," Wang said.
"It's a different arena for kids to express themselves in. That self-confidence is an important part of what our school is trying to achieve," Wang said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS