A special performance troupe of 15 young Hakkas will depart tomorrow for a tour of four Latin American countries to perform for overseas Taiwanese and local citizens to introduce Taiwanese Hakka culture.
Performing the traditional Hakka lion dance, a dance theater piece and a Hakka song, the Hakka Youth Cultural Troupe showcased their act — which they will perform in 90-minute gala shows in Panama, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in the next two weeks — at a news conference at the Council for Hakka Affairs (CHA) in Taipei yesterday.
“This is the first time the CHA has sent Hakka performance troupes overseas. However, this event has been carefully planned over the past two to three years,” council Minister Huang Yu-chen (黃玉振) said.
Photo: Hsieh Wen-hua, Taipei Times
“Their mission is to show overseas Hakkas that younger Hakkas are retaining their traditional culture, while mixing in innovative elements. They are also going to introduce the Hakka culture that’s been locally brewed in Taiwan to the locals in South America,” the minister added.
A total of 158 people signed up to join the troupe. However, after fierce competition, only 15 were chosen, Huang said, adding that the members then went through an intensive training program that lasted a month.
All the members are aged between 16 and 31.
“In our performances, there are elements of traditional Hakka culture, of modernity, and of the potential of youth,” said Chen Pi-han (陳碧涵), designer of the program. “The 90-minute show will open with traditional performances and gradually move on to modern and innovative themes. I’ve even incorporated elements of Latin music to build a connection to South American culture.”
Troupe member Yeh Hsin-yi (葉欣宜), a 16-year-old student at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, said she was excited to be able to travel to South America to perform.
“I want to show them our culture and learn about their culture,” she said.
However, since she will have missed a month-and-a-half of school by the time she returns and immediately faces midterm exams, “I will bring textbooks with me to study along the way.”
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS