Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind is to attend the Paris Cultural Olympiad, performing Formosan Follies at the Taiwan Pavilion.
She has said the show would introduce Taiwan to the international stage in resplendent fashion.
On April 19, the 28-year-old became the first Taiwanese and first East Asian to be crowned the “Next Drag Superstar” in the globally acclaimed reality television series RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Photo courtesy of MTV via CNA
Nymphia is the drag persona of Leo Tsao (曹米駬), who goes by he/him in everyday life, but she/her when in drag.
Nymphia would be performing as part of the pavilion’s “Taiwan and France” theme at the Cultural Olympiad, an artistic celebration of the Summer Olympics in Paris, the Ministry of Culture said.
The other themes are “Voice of Freedom,” “Island Elegance” and “Cultural Exchanges Between.”
In a recent interview, Nymphia said that her performance would incorporate scenes from Taiwan with Paris-inspired “follies.”
The show is to feature an all-Taiwanese cast and another drag queen.
Nymphia and her drag family, the “House of Wind,” had already been invited to perform at the Cultural Olympiad before she appeared on international television.
She said it was an opportunity she could not refuse.
However, she said she found it challenging to properly portray Taiwan in a performance lasting only 30 minutes.
Much of the creative process involved waiting for inspiration on how to present the show, she said.
Nymphia said it was “significant” to showcase Taiwan, whether on RuPaul’s Drag Race or the Cultural Olympiad, because it is a small nation that does not receive much attention in international politics.
It is sometimes hard to establish a national position for Taiwan, because discussion “always focuses on whether we are Taiwanese or Chinese,” she said.
On top of that, Taiwan consists of multiple ethnic groups, while lacking a strong national identity, she said.
Nymphia said she is “very honored to be able to introduce Taiwan as a drag queen,” because members of the LGBTQ+ community often face societal pressure, confusion regarding their identity and have an urge to express their true selves — all aspects that are similar to Taiwan’s international experience.
Regarding gender issues in Taiwan, diverse opinions are being heard and society is becoming more inclusive, she said.
It would be the first time Taiwan has participated in the Cultural Olympiad under the “Taiwan Pavilion” banner, the ministry said, adding that 22 teams and more than 120 people would make presentations.
The pavilion at Parc de la Villette in Paris is to host three to five performances every day from July 27 to Aug. 10 to showcase Taiwanese arts and culture, the ministry said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS