Modern Dance and Cultural Identity A Study on Contemporary Indigenous Choreographers in Taiwan
Modern Dance and Cultural Identity A Study on Contemporary Indigenous Choreographers in Taiwan Chen Yang-Wei Nanhua University Institute of Aesthetics and Arts Management Abstract Modern dance is a branch of western performance art that emphasizes the creativity of the choreographer, and as such is a supreme example of individualism. Taiwan's indigenous peoples originally possessed a rich tradition of music-accompanied dance that was intimately tied to the society and culture of their villages. In the past hundred years, however, under the strong influence of encroachment by alien peoples, this tradition of music-accompanied dance has gradually died away, such that now it is mainly an object of performance by specialists rather than a part of everyday life for the entire tribe. During the past several decades, a new category of music-accompanied dance has emerged in Taiwan: modern dance choreographed by Taiwanese indigenous. The present study takes Taiwanese aboriginal choreographers Wei Guangqing and Puljaljuyan Pakeleva as examples of this contemporary phenomenon. Through field research and textual analysis, the author attempts to understand and explore the work of these two choreographers and how they have balanced "artistic expression" and "cultural identification" to achieve success. The present study's two major research goals are (1) to analyze the cultural identity and expression of contemporary modern dance by Taiwanese indigenous choreographers, and (2) to preserve, explain and bring to public attention the works of these choreographers. From the modern dance creations of these two choreographers, the author discovered that these choreographers not only earnestly pursued selfhood and perfection through the medium of modern dance, but also actively sought to show aboriginal images and declare their self-identification as aborigines in their creative work. Wei Guangqing attempted to integrate elements of traditional aboriginal dance into the body language of his work, while Puljaljuyan Pakeleava used "Dance Theatre" to give voice to the thoughts and feelings of Taiwanese indigenous. Today, with
Taiwanese indigenous people and culture in crisis, the successful efforts of indigenous modern dance choreographers may contribute to the self-identity of aboriginal groups, while also providing them an example to refer to as they strive for success in the future. Key words: modern dance, choreographers, the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, cultural identity
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