Jump to the content zone at the center

Taipei- Busan Youth Folk Arts Culture Exchange

“I believe students’ jump rope skills have reached new grounds in the realms of arts!” commented Ms. Kim of Busan, South Korea after having enjoyed a performance by the Taipei Youth Folk Sports Group at Busan’s Performing Arts Center on August 4th.

The 2009 Taipei Youth Folk Sports Group arrived in Busan after a successful performance earlier in Seoul, South Korea on the 2nd. . This year, assistant commissioner Tzong-huu Kang of Taipei City’s Department of Education led the group to South Korea. Taipei City Councilman Mao-nan Zhang took the role of the advisor. With the help and cooperation of director Tien-hong Ruo of Taipei Representative Office in Busan, South Korea as well as many others, the performance took place as planned at 7PM on August 4th at the Busan Arts Performing Center. The performance was well-received by the residents of Busan as well as the local Chinese community. During their performances in Korea, cheering and words of encouragements could be heard throughout the Performing Center. Banners such as the one that wrote: “Go Go Go Chinese Taipei, Busan supports you!” gave our performers a boost in morale and is the moving force behind Taipei City’s persistence in hosting such cultural exchange year after year. The performance started with a few words from the director of Taipei Representative Office in Republic of Korea-Busan Mr. Ruo Tian-hong. He said: “It has been 21 years since the Taipei Youth Folk Sports Group was first assembled. They have performed at all 5 continents, despite members being composed of students; they still manage to pull off a great show.” Following Director Ruo, group leader (Assistant Commissioner) Kang, Tzong-huu of Taipei City Department of Education gave a few words as well. He pointed out that Hongdao Junior High’s jump rope performance; Shiyuan Elementary’s jianzi show and Wushin Elementary’s Chinese yoyo performances are some of the highlights this year. Not only are the student performers equipped with 2-3 years of experience in folk arts performances, they were also intentionally arranged to dwell together for one month before the performance to facilitate the execution of intensive rehearsals. This is one of the reasons why the performance was so well coordinated. The contact person of Busan Representative Office Mr. Liu stated: “Ever since Busan Daily Paper announced the group’s visit, the office had received numerous calls in regards to the show. This is the appeal of folk arts!”

This year’s show not only included folk arts like: Dancing with Jianzi, Flying Chinese Yoyo, and Jump Rope performance, but also other Taiwanese festival-themed dances such as the Northwestern Rain, Longing for Chungyuan. Etc. In congruence with conserving to save the Earth notion, this year’s performance also incorporated the “Baby Frog” Dance. The climax of the show was the “Dynamic 2009 performance, where the students danced to the beats of Taiwanese aboriginal songs on stage while dressed in traditional apparels. This performance drew positive reviews from the audience. Ms. Kim of Busan said: “ I have never seen anything like this, it’s incredible! How did they do it?” This was possible thanks to many months of hard work and practices. The student of Hongdao Junior High attributed the success to the guidance of their coach Mr. Yang.

After the show, Busan Representative Office threw a Tea Party, giving the overseas compatriots an opportunity to interact with the performers up close. Assistant Commissioner Tzong-huu Kang of the Department of Education awarded the Bussan Office officials a flag of commemoration, a gilded carving with 4 Chinese characters engraved in it: Jia Hue Lian Duo, which in Chinese means our gratitude for a prolific result and 2009 Taipei City Youth Folk Arts Athletic Group T-shirts. Taking this opportunity to promulgate Taipei City, assistant commissioner Kang also invited overseas compatriots to attend the 2009 Deaflympics games and the 2010 Taipei Horticulture Exhibition.

The 2009 Taipei City Youth Folk Arts Athletic Group will head to Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan to perform on August 5th, 2009 in hope of sharing Taiwan’s folk arts with the world.