An untamed and wildly expressive street dance program is returning for the third consecutive time to Vancouver TAIWANfest. Queer Taiwanese-born media artist Nancy Lee is the curator of TECTONIC, which will feature a Rookie Open Styles Dance Battle and performances by local Vancouver dance teams from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday (September 5) and Sunday (September 6). This free dance extravaganza will take place on the Pancouver Stage at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (north of the Vancouver Art Gallery).
“I’m still working with the same curatorial partners: Cadena and the Barangay Project,” Lee (they/them) tells Pancouver over Zoom. “One is more Latinx music–focused and more electronic music–focused. And one is more street dance–focused.”
Lee is the artistic director and co-founder of Chapel Sound Art Foundation. They emphasize that the TECTONIC street dance program, which will take place on Saturday, is tied to DJ culture.
“Every year, we’ve been iterating,” Lee says. “I think that’s the beauty of long-term partnerships with curators. We can discuss and iterate every year.”
Lee first appeared on Vancouver TAIWANfest’s downtown stage in 2023 with Taiwanese Indigenous DJ Dungi Sapor of the Amis tribe. The next year, Lee curated her first TECTONIC events at the festival with Cadena and the Barangay Project Society.
TECTONIC opens with LINK UP
This year, the Rookie Open Styles Dance Battle is part of the Saturday program called LINK UP. Barangay Project Society creative director Sophia Sosa will MC and DJ Ice B will provide the beats for battles between members of the Dancin’ Stars School of Performing Arts. Sevrin Sev will judge their performances.
“Inspired by this year’s festival theme exploring Scotland’s influence on Canadian communities, LINK UP reflects the traditions of gathering, connection, and shared experience,” the Vancouver TAIWANfest website states. “Through battle, performance, and participation, the program creates an inclusive environment where young people can build community, express themselves, and celebrate the power of dance to bring people together.”
On Sunday, the Cadena X Naga program will celebrate Queer culture with opening performances by drag artists Wanting Moi and Awesome Bitch.
The list of performers includes Mexican-born audiovisual artist and curator Max Ammo, a.k.a. El Ángel Exterminador, and Montreal-based audiovisual artist Elias Music, a.k.a. Jaijiu, who’s from Argentina. They are co-creators of Cadena, which is a coast-to-coast network that supports the underground Latinx electronic dance scene.
Weaving together stories of resistance and care
Other performers at Cadena X Naga are Apple Cabrera, a.k.a. IHA; Michelle La, a.k.a. Ephemeral Objects; VJs Laine Butler, Clara, and Xiumei; and DJs Mikubat and 5000 BPM. Naga is a diverse multimedia arts and music collective that blends the lines between club and listening music.
“Through this programming, we intend to open a space for artists and the audience to interpret and weave together these stories of resistance, care, and stand together in solidarity,” the Vancouver TAIWANfest website declares.
In addition to the performances, the Vancouver Linux User Group and the media art education organization INTER/MEDIATE will co-present Archipelago: Online / Offline from noon to 6 p.m. from Saturday through Monday. According to Lee, this booth will help people who want to learn how to use open-source tools and technology to create alternatives to the big platforms.
“This is all related to some of the digital-democracy conversations that Taiwan has been having in the last few years,” Lee states. “We’re bringing that more into the public sphere. It’s also kind of like a research project. We are curious to see how people are going to interact with the activities and what kinds of conversations will come out of it.”
TECTONIC is included in Vancouver TAIWANfest’s Gender Forum. This programming initiative is exploring topics of gender equity or Queer equity by artists who identify as part of the Queer community.
Lee calls for nuanced approach
Taiwan was the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019. And Lee appreciates how open Vancouver TAIWANfest organizers are about shining a spotlight on gender and Queer equity.
“I didn’t really have a choice to just become a white guy,” Lee quips. “I think I just had to be just who I am. So whatever I produce, I have to carve out space for that.
“It wasn’t, like, super intentional,” the curator adds. “But it was more out of necessity for me to participate.”
At the same time, Lee acknowledges that homophobia still exists within the Taiwanese community. This is notwithstanding the country’s remarkable record in advancing LGBTQ+ equality.
“On paper we are super progressive,” Lee acknowledges. “And in the news, we’re celebrated as being super Queer-friendly.”
But they still observe an “ongoing tension” in Taiwan, often along generational lines. And they think this should be viewed in nuanced ways.
“Someone can say they disagree with same-sex marriage, but be the loveliest person to anybody, regardless of their gender or their sexual orientation,” Lee says. “I do think people are very complex.”
Lee has had conversations with Asian elders who did not agree with Queerness. Yet they could still have a very loving and cordial conversation with them and see where they’re coming from while recognizing their own positionality as well.
“Maybe they don’t speak fluent English and they’re dependent on their kids for navigating the bureaucracy of the Canadian government or something like that,” Lee continues. “They face a lot of discrimination that I will never understand. So I do think it’s important to create space where you can have that connection and not write them off.”
Vancouver TAIWANfest will present TECTONIC, curated by Nancy Lee, on the Pancouver Stage at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (north of the Vancouver Art Gallery). This free event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday (September 5) and Sunday (September 6). Vancouver TAIWANfest runs from Saturday to Monday (September 7) in downtown Vancouver. For more information, visit the Vancouver TAIWANfest website.
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