A National Taiwan University of Sport Dance Company production at Gateway Theatre. Presented by the Overseas Community Affairs Council of Taiwan in partnership with Metro Vancouver Overseas Taiwanese Society on May 17.
Contemporary dance evokes a sense of wonder from audiences around the world. This can occur whenever choreographic wizardry, soulful music, and imaginative lighting coalesce with dancers’ grace, athleticism, and charisma. But it’s far rarer for modern dance performers to make audience members weep with emotion.
Yet for a variety of reasons, I found myself tearing up at the end of the We Are Taiwan performance at Gateway Theatre on Sunday (May 17). During the eighth and final number, it dawned upon me that members of the National Taiwan University of Sport Dance Company were dancing for their democratic island nation.
This was more than a performance—these talented university students were on a mission. Every movement and every smile seemed aimed at winning over hearts.
The final dance began with a question-and-answer session with the audience. A dancer would quiz members of the crowd about something associated with the island nation. Someone in the seats would invariably respond with the name of a well-known symbol of Taiwan, such as rice cookers or the Taiwan 101 skyscraper in Taipei. A dancer would then respond by holding up a painting of this symbol, generating smiles around the theatre.
The performers each wore baseball jerseys with a number on the back as they filled the stage in a cleverly choreographed explosion of exuberance and pride for their country.
Individual dancers glided to the forefront with dazzling solos, demonstrating that they were free of any constraints in their democratic homeland. Their huge grins—and their overwhelming sense of joy—permeated the venue. Some even ventured into the audience, delivering high fives to those in the crowd.
For this final dance, their energetic movements were set to the Taiwanese rock band Fire-Ex’s patriotic “Confident and Brave, Our Name”. This anthem to freedom served as the campaign song for President Tsai Ing-wen in 2020.
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So, why were the dancers wearing baseball jerseys? It’s because they were on Team Taiwan. And so was the audience. In response to the dancers’ prompts, the crowd repeatedly punctuated the air with shouts of “We Are Team Taiwan” in English and Mandarin.
Coming in the wake of Donald Trump’s recent summit with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, the performance was even more poignant. Taiwan may be the underdog in its struggle to retain its unique national identity against the superpower next door. However, this island haven of democracy, kindness, and common sense can never be underestimated, considering all of its accomplishments to date.
Perhaps this final dance affected me so deeply because I’ve been reading Wall Street Journal reporter Chun Han Wong’s devastating 2023 biography of Xi. In A Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China’s Superpower Future, Wong documents how the Chinese strongman in Beijing is ruthlessly rewriting history, censoring academia, and promoting a cult of personality. That’s in addition to brutally suppressing freedom of expression all the way from Xinjiang to Tibet to Hong Kong.
As I watched the performance at the Gateway Theatre, it was heartbreaking to think that Xi’s dictatorial ambitions extend to Taiwan, where these young dancers cherish their freedom. But it wasn’t just the final dance that affected me. It was the culmination of everything that had preceded it.
The hypnotic opener, “Island at First Light”, featured the Strait of Taiwan on the big screen behind the two lead performers in white. As they raised a lantern to the sky, five other supporting dancers swayed across the Gateway stage in green. With Philip Glass’s Etude No. 6 setting the tone, it summoned an appreciation for peace across this body of water separating Taiwan from Fujian Province.
Then, the mood changed abruptly with the second dance, “Echoes of Time”, which captured fun-loving Taiwan. Sequined performers celebrated the warmth of 1950s cabaret culture with plenty of impressive moves.
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For me, the most captivating dance before the intermission was the buoyant “Sweet Rebellion”. Nine dancers displayed astonishing speed and dexterity, all to the sounds of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” and “Voulez-Vous”. That was followed by a memorable rendition of Taiwanese dining culture, “Savoring Taiwan”. It featured some of the show’s most imaginative choreography, with red-attired dancers creating a table fit for a bride’s banquet.
After the intermission, the more sombre “Rite of the Mountain” offered a reminder of Taiwan’s stunning peaks and deep-rooted spirituality. Performers reflected Indigenous culture through chanting and costumes, including red scarves, as well as through movements.
The pace picked up with the next number. “Where the Wind Turns” served as a powerful tribute to hard-working Taiwanese soldiers who respond to deadly floods and other natural disasters. It was amazing to see NTUS Dance Company members hoofing like Gene Kelly in their rubber boots. The lead female dancer even wore army fatigues in her enthralling performance.
“Where the Wind Turns” conveyed Taiwan as a tough, determined, and resilient republic fully capable of rallying to its own defence. The final message in text, “Thank You, Shovel Supermen”, said it all.
Next came a jubilant display of Hakka culture. In “Spirit of the Island”, the company also commemorated the annual Daija Mazu Pilgrimage honouring the Taoist sea goddess.
In sum, We Are Taiwan offered a multifaceted interpretation of one of Asia’s most successful nations through movement, song, theatre, and a wide variety of costumes and imagery. But even more importantly, the youthful dancers’ high-energy performances offered hope for the future of Taiwan, even in tumultuous times. Long live a free Taiwan!
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