A Pas-de-deux of Dance and Politics: Traversing Dance Formations through the Institutionalization of the National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF) in Taiwan

Abstract

This panel is an outreach of the project to create a database via the chronicle of funded dance events, commissioned by the NCAF in Taiwan. The NCAF has been established since 1996, but the project dates from 1980, involving “The First Literary and Art Festival” held by the Ministry of Education, “Tradition and Re-creation: Art Festival” (1982-92) and “National Festival of Culture and Arts” (1993-1994) as well as the initial stage (1994-96) of the “Community Empowerment Project” organized by the Council for Cultural Affairs (1981-2002). After its establishment, the NCAF’s sponsorships apparently have been focused on art-dance, demonstrated by the dance chronology. In particular, modern dance has been championed amidst the different dance genres.

In fact, performances or awards under the auspices of governmental agency are often politically oriented, even in the name of art. Although grants are appropriated via the consensus of peer reviews, one of the agency’s long-standing purposes is nothing more than nation-building. As such, the NCAF is working to magnify the economic value of aesthetic creativity, raise self-awareness of the community, and promote cultural identity. Needless to say, all people should accordingly have “become more culturally refined.” When considering the overview of the various enlisted dance companies, performance events, and theatre premieres, the dance world appears to be influenced by its concurrent political climate or political correctness. Thus, after tracing back the 30-year development of dance in Taiwan, this panel has discovered that the pas-de-deux of dance and politics has acted in concert, or perhaps it is difficult to separate them from each other.

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This panel will present a forum of the following topics:

1. “Listening to the South: A Retrospection of Dance in South Taiwan (1990 – 2018)” (Hsu, wei-ying, Assistant Professor at National Chin-Yi University of Technology): 

This paper outlines a retrospection of dance development in Southern Taiwan after the lifting of martial law. The so-called “South” not merely refers to a geographical location other than metropolitan Taipei, but it also metaphorically signifies a specific history and aesthetic interests due to geopolitics. Thus, this study aims to clarify the overall dance scenes both in the ancient capital of culture – Tainan and the modern industrial city – Kaohsiung, from 1990 to 2018, with the two cities sitting on the southwestern coast of Taiwan. In particular, the research will delineate how the southern dance troupes have survived with limited resources? 

2. “A Preliminary Investigation on the Interdisciplinary Practice of Dance in Taiwan 1984-2018” (Yu-Ling Chao, Professor, National Taiwan University of Arts)

This paper focuses on interdisciplinary practices of dance in Taiwan, and investigates their creation, performance and interpretations. By applying a method of holistic analysis, the research argues that Taiwanese dance, between 1984-2019, has been increasingly active, diverse and international, due to government funding and support mechanisms. Many dance companies (from Han Chinese to Taiwanese indigenous peoples) not only introduced foreign dance art, but also transformed local materials. In the meantime, by combining new theatrical and technological elements, they have created interdisciplinary dance works with distinct Taiwanese characteristics, and have propagated Taiwan dance in the Chinese mainland and the international markets.

3. “Conveying Dance by Words: A Diachronic Review of Dance Criticism in Taiwan (2011-2019)” (Yuh-jen Lu, retired Professor, National Dong Hwa University)

Given that today’s dance criticism often becomes tomorrow’s dance history, this paper analyzes the dance reviews published by NCAF’s site “@Pareviews” (2011- ) from the perspective of the audience. The study looks into what the historical phases of long term dance writings are? In addition, how does the reciprocal connections of dance practice and criticism involve the social context of sense-making, the literal transformation of lived experience, and even the political atmosphere of the times? Ultimately, the investigation shows that the shaping of the dance world in Taiwan, more or less, has evolved along with the institutionalization of the NCAF.

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Four Key Words: Institutionalization, Nation-building, Agency, Dance Chronology