A group of professors and students from the TNUA School of Dance took part in the “Tari'14 - Building Bridges” international dance festival in Malaysia in November.
The group, led by Prof. Zhang Xiao-Xiong, Prof. James Yeh and Prof. Wu Wen-An and consisting of 21 undergraduate students from the Department of Dance, performed dances and conducted workshops during the one-week event.
Tari’14, which took place in Kuala Lumpur, was the ninth edition of the dance festival organized by Malaysia’s National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA).
This year’s theme, “Building Bridges,” was a response to the developments of contemporary dance. The festival, which featured different forms of dance, sought to promote international exchange, break cultural barriers and transcend national boundaries.
Tari’14 featured dancers and school representatives from the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia.
Apart from showcasing Malaysia’s achievements in exchange in dance with other countries, the event also arranged several major performances, 32 master workshops and a number of round-table discussions and academic paper presentations.
The TNUA dancers performed two dances on November 13 and 15 respectively, presenting Prof. Zhang Xiao-Xiong's “Epitaph – A Dance Inspired by Rachmaninoff,” and Prof. Bulareyaung Pagarlava's “Warrior.”
Prof. Zhang also conducted two master classes for dancers from different countries. The TNUA students also attended various other workshops and round-table discussions during the week.