The Department of Dance was established in 1983, a year after TNUA was founded – seemingly a suggestion that “modern” dance in Taiwan came a bit late.

As the 40th anniversary approaches, the Department of Dance, looking to make up for the “lateness,” has been keen on interpreting and inheriting the years of Western art tradition and Taiwanese culture, becoming a pioneer in Taiwan’s dance education.

Over the past four decades since the 1980s, Taiwan has been liberated from martial law and transformed into a democracy, welcoming Western thinking and yet at the same time giving rise to a strong local identity. The Department of Dance has established a dance curriculum encompassing classical, modern, contemporary and post-colonial repertoires, and at the same time it has been exploring the meaning of Taiwanese performing Taiwanese dance.

The ”40 as 400” series of dance performances, lectures and forums aims to shed light on the history of the dance and cultural scenes in Taiwan.

“Classics Rekindled” is a presentation of five dances created respectively by Ross Parkes, Lin Hwai-Min, Lo Man-fei, Howard Lark, and Ku Ming-Shen, all of whom taught at TNUA for years, and helped lay the foundation of the Department of Dance.

“Contemporary Trends” features dances choreographed by three of TNUA’s outstanding graduates: Hsiao-mei Ho, Bulareyaung Pagarlava, and Cheng Tsung-lung.

“Taiwan X France: Mixed Bill” is a transcultural exchange of tertiary dance education featuring joint performances by dancers from TNUA and two renowned French schools – the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon, and the Paris Conservatory.

“The Banquet” is a transdisciplinary collaboration of dance, drama and film.

“Groove360 II x Mountain Ruins – Dance Audiovisual Art” is a collaboration between the School of Dance and Digital Art Center.TW.

Lectures and forums include:

1. Lin Hwai-min Lecture: “Professionalization, Localization, Internationalization – the Beginnings of the TNUA School of Dance”
2. Classics Rekindled Lecture I: “TNUA’s Eastern Dance Training System Seen through the Performance of Milky Way and Beyond”
3. Classics Rekindled Lecture II: “Three Aspects and Hora Zero –  Taking Root in Internationalization”
4. Classics Rekindled Lecture III: “Breaking the Surface and Isthmus – Taiwanese Modern Dance by the Post-Martial Law Generation”
5. Contemporary Trends Post-Show Talk
6. Cloud Gate 50 x TNUA 40 Dialogue: “I am an Artisan – Lin Hwai-min Discusses His Choreographic Process”