TNUA’s Focus Dance Company staged performances at the Battery Dance Festival running in New York City in from August 11 to 17.

The Focus Dance Company staged the US premiere of “Self Portrait,” a work choreographed by Tsai Hsi Hung, on August 11, and then presented it again on August 13.

Eight dancers – Tzu-Yu Chou, Sheng-Ting Gao, Ya-Hsin Hsu, Tz-Shiun Jian, Jia-Cheng Li, Pin-Yu Ou, Jui-Chi Wu and Chen-Jung Yeh – were featured in the dance, which marked the first ever participation of any Taiwanese dancers at the city’s longest-running free public dance festival.

On August 12, Cheng-Jung Yeh presented “Rugged Road” that he choreographed at the festival’s Young Voices in Dance.

Prof. Wu Yi-San, chairperson of the Department of Dance, was artistic director for the Focus Dance Company’s performances at the festival. She noted that the dancers had to overcome jet lags and challenges from such an open-air stage, but she was pleased with their professional performances.

The Focus Dance Company also held a workshop on August 14, with its members leading participants to explore the possibilities of the body through a combination of Tai Chi, ballet and contemporary dance.

This year’s Battery Dance Festival featured 30 dance companies from eight countries, including, Taiwan, the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and India.