Wanhua festival gives Taiwanese dance global stage

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) The recently concluded Want to Dance Festival in Taipei's Wanhua District helped propel Taiwanese choreographers onto the international stage, securing them invitations to perform at overseas venues and festivals and allowing them to showcase Taiwanese dance, according to the Shinehouse Theater.

Wang Po-nien (王柏年) presented his contemporary piece Mountain Ghost at the festival, which caught the attention of Bernard Baumgarten, artistic director of TROIS C-L, a leading contemporary dance organization in Luxembourg, and Miriam Engel, general and artistic director of the Jerusalem International Solo Dance Festival. Both invited Wang to perform his work at their respective institutions, the theater said in a statement.

Shih Min-wen (施旻雯), who performed "Mouth Fur" this year at the Want to Dance Festival, was invited by Benjamin Tardif, a representative for Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival, to showcase the piece at the festival in Laos.

Huang Shi-hao (黃仕豪), who performed his piece "Raven" at the Wanhua event, was invited by Dominique Martin Panichi, who is in charge of international relations at Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza, to bring the show to the prestigious Italian venue.

Keng Yi-wei (耿一偉), curation consultant for Want to Dance Festival, said that one must keep dancing in tumultuous times that the world is witnessing, noting that dance dates back to ancient times and even predates language.

"When people dance together, no matter where they're from, they are one. Dancers gathered in one place are like tiny candles of our epoch. Although they might not shine brightly enough to expel the darkness, they offer us the courage and strength to get us through the dark times," Keng said.

Want to Dance Festival, hosted by Shinehouse Theatre, took place from April 11-13 under the theme "diversity." It brought together more than 150 dance professionals from 40 local and international teams, who put on 75 shows.

Submissions for next year's Want to Dance Festival will open in November.