Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Taitung-based choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava said on Wednesday that he tapped into the path to adulthood in Amis culture in his latest work "Not Afraid of the Sun and Rain," which will be staged in April after being postponed for a year because of COVID-19.
"There were no rituals or events like harvest fasts in my life before I returned to Taitung to establish my group in 2015," said the Paiwan choreographer during a press preview of his work.
The title of the work is a translation of an Amis saying, "aka katalaw ko cidal, aka katalaw ko'orad," which is used to encourage the youth of the tribe.
Amis people aged 12-18 are called "Pakaronay" and traditionally shoulder the responsibility of daily chores with guidance from adults.
Bulareyaung said he first learned about this aspect of Amis culture during a visit to a village in 2017, and was able to relate it to his own experience of growing up and eventually running his own dance group.
Originally scheduled to be performed at the National Theater in Taipei in April 2020, the group was forced to postpone the presentation because of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to restrictions on live performances in Taiwan.
Citing the Amis people's close relationship with the sea, the choreographer said "nature helps us to be more prepared when facing challenges," and observed that one lesson he learned was "not to complain."
With the production now set to premiere in the 400-seat Cloud Gate Theater in New Taipei, instead of the 1500-seat National Theater, the production team will project images of sea and city landscapes, together with traffic scenes onto the stage in the new work, said Bulareyaung, who previewed two excerpts from the piece on Wednesday.
In addition to dancers from the Bulareyaung Dance Company, three Indigenous students from National Taitung Senior High school have been selected to dance in the new work to represent Pakaronay, the choreographer said.
The dance troupe will present the piece as part of the ongoing Taiwan International Festival of Arts, with four performances on April 23-25, the organizers said.
