Taipei Folk Dance Theatre Performance Highlights Conference on Asian Studies
The internationally acclaimed Taipei Folk Dance Theatre, seen here performing “Long Howl over a Gloomy Moon,” will offer a workshop Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. The University of Scranton’s 2015 “International Conference on Asian Studies: Taiwan and China in the Global Context.” The workshop will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The internationally acclaimed Taipei Folk Dance Theatre will perform as part of The University of Scranton’s “International Conference on Asian Studies: Taiwan and China in the Global Context.” The performance is slated for Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts at Marywood University. Doors open at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. A limited number of tickets for reserved seating are available upon request. General admission seating is also available the evening of the performance on a “first come, first served” basis.
The first professional ethnic dance company in Taiwan, the Taipei Folk Dance Theatre promotes and preserves Taiwan’s varied dance heritage, with the influence of Chinese traditional dance. Founded in 1988 by Tsai Li-hua, who is also the artistic director, the company seamlessly combines traditional Taiwanese folk dance style with current theater techniques. The Taipei Folk Dance Theatre has presented more than 700 performances in more than 40 countries.
The company has selected the following dances for its performance in Scranton: “Meditation through the Flower,” “Hakka Love Songs,” “Paiwan-Legend of the Lily,” “Images of Kung-Fu,” “Long Howl over a Gloomy Moon” and “Celebration of the Gods.”
Also as part of The University of Scranton’s inaugural Asian studies conference, the Taipei Folk Dance Theatre will present a free master class, question-and-answer session and workshop on Sunday, March 29, from 1 to 2:15 p.m. in the Rose Room of Scranton’s Brennan Hall.
The workshops and folk dance performance are appropriate for elementary, middle and high school aged children as well as adults.
The conference is co-presented by The University of Scranton’s Asian Studies Program and the Taiwan Ministry of Culture – Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York, in collaboration with Marywood University. The program is supported by special patron Samuel Yin, Ph.D., a Spotlight Taiwan Grant and a University of Scranton – Marywood University Collaborative Grant.
The University of Scranton is among just 15 organizations in the world awarded a 2014-2015 Spotlight Taiwan Grant, a project initiated by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture that brings examples of Taiwanese culture to select college campuses and their local communities throughout the world. This is the second year that the University was awarded a grant to participate in this initiative. The conference is also a collaborative program with the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton.
For ticket information on reserved-seating or general admission for the performance by the Taipei Folk Dance contact, Philip Jenkins at 570-348-6211 (extension 2972) or pjenkins@maryu.marywood.edu; or, Ann A. Pang-White at 570-941-7643 or ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
To see the full schedule of events for the Asian Studies Conference, please visit the conference website at www.nepaasianstudies2015.wordpress.com or, contact the Conference Program Committee at 570-941-7643 or asianstudies@scranton.edu; or Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., director of the Asian Studies Program, at 570-941-6312 or ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
