Including the voices of dance professionals, scholars and critics, this collection of articles highlights the emerging trends and challenges faced by dance in Taiwan. It examines the history, creative development, education, training, and above all, the hybrid practices that give Taiwanese dance a unique identity, making it central to the renaissance of Asian contemporary dance. In describing how the intersections of dance cultures are marked by exchanges, research and pedagogy, it shows the way choreographers, performers, associated artists and companies of the region choose to imaginatively invent, blend, fuse, select and morph the multiple influences, revitalising and preserving cultural heritage while oscillating between tradition and change.
Wang Yunyu is Professor of Dance at Taipei National University of the Arts, and President of the World Dance Alliance Asia–Pacific.
Stephanie Burridge lectures at Singapore Management University, LaSalle College of the Arts, and is a dance critic, author and editor.