EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- 038

Tell us a bit about your show.

Titled after a telephone area code, the story of 038 is based in a faraway town: Haulien, on Taiwan's east coast. People in this town are facing a serious emigration issue and also suffering from the impact of commercialisation through tourism. 038 asks: 'Where is home? What is home?'

Contemporary but underpinned by traditional spirit, 038 reflects the anxieties and uncertainties of coming home in search of ourselves and our roots. We extracted the core ideology of Taiwanese aboriginal people's awe of nature, and used this reference to respond to over-commercialisation in our hometown. Through this contemporary dance production, we would like to foster empathy for our land.

The director, Kuo-Shin Chuang, is a well-known academic and a practitioner whose maIn Focus has been Taiwanese traditional aboriginal dance. 038 is the consequence of his life-long field research related to the group dance and music of the Amis people's annual Harvest Festival. The ten performers of 038 followed Chuang, learning traditional aboriginal dance since before they were ten years old. After a practice of more than ten years, most of the performers have emigrated to big cities but still come back to their hometown for rehearsals every month. Chuang transformed these young performers' life experiences into this 45-minute dance performance. 038 is the company's fourth production since 2005.

Why bring it to the Fringe?

Having flown all the way from the other side of the world, we would like to share our production with an international audience and meet other artists also taking part in the fringe. We hope more people will understand our culture through our work, and we also hope we can create new collaborations with other groups performing at the Fringe.

What sets it apart from other dance shows at the festival?

The theme of 038 is the search for identity. The idea came from the performers' own stories, but this is now a world-wide issue, and we believe that it is relevant to people all over the world now. Anyone can see a reflection of themselves in the dance if they have ever had the experience of yearning for home.

Our movements are developed from traditional Taiwanese aboriginal dance, unlike Thai, Philippine, Vietnamese or other oriental dances. We have been carrying out aboriginal dance and music experiments for the last twelve years, trying to find new possibilities of traditional dance in modern times. As a result, in our work you will see a new Asian body language.

Who would you recommend comes to see your show?

People who would like to know more about aboriginal culture. People who are interested in world music, contemporary dance, physical theatre, or aboriginal culture. People who would like to explore the issue of civilisation or urbanisation. Anyone who has ever felt disenfranchised.

Are there any other performances you're hoping to catch at the festival?

We would love to look at the dramatic offering available at the festival.

Timings and ticket information for Taiwan Season: 038 are available on the edfringe website.

Photo Credit: Chen-Chou Chang

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