YUAN YUAN DANCING GROUP
Taiwan’s traces of human occupation are ancient. Dated to carbon fourteen, human remains of thirty thousand years old have been found there. Around four thousand BC, the ancestors of today’s Austronesian people arrive in Taiwan from southeast China. Austronesian cultures will develop without major external interference until the arrival of the Europeans.
In 1542, a Portuguese expedition en route to Japan spotted for the first time this large confetti thrown into the Pacific, one hundred and eighty kilometers from the Chinese coast. Facing the lush cliffs that pierced the azure, the sailors could only exclaim: "Ilha formosa!" "the beautiful island. A legend that explains the origin of the name given to this land: Formosa.
The island of Taiwan, with its steep mountains and tropical vegetation, has a history of struggle and cultural revolutions. His folklore addresses universal themes. He combines theatrical influences with singing and music. Musical instruments are handled with art and fluid dances are embellished with many volubile accessories and flamboyant costumes.
The people of Taiwan are cheerful. Its calendar multiplies the festivities that are subject to dances, music and fireworks during which thousands of magic lanterns light up in their shapes and colors. The folk ensemble "Yuan Yuan Dancing Group", created in 1994, sings and dances the most original traditions of the island. This troupe offers a new facet of Taiwanese dance and a new vitality to traditional dance. His serenity probably comes from the fact that it is composed of the best dancers or musicians on the island. Beauty is expressed in infinite details: the make-up, which is an art in China, the sumptuousness of the costumes whose colours and shapes are based on the material from which they are made, that is to say pure silk, as only the Chinese know how to weave it.
To these qualities, add the variety of the show, masks, accessories, feather flights or long sleeves whose artists draw «crazy arabesques». If you add the paper umbrellas, the Chinese play it as a device to sharpen the curiosity of the viewer, rather than to hide their beauty.
Through their dances, music and songs, this troupe conveys a message of love and peace. No doubt you will be sensitive to it.
