Christine Cheng, an accomplished performer and upholder of Taiwanese dance heritage
As we approach the "Asian Heritage Month", I’d like to introduce to you Christine Cheng. All the way from Taiwan, Christine has been profoundly attached and engaged in strengthening the cultural exchanges between her native country and the United States.
As a dancer, she performed all over, but one tour is still very special to Christine, as it was instrumental in her career and life changing : she toured the USA with the Da-Guan Dance Theatre school from Taiwan, back in 2017. It’s none the less than the Department of Dance from the National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA), one of the top art schools in Taiwan. Established in 1970, the Department has been invited to various important international events such as the Hungarian Dance Festival, Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition, British Oriental Dance Festival, Poland International Folk Dance Competition and South Africa International Folk Dance Competition. In 2002, NTUA was invited as the first in Asia to perform at the Kennedy Center in New York, United States.
Christine and the Da-Guan Dance Theatre school performed in 14 cities in the U.S., and showcased Taiwan’s rich culture through ages in the show titled "The Splendor Of Taiwan".
This performance, where Christine Cheng played the leading role as the "Taiwanese Brother" showcased Taiwan's rich culture and heritage, incorporating traditional folklore dance performances, glove puppetry and indigenous choreography of Taiwanese tribes.
We brought the audience to travel with us to see various traditional cultures of Taiwan. Each different story we used different types of Asian folk dance to express.
From traditional Chinese folklore dancing to indigenous Austronesian choreography, « the Splendor of Taiwan » consists of nine parts, with each section reflecting the strong Taiwanese ethos, and runs about 90 minutes.
The performances ranged from depicting man's relationship with nature to a contemporary take on ying and yang philosophy. The show was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Culture of Taiwan and many other official associations.
Every 2 days we had to get on the airplane. Sometimes we met the government officials and visited the local communities.
This experience was her first stay in the United States. It’s one of the reasons Christine Cheng decided to come back to New York and study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy : to extend her American experience, learn, and share her culture through arts and performances.
Now an established artist, Christine Cheng pursues her career and her quest of artistic, cultural, language and creativity exchanges.
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