Dancer/choreographer Grace Hsiao (蕭靜文) was a student and disciple of Taiwan’s modern dance pioneer, the late Tsai Jui-yueh (蔡瑞月). She established her own company, the Grace Hsiao Dance Theater (蕭靜文舞蹈團), in 1985 both to perform her own works and to reconstruct and preserve those of her beloved teacher.
Their relationship was more than that of student-teacher; Tsai was the mother-in-law of Grace’s sister, Ondine Hsiao (蕭渥廷), who is a dance teacher.
One of Tsai’s traditions was to have a Christmas party for her students and their families, and the Hsiao sisters have kept this tradition alive since Tsai moved to Australia in 1983 (she died there in 2005).
Tomorrow night, the sisters are throwing open the gates of the rebuilt Japanese-style studio that was Tsai’s base in Taipei for decades, the Rose Historic Site, for a three-and-a-half hour Christmas party.
“It’s a tradition started by my teacher, Tsai Jui-yueh, 60 years ago,” Grace Hsiao said in a telephone interview on Wednesday night.
“It’s a party, not just for dance students or dance lovers, but for everyone to enjoy. All Taipei residents,” she said. “Everyone is welcome.”
The party will be hosted by DJ Marcus Aurelius (another family connection; he’s the nephew of Grace’s husband David Maurice) and Huang Yi-yun (黃亦筠).
The festivities begin with a dance performance by students of the Grace Hsiao Dance Theater, followed by jazz music by Mandy Gaines & Friends.
Two more bands will play, Beatbox and Jesus Rocks (搖滾主耶穌), and there will also be some caroling, Grace said.
“There was an 1875 Taiwanese hymn book with four Aboriginal songs and I’m going to sing one of them,” she said.
In keeping with another tradition, there will also be a short foot-washing ceremony.
“In between [the bands], a minister will wash some people’s feet. It’s a tradition from the Bible to inspire people to be kind to others ... ” Grace said.
“We also have a wishing tree. You can write a note, for peace on earth or whatever, and put it on the tree,” she said.
“Usually we have 200 to 300 people, but after our big performance this year [the 2008 Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Festival 3, which was held a few weeks ago] and because my company is still down south on tour, I’m a little late in getting the promotion out,” she said.
The studio is a great place to enjoy a performance under the stars. Chairs and bleachers are set up on the lawn, and the folding doors of the studio are pushed back so it can be used as a theater.
However, it is December, and while it’s great to be outside when its sunny during the day, the temperatures can drop rapidly in the evening, so Grace said to remember to dress warmly.
A vaccine to fight dementia? It turns out there may already be one — shots that prevent painful shingles also appear to protect aging brains. A new study found shingles vaccination cut older adults’ risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20 percent. The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, is part of growing understanding about how many factors influence brain health as we age — and what we can do about it. “It’s a very robust finding,” said lead researcher Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford University. And “women seem to benefit more,” important as they’re at higher risk of
Eric Finkelstein is a world record junkie. The American’s Guinness World Records include the largest flag mosaic made from table tennis balls, the longest table tennis serve and eating at the most Michelin-starred restaurants in 24 hours in New York. Many would probably share the opinion of Finkelstein’s sister when talking about his records: “You’re a lunatic.” But that’s not stopping him from his next big feat, and this time he is teaming up with his wife, Taiwanese native Jackie Cheng (鄭佳祺): visit and purchase a
April 7 to April 13 After spending over two years with the Republic of China (ROC) Army, A-Mei (阿美) boarded a ship in April 1947 bound for Taiwan. But instead of walking on board with his comrades, his roughly 5-tonne body was lifted using a cargo net. He wasn’t the only elephant; A-Lan (阿蘭) and A-Pei (阿沛) were also on board. The trio had been through hell since they’d been captured by the Japanese Army in Myanmar to transport supplies during World War II. The pachyderms were seized by the ROC New 1st Army’s 30th Division in January 1945, serving
Mother Nature gives and Mother Nature takes away. When it comes to scenic beauty, Hualien was dealt a winning hand. But one year ago today, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake wrecked the county’s number-one tourist attraction, Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park. Then, in the second half of last year, two typhoons inflicted further damage and disruption. Not surprisingly, for Hualien’s tourist-focused businesses, the twelve months since the earthquake have been more than dismal. Among those who experienced a precipitous drop in customer count are Sofia Chiu (邱心怡) and Monica Lin (林宸伶), co-founders of Karenko Kitchen, which they describe as a space where they