The Tjimur Dance Theatre from Taiwan is invited to bring “Varhung ~ Heart to Heart” to the Vancouver International Dance Festival this year. There will be two performances on March 29th and 30th, 2019 at the Vancouver Playhouse, and also three workshops from March 24th to March 26th. Choreographer and dance director Baru Madiljin invites audiences to experience Tjimur’s unique body movements.
“Varhung ~ Heart to Heart” made a strong impression on Vancouver International Dance Festival’s artistic director Jay Hirabayashi. Therefore, he invites Tjimur for this year’s program and hopes to introduce it to more Canadian audiences. “Tjimur Dance Theatre” is the first Taiwanese contemporary dance group focusing on the Paiwan culture in Taiwan. Since 2012, Tjimur has been performing internationally and communicating with audiences through the art of movement, reaching across languages and spaces.
In the Paiwan language, varhung means the “heart”. Yet it is also the expression of internal exchange of emotions and feelings caused by various emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, and happiness. It stresses the introverted and true affection and reflects the Paiwan people’s beautiful, elegant, and sincere emotions. The Paiwan people have no written words. Thus, they are used to expressing their internal and multi-layered emotions through dancing and singing. They can express every word and every sentence accurately with flawless artistry.
“Varhung ~ Heart to Heart” is a 60-minute piece that talks about things on people’s minds. The performers reveal their deepest secrets through singing, dancing, and talking. Dancing out feels as good as speaking out. Emotions are layered with performers being soft and powerful at the same time on stage. Baru also expects to remind his audience their own stories and emotions which have been lying deep inside them for a long time, to achieve the state of healing!
With the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China (Taiwan), this group can be presented to Canadian audiences. And with their three workshops aiming at general audiences, professional dancers, and indigenous people, we hope to make dance-lovers understand more about the uniqueness of Taiwanese contemporary indigenous dance and its latest progress.
▲ Performance Information
March 29 (Friday) and March 30 (Saturday) at 20:00 at Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver)
Tickets: http://vidf.ca/performance/timurdance/
▲ Free Workshops Information
Tjimur Dance Theatre Workshop in KW Studios (111 West Hastings Street, Vancouver)
March 24 (Sunday), 17:00-19:00 for general public (no experience necessary)
March 25 (Monday), 17:00-19:00 for Indigenous performing artists
March 26 (Tuesday), 10:00-12:00 for advanced/professional dancers
Register: http://vidf.ca/activities-2/ or by phone 604-662-4966
