Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist 

The two works that Bulareyaung presented in 2016, Qaciljay and Colors, have both won the praises of the nomination committee members this year. During the discussion, both works have been strongly supported by different members as well, making the two works each other's rivals. Eventually, Qaciljay won in the last round of voting. While Colors is touching and approachable with its stunning visual presentation, Qaciljay is not only touching but also possesses a more impactful force. It challenges the concept of dance and adopts repetitive, physically demanding movements, creating the work's tension and completeness in one go by integrating the variations of line and rhythm produced by the dancers' bodies through repeated, exhausting movements and roaring chanting. The choreographic concept of the dance illustrates the union of the indigenous people and the earth, embodying both philosophical and aesthetic significance. They dance to survive, and own that sense of being alive because of dancing. Both forces collide and create the magnificence and true emotions of "the stone on the slope" (the meaning of "qaciljay"), making the work genuinely moving and breath-taking. (Commentator: KUO Chiang-Sheng )

Artwork Introduction

"Qaciljay" means stones in Paiwan language, which also refers to the landscape of indigenous villages in eastern Taiwan – the stones that sit on the slope. Qaciljay is a topic based on mountains. The dancers not only learned traditional songs and dances from the tribal community, they were also put into the environment to learn and accumulate experience through laboring. Qaciljay is the second project of Bulareyaung Dance Company. As learning traditional songs and dances is a very important part of the training in the dance company, their dancers conducted many field studies and interviewed tribespeople who have inherited great knowledge of Paiwan culture during the production period. This endeavor deepened the content of the dance piece and also set up a feasible rule and method for future creations.

Since its establishment in Taitung in 2014, Bulareyaung Dance Company has focused on local connection and cultural cultivation. As a result, in the dance company's first project La Song, half of the performers were indigenous youths from eastern Taiwan. In the beginning of Qaciljay, Bulareyaung brought the dancers back to their hometown, Buliblosan community. They went back to the mountains to learn from the tribal elders how to prepare soil for planting and how to harvest ginger in order to cultivate their bodies through laboring. It was not only an improvement of techniques but also a process of becoming a more mature person.

About the Artist

Bulareyaung Dance Company was founded in 2014 by Taiwan’s indigenous choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava (aka “Bula”) in Taiwan. During the last two decades, Bula has been invited on numerous occasions to choreograph and perform for various contemporary dance companies both at home and abroad. However, his increasing awareness of his Paiwan identity has led him onto a new path. He decided to return to his hometown and established his own dance company to work with talented indigenous youths, who not only can dance, but also have stunning voices, an important characteristic of this company that sets them apart from other modern dance companies. Through researching his own culture in greater depth with his own people, they have developed their unique bodily expressions characteristic of the indigenous culture. Bula’s aim is to showcase his works performed by the indigenous company for a wider audience on the global stage.