| "The National Dance Association of ROC"
was founded in November, 1952, by local musicians, dancers, |
| and other artists to promote the development of the island's
traditional folk dance. The "Promotion of |
| Traditional Folk Dance Committee" was assembled by the
Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defense, and |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs, and headed by General Ho Chi-Hao.
Local professional dancers, musicians, artists, |
| photographers, and other experts from related fields were then
invited to push for the advancement of the cause. |
| On May 5th 1964, the Assembly passed the resolution to change
the name to "Traditional Folk Dance |
| Association of ROC." On May 5th 1972, for further expansion
of dance in the nation, the members of the |
| Assembly reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and
officially changed the title to "The National Dance |
| Association of ROC." Currently, "The National Dance
Association of ROC" is presided by famous dancer, |
| President Lai Shiow-Fun. |
| |
| From its founding years to present time, the
Association has been promoting and expanding the national folk |
| dance movement and skilled dance art. The Association frequently
hosts events such as "Dance Appreciation |
| Meeting," "Creative Dance Camp," "New Artworks
Presentation," "Dance Topics Presentation," "Dance |
| Discussion," "Domestic/Overseas Dance Activities
Information Exhibition" and more. These events invite the |
| participation of local and international experts, scholars,
and dancers. The Association has also collaborated with |
| related government sects for events such as "All-Taiwan
Community Traditional Folk Dance Competition," |
| "Creative Dance Competition," "Teaching Dance
Orientation," "Dance Activity Performance" as well as others. |
| Throughout the years, the Association has sponsored and co-sponsored
numerous dance related activities. The |
| goal of the Association remains strong, to make dance education
and activities commonplace and to elevate the |
| artistic values of the community. The "National Dance
Association of ROC" hopes to, furthermore, encourage |
| creative performances by local dancers and move toward the
international stage. |
| |
| For 2003, President Lai Shiow-Fun plans to
hold the events "Youth Dance Series Activities," "Dance in
Chung |
| Shan Hall" celebration for Dance Day, and "2003
International Dance Camp." "Youth Dance Series Activities" |
| focuses on street dance, aerobics, cardiovascular activities,
and casual exercise. "Dance in Chung Shan Hall" |
| celebrates Dance Day Festival 2003 with elegant dance performances
scheduled for May 2nd and a general |
| community dance event at Chung Shan Halls scheduled for May
3rd to bring great dance talents together. "2003 |
| International Dance Camp" is scheduled for July 24th
through the 30th and will feature the teaching of two |
| guest professors from the U.S. who will share their knowledge
of modern dance technique, creative movement, |
| choreography, and ballet technique; Nicole Bradley Browning
is from the University of Montana and Elizabeth |
| Gillapsy is from Texas Christian University. The Association
maintains its mission to hold annual dance |
| workshops and to invite experts from overseas to continue the
growth of our art and dance. The Association has |
| held several dance-related events that range from workshops
such as "Dance Studies," "Aborigine Dance, " |
| "Taiwan Folk Dance Roots," "Cross Strait Dance
Exchange," "Dance Drama Choreography," "Dance Music
|
| Production." "Dance Stage Lighting Design,"
"Dance Makeup," "Dance Planning and Marketing"- to |
| publications such as "Taiwan Folk Dance Music Collection,"
"Folk Dance Material," "Dance Essays," "Dance |
| Dictionary," Taiwan Area "Dance Work" Bibliography-
to multimedia recordings on cassettes, CDs, and video |
| tapes that cover the collection of basic Chinese Dance classes
as well as fifty years of Taiwan's dance history. |
| It is our hope that these efforts will evolve to represent
a valuable chapter in Taiwan's history of dance. |