Fringe review: Formosa Viva
A young Taiwanese company transforms centuries of struggle and resilience into expressive movement. ★★★★
The complete history of any country is perhaps a daunting topic for a piece of dance, but it’s proved a fruitful one for the members of The Graduate Institute Of Performing Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. Taiwan’s story is one of colonialism (Formosa was the Portuguese name for the island) and its indigenous peoples have variously lived under the rule of Spain, Portugal, the Kingdom of Tungning, the Qing dynasty, Japan and now China.
Yet you really don’t need a history lesson to enjoy this show. A screen behind the company of six talented young dancers gives the occasional prompt, but their storytelling skills beautifully describe and bring their story to life.
Do not picture them treading lightly through their history, as for every delicate arm movement and graceful finger placement there is a corresponding stomp from a fiercely flexed foot. And beneath it all, struggle endures and an unbreakable spirit rises.
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It’s perhaps less successful towards the end as concepts become harder to display and the soundtrack becomes more westernised and slightly more generic. Nonetheless, this is a delightful and unexpectedly charming piece from a talented young company sharing an unfamiliar story.
Formosa Viva is playing at The Garage International at Adelaide Town Hall from February 23 – March 1
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