The streets become a stage: Taichung Tap Dance Festival kicks off with street dancing

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team, compiled and reported
 
The first-ever Tap Dance Festival kicked off in Taichung with great enthusiasm. This event was jointly organized by the Taichung City Government, Nagoya’s Shinchuo Matsuri, and the organizers of Hokkaido’s YOSAKOI Soran Festival. The festival invited top Japanese YOSAKOI teams as well as outstanding students and clubs from Taiwan’s major dance and performing arts departments to join in the fun, transforming Taichung’s streets into a grand stage through vibrant dance performances rich in local cultural character, delivering an exciting and lively visual feast for audiences.

Japan’s street dance event YOSAKOI originated from the Yosakoi Naruko Dancing Festival held in Kochi Prefecture during the Obon Festival, and later spread across Japan as a common type of festival. YOSAKOI features traditional wooden clappers (naruko) and local folk songs as indispensable cultural symbols, while its costumes, music, and dances also retain distinct regional characteristics.

The origins of street dance events are hard to trace to an exact time period. These events emerged because, during festivals, people express their joy in the most direct and genuine ways—whether through singing or dancing. In this era of rapid technological advancement, as traditional culture is gradually forgotten, a group of Japanese university students sought to redefine traditional culture as something cool, creating what has now become one of the most iconic street dance events, attracting more and more groups to participate.

Through street dance activities, the city government promotes local Taichung brands via the market. In addition to tap dance, there’s the “Creative Market” representing youth entrepreneurship, and Taichung’s famous “Hey Ya Super Delicious Food Market,” featuring carefully selected eats. A series of four days of distinctive markets and performances promises to be spectacular.
 
[Info]
Taichung International Tap Dance Festival
Event Dates: September 15–18, 2016 (Year 105 in Taiwan’s calendar).
Venue: Main Stage & Creative Market (Taichung City Hall Plaza)
Street Dance Performances: Xiaolvdi Park (Municipal North 5th Rd. & Municipal North 3rd Rd.) & surrounding roads of the National Taichung Theater

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