Taiwanese performing troupes paraded on the streets of France along with more than 1,000 performing groups from countries all over the world, marking the start of the annual Festival d'Avignon, one of the most important contemporary performing arts events in the world.
With support from the Ministry of Culture and the Taiwan Cultural Paris Center in Paris, Tai Gu Tales Dance Theater (太古踏舞團), Hung Dance (翃舞製作), and 0471 Acro Physical Theatre (0471特技肢體劇場) were selected to participate in this year's festival from July 7 through 30 in Avignon, France. At the opening parade, performers of the Tai Gu Tales Dance Theater were dressed in close-fitting cotton costumes, each with a light on their head. The mystique of their performance "The Back of Beyond (無盡胎藏)" attracted the public's attention, and it was described as "ethereal" and "painting-like."
"See You (再見)" by Hung Dance stood out with their passionate performance and elements of street dance. "DUO (彼此彼此)" by 0471 Acro Physical Theatre received compliments from passers-by on how the show was fabulous and poetic at the same time.
The director of the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris, Hu Ching-fang (胡晴舫), said that Taiwan has already established a brand and "has a high degree of brand recognition" in terms of television, visual arts, and performances in Europe, especially in France. The TCC in Paris first began to select and organize Taiwanese delegations to the OFF Festival d'Avignon in 2007 and has never missed a year of the festival.
OFF Festival d'Avignon, the oldest extant festival in France, is a month-long event dedicated to all elements of performing arts, including parades, theaters, concerts, story-telling, and circus routines.