Taiwanese dance troupe Genio Dance Group (精靈幻舞舞團) took home the first prize at the flamenco competition in Madrid, Spain on May 13.
Led by Taiwanese choreographer Hsueh Yu-hsien (薛喻鮮), the troupe won the group category of the 31st Spanish Dance and Flamenco Choreography Competition (Spanish: Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco) with the work "Eterno retorno (永恆的回歸)" which is part of "Carmen Bolero Inmortal (卡門波麗露不朽的)."
Hsueh, who began learning dance from her mother Ho Lien-hua (賀連華) when she was little, stated that she was surprised and delighted that the group won the highly competitive final competition. She also expressed her gratitude to Culture Minister Lee Yung-te, the Ministry of Culture, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain for providing support that enabled the team to travel abroad to take part in the competition during the pandemic.
In an interview with Central News Agency, Chang Yu-hsuan (張祐瑄), an official at the Cultural Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain, said the Genio Dance Group’s performances combined different cultural traditions of Taiwan and Spain, shinning on the stage of the important Spanish dance event.
Having begun in 1992, the Spanish Dance and Flamenco Choreography Competition is held annually by Producciones Maga, a company currently led by Spanish dancer Margaret Jova. This year, the competition was held from May 11 to 13. Participants were required to submit videos of their performances to the jury via YouTube or Vimeo. A total of seven groups were selected for the finals and invited to compete on May 13.
Genio Dance Group was established in 2000 by senior choreographer Ho Lian-hua, who has been dedicated to promoting flamenco dance in Taiwan.
(Photo Credit: Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain, Genio Dance Group)