Drumming master Huang Chih-chun (黃誌群) on May 15 was invited by the E-Talk "Tea Philo (哲學茶席)" to talk about his inspirations and ideas for drumming, martial arts and dance performances, under the theme "The Heart of U-Theatre: Chih-Chun Huang on Art and Creativity (優人之心—黃誌群的創作觀)," in his role as a choreographer, performer and music director.
Born in Malaysia, Huang is the artistic director of renowned Taiwanese drum group U-Theatre. Having been a drumming and martial arts practitioner for over 30 years, Huang is known for his mastery in synthesizing these two disciplines into a new form of performing art. In 2014, he led the group to perform "Meeting with Bodhisattva (金剛心)" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the performance was well-received.
Huang believes that a performing artist should not only pursue the techniques of theatre exercises but also focus on inner selves. Therefore, it is important for an artist to master three aspects - the mind, emotions and body, he added.
In his talk, Huang shared that art cannot be separated from philosophy, religion and life. The eight forms of contemporary art, namely, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature, dance, drama and films, all originated from "wu (spirit intermediary)," one of the earliest primitive art embodied in religious rituals.
Organized by the culture section of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia and INXO Arts and Culture Foundation, Tea Philo is a series of sharing sessions revolving the discussion of subjects of philosophy and humanities. The monthly program was initiated in April 2017 with the intends of sharing cultural and social value through salon talks with tea. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 around the world, the latest installments were held online.
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