calisi・The Wedding on the Hillside
2018
Choreographer｜Baru MADILJIN
2018
Choreographer｜Baru MADILJIN
“Calisi” means “a mountain slope” in Paiwan’s language, one of Taiwan’s aboriginal languages.
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Crashing into the calisi where memories have been interred
and excavating the story that once occurred, on the meandering, bumpy path leading to wedlock, trials of love one after another we have incurred. Even in today’s society, an idea seems to influence us to infinity, the idea that one should marry one’s equal, remains magnificent and beautiful. Yet, what was gone, unnoticed, Is the loving couple forced to go separately. What has been witnessed Is the great reluctance to give blessing generously. |
In the past, the Paiwan people called themselves the Kacalisians, meaning people living on a hillside, instead of the Paiwan people. Obviously, “a wedding held on the hillside” is a Paiwan wedding. The theme is very clear. The leading character in “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”, the bride, is played by Ljuzem Madiljin personally, the artistic director of Tjimur Dance Theatre, who wears a red wedding dress with her hands covering half of her face, filling the image with the mingled feelings of joy and sorrow of a daughter to be married off.
Baru Madiljin, the dance director as well as the choreographer of this piece, talked about getting married, an important event in one’s life, by comparing the marriage as a holy mountain and the married life as walking on a long, rugged, and winding path which may lead to joyous blossoms or breaking up in discord. However, according to Baru, although the path of marriage is rough, once you can walk with steady steps, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
In his opinion, a traditional Paiwan wedding can take at least one or two years as it is very complex and strict, just as creating the new piece “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”, with the challenge lying in finding ways to simplify the complex. Baru divided this piece into five sections, namely the people on the hillside, to be married, the yearning before the wedding, presenting betrothal gifts, and getting married.
In a Paiwan tribe, a wedding is usually held in the assembly room of the tribe. How is it possible to move the grandest joyous occasion of the Paiwan people to the theater? Baru cuts the dance boards into movable S-shape and L-shape plates. As the dancer dances on them, these plates look like a hillside with a winding path, with the symbolization of the bride walking on a winding mountain path while holding a sacred ceremony. “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” aims to break free from the concrete culture. It goes from the creator’s experiences with the traditional weddings to the weddings in his mind, and ends with the bride halts at a fixed point.
Who is the bride in “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”? During the time living in the tribe, Baru had been invited to countless weddings. However, the most impressive and unforgettable one for him is his sister Ljuzem’s wedding. When he opened the album of the photos from that wedding, one of the photos of the baptism shocked him. At that time, the bride had to be baptized as her fiancé was a pious Christian. Baru was terrified by this image and felt uncomfortable. His heart ached as he was reluctant to part with his sister. Thus, he included the religion vocabulary in this piece.
Being reluctant to let go is the first feeling of being moved in “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”. There are always tears in a Paiwan wedding. Baru said emotionally that the Paiwan people cry easily. This reluctance to let go leads to the bride’s yearning before the wedding. The second highlight is the scene of presenting betrothal gifts. Baru explained that because of the class system of the Paiwan people, the family status issue is a common obstacle in the wedding culture. The worse possible result is the marriage being broken up. The bride’s and the groom’s families can pick fault in all kinds of things, from wreaths of flowers for proposing marriage to types of feathers, which can be the key of whether the bride and the groom can actually get married. Arguing is very common during the process of presenting betrothal gifts. Therefore, in this piece, we can see exciting and thrilling scenes with dancers pulling or pushing each other. Finally, they are getting married, and we can see all the pulling and dragging once again, meaning that the reluctance to let go can be found everywhere.
“Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” is different from the previous works as it is the first piece by Tjimur Dance Theatre that includes images and video. That is a challenge for the Theatre. However, there is no fancy design in this piece. The idea is that the audience can directly observe the tribe with dance steps and photos, the physical and non-physical, alternating, as the clear manifestation of the wedding. For the Paiwan people, a marriage is a matter between two families. Thus, most of the dances in this piece are group dances with 6 dancers, more than the previous works. The singing of several traditional songs makes this piece more complete.
Getting married is one of the major events in one’s life. The siblings, Ljuzem and Baru Madiljin, have always wanted to create a piece on a Paiwan wedding. They came up with this idea in 2015. Finally, “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” has been completed and presented. A marriage is like a rough mountain path. Every cloud has a silver lining, just like what the brother Baru said. Ljuzem has been married. And 17 years after her own wedding, she put on a wedding dress again. The time she spends on dressing up and making up is almost twice the time of the show. The atmosphere around her is joyful, and there is sentiment in her eyes. All sorts of feelings must be welling up in her heart.
By Nai-Hua Cheng
Baru Madiljin, the dance director as well as the choreographer of this piece, talked about getting married, an important event in one’s life, by comparing the marriage as a holy mountain and the married life as walking on a long, rugged, and winding path which may lead to joyous blossoms or breaking up in discord. However, according to Baru, although the path of marriage is rough, once you can walk with steady steps, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
In his opinion, a traditional Paiwan wedding can take at least one or two years as it is very complex and strict, just as creating the new piece “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”, with the challenge lying in finding ways to simplify the complex. Baru divided this piece into five sections, namely the people on the hillside, to be married, the yearning before the wedding, presenting betrothal gifts, and getting married.
In a Paiwan tribe, a wedding is usually held in the assembly room of the tribe. How is it possible to move the grandest joyous occasion of the Paiwan people to the theater? Baru cuts the dance boards into movable S-shape and L-shape plates. As the dancer dances on them, these plates look like a hillside with a winding path, with the symbolization of the bride walking on a winding mountain path while holding a sacred ceremony. “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” aims to break free from the concrete culture. It goes from the creator’s experiences with the traditional weddings to the weddings in his mind, and ends with the bride halts at a fixed point.
Who is the bride in “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”? During the time living in the tribe, Baru had been invited to countless weddings. However, the most impressive and unforgettable one for him is his sister Ljuzem’s wedding. When he opened the album of the photos from that wedding, one of the photos of the baptism shocked him. At that time, the bride had to be baptized as her fiancé was a pious Christian. Baru was terrified by this image and felt uncomfortable. His heart ached as he was reluctant to part with his sister. Thus, he included the religion vocabulary in this piece.
Being reluctant to let go is the first feeling of being moved in “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside”. There are always tears in a Paiwan wedding. Baru said emotionally that the Paiwan people cry easily. This reluctance to let go leads to the bride’s yearning before the wedding. The second highlight is the scene of presenting betrothal gifts. Baru explained that because of the class system of the Paiwan people, the family status issue is a common obstacle in the wedding culture. The worse possible result is the marriage being broken up. The bride’s and the groom’s families can pick fault in all kinds of things, from wreaths of flowers for proposing marriage to types of feathers, which can be the key of whether the bride and the groom can actually get married. Arguing is very common during the process of presenting betrothal gifts. Therefore, in this piece, we can see exciting and thrilling scenes with dancers pulling or pushing each other. Finally, they are getting married, and we can see all the pulling and dragging once again, meaning that the reluctance to let go can be found everywhere.
“Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” is different from the previous works as it is the first piece by Tjimur Dance Theatre that includes images and video. That is a challenge for the Theatre. However, there is no fancy design in this piece. The idea is that the audience can directly observe the tribe with dance steps and photos, the physical and non-physical, alternating, as the clear manifestation of the wedding. For the Paiwan people, a marriage is a matter between two families. Thus, most of the dances in this piece are group dances with 6 dancers, more than the previous works. The singing of several traditional songs makes this piece more complete.
Getting married is one of the major events in one’s life. The siblings, Ljuzem and Baru Madiljin, have always wanted to create a piece on a Paiwan wedding. They came up with this idea in 2015. Finally, “Calisi - a Wedding on the Hillside” has been completed and presented. A marriage is like a rough mountain path. Every cloud has a silver lining, just like what the brother Baru said. Ljuzem has been married. And 17 years after her own wedding, she put on a wedding dress again. The time she spends on dressing up and making up is almost twice the time of the show. The atmosphere around her is joyful, and there is sentiment in her eyes. All sorts of feelings must be welling up in her heart.
By Nai-Hua Cheng
Events
Premiere in 2018
Reviews
“In both the music and humpbacked dancers pacing back and forth, it felt like watching the dance work of ‘TAO Dance Theater’, with the freedom of relieving from the traditions. Baru’s work is very much like Akram Khan’s. They both use traditions as a foundation. Yet, Baru’s work is more naughty and mischievous.”
- ARTalks / Ping Chiung Nan
- ARTalks / Ping Chiung Nan
“The styles of contemporary dance and traditional ceremonies are integrated in this dance work. There is a kind of contradiction between being depressed and being hopeful about the future life which can be found in the religion, marriages, human body outlines, interactions between a male and a female, the nature, and the mysterious.”
- Art Plus (publisher: ArtMap) / Pei-Yu Chen
- Art Plus (publisher: ArtMap) / Pei-Yu Chen
“The choreographer carefully layered each step, each motion, and the main theme. It is almost impossible to notice the changes and the growth. The indigenous dance steps and the post-modern techniques are perfectly mixed.”
- Taiepi Times / Diane Baker
- Taiepi Times / Diane Baker
Production Team
Artistic Director｜Ljuzem Madiljin
Choreographer｜Baru Madiljin
Performers｜Ching-Hao Yang, Ljaucu Dapurakac ,Tzu-En Meng, Jhih-Hong Wu, Yi-Hsin Hsieh
Photographer｜Jhao-Lun Huang (Pingtung), Sandy Ouyang (Taipei)
Company Manager｜Shu-Ting CHIU
International Affairs Coordinator｜I-Hsuan LI
Choreographer｜Baru Madiljin
Performers｜Ching-Hao Yang, Ljaucu Dapurakac ,Tzu-En Meng, Jhih-Hong Wu, Yi-Hsin Hsieh
Photographer｜Jhao-Lun Huang (Pingtung), Sandy Ouyang (Taipei)
Company Manager｜Shu-Ting CHIU
International Affairs Coordinator｜I-Hsuan LI