Local Reviews

LOCAL REVIEWS

2023

"The piece of dance work “bulabulay mun?” presented not only the scars or controversy caused by this historical event and the concept development or re-interpretation through the language of dance, but also how the Tjimur Dance Theatre faced the tight relationship between the differences in ethnic consciousness and the contemporary subject consciousness. The complexity derived from this expanded the vitality of dance, self-criticism, and aspects that could be / could not be approached even further."
-The reason for the nomination for the 3rd season of the 21st Taishin Arts Award, Ya-Li Huang

"...the dancers’ performances, choreography, use of objects, spatial arrangement, and choice of music were all outstanding. Especially, the dancers’ bodies moving with the rhythms of the ancient ballads from the Mudan Township, in a precise and satisfying way, with the scent of mountain wind and ocean waves. It was very impressive."
--The reason for the nomination for the 3rd season of the 21st Taishin Arts Award, Meng-Hsuan Wu

2022

"Another feature of this piece is how the choreographer integrated the objects in a precise way. Many movement elements were developed around one stick. While dancing, the dancers climbed or grabbed the stick, reflecting the instability of their bodies and the cohesion they created together."
-The reason for the nomination for the 2023 “PLUMA Art Award” (second season), Hong-Wen Lu

2021

“The essence of the the 30-minute short online video is like an indigenous style feast which mix Taiwan and mortise foreign cultures. It reflects the coexistence of contemporary scenario in different places. Just like the audience experience the joy of festivals and the sadness of grounding.”

- Jia-Ning Chen/ Performing Arts Review

“Ai~ sa sa” of Tjimur Dance Theatre does not show off skills or pretend to be weak, nor kitsch nor evasive of the world. It splendidly defines the path of the body and the contemporary.”

- Jun-Yan Wang/ Performing Arts Review

2020

“The dancers entered the scene while singing. The tracks of their body movements were influenced by the rhythms of their breathing while singing. Their voices were the music. The individual and group body developments of the performers follow the sound line with sounds such as chirping and ballad singing. The dancers’ bodies move with these breathes, inviting the audience to join them through contact improvisation, starting from a single touch to touching their heads, feet, and torsos and hugging, to inter-winning sing their body weights, to full-body limb contact. The audience listened to the rhythms of the sound waves of the dancers’ singing through crouching down and climbing up, lifting their own torsos, swaying in the rhythms, holding hands while moving, and holding their arms high. In the interactions between the ancient ballads and the surroundings, they seemed to be re-recognizing each other and the world through dancing in pairs in a way of contact improvisation.”

- IWen Chang/ Performing Arts Review

“Besides being a watchable, danceable, followable, and participatable piece, “Go Paiwan!” is also a response to the audience-performer relationship through the process of enjoying a dance performance and a body space for contemporary indigenous creation.”

- ChihHsiang Yang/ Performing Arts Review

“All the melodies used in “Go Paiwan!” are ancient Paiwan melodies. However, they were not selected based on any text. WenChung wanted to fill the dance with “the flow of sound waves”, thus he created the dance with just the bodies and the sounds. Perhaps this is what he meant by “de- symbolization”.”

- HuiLing Chi/ Performing Arts Review

2019

2018

“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

“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

2017

“In the tipsy state while stepping left and right, the dancers led the audience to peek at the haze of worry locked deep inside. However, this work did not reveal any specific plot or secret buried deep inside. Instead, it created a twilight zone between reality and fantasy.”

- Vivian HSU / Performing Arts Review

“More spine and shoulder blade movements were used to create horizontal gurgling motions, extending to the shoulders, arms, wrists, and palms. Through vibrations, drawing circles, and motions, the theme of handicrafts woven using shell ginger was cleverly caught. In the ancient chanting and silent ravings, there was a layer hidden below of strong emotions being taken out.”

- Yu Cheng WANG / Performing Arts Review

“The traditional style can still be seen in the choreography, with movements such as hands holding together, stable and low steps, transition from individuals to groups, and split of groups into individuals. In fact, the four people holding hands represents a complete cycle, showing that they are interwoven and willing to open their hearts to each other.”

- Yu Xuan XIE / Performing Arts Review

2016

“Though they went to study dance in universities in cities for a period of time, their simple and implicit qualities remain uncontaminated. Their steady and strong movement leads us back to a solid state of life from this adrift and scattered world, connects us with the earth in both physical and spiritual perspectives. ‘As Four Step’ takes audiences through a tunnel to a place which is supposed to be raw and lively but is now mottled and pale.”

-ArtMap / Xu,Wei-Ying

“‘As Four Step’, based on Paiwanese dance steps and demonstrated with concise theatre design, depicts choreographer’s mental state. 4 dancers reconstruct a couple of physical symbols, which leads out choreographer’s body languages of life experience. As Four Step, with simplicity and purity, expresses choreographer’s state of mind and has been one of fine productions over the last few years.”

-Art Critics of Ministry of Culture

“By creating new languages of modern dance, the audience can still intensely sense the nurture of mother culture. Minimalism in theatre design bringing up contemporary interpretation, boldness and impact represented by dancers, and the images in vogue form Tjimur’s unique aesthetics successfully.”

- Art Critics of Ministry of Culture

“Purified body movements which combine with rhythm and group-form transition go smoothly and unhindered. The performance imprints tradition on the audience implicitly and represents its unique characteristics. What a well-structured performance, full of energy, performed by professional dancers! .”

- Art Critics of Ministry of Culture

2015

“Steady breath with consistent rhythm, movements as kaleidoscope’s myriads of changes, rich visual effects without dazzle --- all elements form the pure, clear but vivid imagery based on the simplicity of theatre design. As Four Step is earnest and has a rich cultural heritage. It can intrigue the audience’s common sensation in the contemporary society, lingering deeply and profoundly.”

- Artplus HK, Art Map / Luo, Feng

“Originating from the concept of Paiwanese dance steps, As Four Step, the production of Tjimur Dance Theatre, simply communicates with audience through body movement. As Four Step is the homonym of Paiwanese traditional dance, which can only be seen in Paiwan’s important festival. Deconstructing and recomposing dance steps by choreographer Baru Madiljin and dancers, combining western dance training and Paiwanese movement with contemporary theatre’s light and space design. The work transforms tradition into modern dance for Paiwanese youths of the present age.”

- Performing Arts Review / Wu, Meng-Xuan

“As Four Step, choreographed by Baru Madiljin, is homonym of Paiwan’s dance. The dance steps (step left forward beside left, step right forward beside right, step left back beside left, step right back beside right) are commonly seen in Paiwanese festival, transforming into modern form with shifting physical movements. And most incredibly, the harmonic breath and rhythm among 4 dancers, originating from lives of vitality and strength, is not only the coordination of tempo, rhythm, movement, and emotion. For an exactly speaking, three men and one woman in one spirit express their feelings in modern dance regarding the scene, the sense, and the observation of tribal lives.”

- Taishin Arts Award Nominator / Chang, Xiao-Hong

2014

The heritage of indigenous music and dance is excavated from the deep, purified, distilled, and then kneaded into a related theme that is full of struggle – thus we arrive at Qai~i—The Sigh of Memory, arguably the most exciting work of indigenous theatre in recent years. The magnitude of sound and fury in this dance work is disproportionate to its modest scale. The physical and aural expressions of the dancers are both pristine and intense, dissolving the discrepancy between the over-sophistication of professional theater performers and the self-consciousness of amateur indigenous performers. At last, we can rest assured that traditional indigenous music and dance will flourish on the professional stage, and give our applause.

- Reason for Nomination, the 13th Taishin Arts Award / Fang-chi Zhou

2013

It enjoyable and refreshing to see Tjimur’s new interpretation of traditional Paiwan dance in Umaq. The choreographer has simulated the essence of traditional Paiwan dance in modern form. The simulation of Umaq becomes a mirror for the audience to project their own imagination of traditional Paiwan culture. It provides clues for audience to bring alive their imagination and memories of Paiwan culture.

- Performing Arts Review / Yu-shih Lin