生
活
日
誌
台印隨跡碰撞
Random Sparks between Taiwan and India
蒂摩爾爾古薪舞集 蒙慈恩
TJIMUR DANCE THEATRE PERFORMER - MENG TZU EN
TJIMUR DANCE THEATRE PERFORMER - MENG TZU EN
2019年的六月,是蒂摩爾古薪舞集繼去年(2018)後二次造訪印度孟買,與當地的傳統奧迪西古典舞舞團Kaishiki進行文化交流、身體工作坊及演出呈現。 從高雄小港機場出發當日(2019.06.01),帶著期待又興奮的心情,準備迎接即將到來的孟買舞蹈之旅。凌晨(2019.06.02)抵達印度孟買機場時,其實身體已經帶著些許的疲憊感,但當我們踏出機場的那一剎那,看見我們來自印度的家人Siddhi及Namaha熱情地揮舞雙手朝我們快步前來,並給我們每一個人大大的擁抱和花圈,給予我們能夠平安抵達獻上最大的祝福,頓時所有的疲憊都不再沈重了。 就在休息一天之後,我們開始了奧迪西舞蹈訓練課程的第一天(2019.06.03),時隔一年,想當然爾身體對於該舞蹈風格及運用身體的方式產生了生疏感,但Dasha Ji 從腳與手的基本姿勢開始循序漸進地帶著我們找回身體對奧迪西古典舞的記憶,並藉著最基礎的動作去調整肢體的角度及細節。
我覺得今年再次學習奧迪西舞蹈時,有別於去年的感受。記得去年我曾經跟我的夥伴們分享,我覺得它(奧迪西舞蹈)所運用的肢體協調性是不同於我們學習過的民族舞蹈,雖然它很相似但是卻不盡相同。當時我只是很努力地用自己的腦袋和身體把這樣使用身體的邏輯記下來,但並未了解其由。當我再次接觸這樣使用身體的方式時,我從中悟出了一些頭緒和規則,似乎找到身體某種的動態平衡,而那也正是Dasha Ji上課時常掛在嘴邊的,這才領悟到原來那就是精神所在。 而今年蒂摩爾古薪舞集所帶來的排灣族當代課程是去年課程的進階版,我們將部落的生活動作聞、穿、打、噗,結合排灣族傳統四步舞、節奏及水平的變化,帶來一連串新的身體刺激。在課程當中,我感受到印度的學員及舞者非常願意去學習,即使傳統古謠和肢體動作並不是做得很完美,但是從他們的眼神當中我看見他們渴望學習和了解台灣及排灣族的文化。還有令我印象深刻的是在孟買的兩場工作坊,兩個場地的條件截然不同,同時也挑戰著舞者現場的應變能力。但不管是在空氣不流通的禮堂,或是小到七個舞者就幾乎佔滿的舞蹈教室,我看見參與工作坊的所有學員都是如此地珍惜這短短的兩個小時,在彼此分享與討論中,很樂意地跟我們分享他們心中的感受,儘管只是簡短的一句話,都讓我覺得很感動。 工作坊後半段由Kaushiki和蒂摩爾帶來一個小時的演出呈現,有各自舞團的代表作品,也有共同創作發展的作品。在短短一個星期內要完成彼此的共同創作,對台灣及印度的舞者來說都是一項挑戰。但很慶幸的是,因為台印舞者們平時和睦融洽的相處,在工作的過程當中累積了一定的默契,所以在發展作品的過程當中彼此都能更快抓到節奏並進入狀況。 另外,在孟買與當地的音樂家合作的經驗也讓我覺得很特別。一方面是他們所使用的樂器組合(鼓搭配風琴)相較於台灣的團隊來說較不常見,再來是他們數拍子和運用重拍的方式跟我們所熟悉的音樂類型及曲調很不一樣。所以在合作和溝通的過程當中,除了很欣賞他們非常願意去嘗試新的詮釋方式來演繹編舞者的需求以外,對身為舞者的我而言,接觸這樣的音樂類型也讓我的肢體呈現及聽覺有了新的刺激。
2019年七月Kaishiki舞團來到台灣屏東三地門,並在蒂摩爾古薪舞集所舉辦的「蒂摩爾藝術生活節」(Tjimur Art Festival)當中舉辦奧迪西舞蹈工作坊。 印度奧迪西舞蹈對於普遍的台灣民眾來說是陌生的,但透過蒂摩爾藝術生活節舉辦的工作坊親身體驗印度的古典舞蹈,真的是非常難能可貴的機會。 蒂摩爾藝術生活節的內容非常豐富,有排灣族手作課程、身體學習課程、移動劇場及台印國際演出。在吃喝玩樂都兼顧到的同時,還能欣賞台灣與印度的國際交流呈現,實在是豐收的暑假啊。
今年是第二年與Kaishiki舞團進行舞蹈及文化的交流,第一年我們先是認識彼此的文化並從中學習,今年再次的碰撞和激盪,是兩個有著不同文化底蘊的身體該如何融合且融洽,這對雙方的編舞家及舞者來說都是新的課題。如何解構、轉換舞蹈及肢體的動作,都應該由自身的文化與脈絡為基底去了解。 對於從小接觸西方舞蹈和東方舞蹈的我而言,除了進團時學習排灣族身體律動成為我舞蹈生涯的一個極大挑戰之外,學習奧迪西舞蹈是我用另外一種新的方式和角度去認識自己身體的途徑。感謝舞團總是給予我們很多的資源,讓我們去學習、去歸零、去累積更多身體的財富,而我相信只要持續努力不懈,我就能夠創造出更不一樣的自己。
我覺得今年再次學習奧迪西舞蹈時,有別於去年的感受。記得去年我曾經跟我的夥伴們分享,我覺得它(奧迪西舞蹈)所運用的肢體協調性是不同於我們學習過的民族舞蹈,雖然它很相似但是卻不盡相同。當時我只是很努力地用自己的腦袋和身體把這樣使用身體的邏輯記下來,但並未了解其由。當我再次接觸這樣使用身體的方式時,我從中悟出了一些頭緒和規則,似乎找到身體某種的動態平衡,而那也正是Dasha Ji上課時常掛在嘴邊的,這才領悟到原來那就是精神所在。 而今年蒂摩爾古薪舞集所帶來的排灣族當代課程是去年課程的進階版,我們將部落的生活動作聞、穿、打、噗,結合排灣族傳統四步舞、節奏及水平的變化,帶來一連串新的身體刺激。在課程當中,我感受到印度的學員及舞者非常願意去學習,即使傳統古謠和肢體動作並不是做得很完美,但是從他們的眼神當中我看見他們渴望學習和了解台灣及排灣族的文化。還有令我印象深刻的是在孟買的兩場工作坊,兩個場地的條件截然不同,同時也挑戰著舞者現場的應變能力。但不管是在空氣不流通的禮堂,或是小到七個舞者就幾乎佔滿的舞蹈教室,我看見參與工作坊的所有學員都是如此地珍惜這短短的兩個小時,在彼此分享與討論中,很樂意地跟我們分享他們心中的感受,儘管只是簡短的一句話,都讓我覺得很感動。 工作坊後半段由Kaushiki和蒂摩爾帶來一個小時的演出呈現,有各自舞團的代表作品,也有共同創作發展的作品。在短短一個星期內要完成彼此的共同創作,對台灣及印度的舞者來說都是一項挑戰。但很慶幸的是,因為台印舞者們平時和睦融洽的相處,在工作的過程當中累積了一定的默契,所以在發展作品的過程當中彼此都能更快抓到節奏並進入狀況。 另外,在孟買與當地的音樂家合作的經驗也讓我覺得很特別。一方面是他們所使用的樂器組合(鼓搭配風琴)相較於台灣的團隊來說較不常見,再來是他們數拍子和運用重拍的方式跟我們所熟悉的音樂類型及曲調很不一樣。所以在合作和溝通的過程當中,除了很欣賞他們非常願意去嘗試新的詮釋方式來演繹編舞者的需求以外,對身為舞者的我而言,接觸這樣的音樂類型也讓我的肢體呈現及聽覺有了新的刺激。
2019年七月Kaishiki舞團來到台灣屏東三地門,並在蒂摩爾古薪舞集所舉辦的「蒂摩爾藝術生活節」(Tjimur Art Festival)當中舉辦奧迪西舞蹈工作坊。 印度奧迪西舞蹈對於普遍的台灣民眾來說是陌生的,但透過蒂摩爾藝術生活節舉辦的工作坊親身體驗印度的古典舞蹈,真的是非常難能可貴的機會。 蒂摩爾藝術生活節的內容非常豐富,有排灣族手作課程、身體學習課程、移動劇場及台印國際演出。在吃喝玩樂都兼顧到的同時,還能欣賞台灣與印度的國際交流呈現,實在是豐收的暑假啊。
今年是第二年與Kaishiki舞團進行舞蹈及文化的交流,第一年我們先是認識彼此的文化並從中學習,今年再次的碰撞和激盪,是兩個有著不同文化底蘊的身體該如何融合且融洽,這對雙方的編舞家及舞者來說都是新的課題。如何解構、轉換舞蹈及肢體的動作,都應該由自身的文化與脈絡為基底去了解。 對於從小接觸西方舞蹈和東方舞蹈的我而言,除了進團時學習排灣族身體律動成為我舞蹈生涯的一個極大挑戰之外,學習奧迪西舞蹈是我用另外一種新的方式和角度去認識自己身體的途徑。感謝舞團總是給予我們很多的資源,讓我們去學習、去歸零、去累積更多身體的財富,而我相信只要持續努力不懈,我就能夠創造出更不一樣的自己。
In June 2019, Tjimur Dance Theatre visited Bombay, India for a second time following its first visit in 2018, for a collaboration with the Odissi dance company Kaishiki where cultural exchange, body workshops and performances were to take place. The day I departed from Kaohsiung International Airport (June 1st 2019) I was full of excitement as I was looking forward to the upcoming dance experience in Bombay. When we landed at the airport in Bombay in the early morning, I was feeling slightly exhausted. But as soon as we stepped out of the airport, our Indian family Siddhi and Namaha walked towards us while waiving their hands enthusiastically and gave each of us a flower wreath and a big hug. The gesture that they gave to greet us of our safe arrival relieved us of all our tiredness. After a day’s rest, we started the first training session in Odissi dance (June 3rd, 2019). After a year’s time, it’s natural that our body wasn’t acquainted with this dance style and its way of using the body anymore. However, Dasha Ji helped us bring back our body memories of Odissi dance step by step by teaching us the basic foot and hand postures. This way we were able to adjust the angles and details of our body posture with the most basic movements.
Personally, this year’s learning experience is different. I remember last year I shared with my dance partners that the physical coordination of Odissi dance is different from the classical Chinese dance which we had learned. They seem similar but are in fact quite distinct. Back then, I simply managed to use my brain and body to learn the steps with the logic of Odissi dance, but I didn’t understand why. When I got in touch again with this way of using the body, I got something new out of it. I seemed to have found some kind of dynamic equilibrium, which was something that Dasha Ji emphasized in class constantly. I finally realized that’s the spirit of it. The contemporary Paiwan dance workshop prepared by Tjimur Dance Theatre this year was an advanced version of the course last year. We combined the daily movements of kissing hands, sewing, crashing betel nuts, spitting and the traditional Paiwan four-step dance. The changes in rhythms and levels brought about a new series of body stimuli. During the courses I could see that Indian students and dancers were very willing to learn; even though they were not able to fully demonstrate Paiwan traditional ancient ballads and body movements, their eyes showed their yearning for learning and understanding the culture of Taiwan and the Paiwan tribe. What also impressed me very much was the two workshops in Bombay. The conditions of the two spaces were drastically different and both challenged the ability to quickly adjust to the environment. I noticed that workshop participants, whether the workshop took place in a stuffy assembly hall or in a dance studio that could hardly accommodate more than seven dancers, cherished the short time of two hours spent with us. In mutual sharing and discussions, they were very willing to share with us their feelings, which moved me deeply even if sometimes it’s just a short sentence. The second part of the workshop was a one-hour presentation performed by Kaishiki and Tjimur Dance Theatre. There were representative works from each company as well as collaborations. It was a great challenge for both Taiwanese and Indian dancers to accomplish a joint creation in as short as a week. Fortunately, thanks to the harmonious relationship developed between both parties, they had built good rapport in the working process, which helped accelerate and strengthen the development of the creation. In addition, the experience to work with local musicians in Bombay was also very special for me. For one thing, the choice of instrument combination (drums and organs) was quite uncommon for the Taiwanese. For another, their ways of counting beats and using accents were also different from those in the music genres and melodies which we were familiar with. In the process of collaboration and communication, I sincerely appreciated their willingness to try new ways of interpreting the dancers’ requests. The exposure to this kind of music genre had also brought new stimuli for my physical expression and sense of hearing.
In July 2019, Kaishiki visited Sandimen in Pintung Township and held an Odissi dance workshop during the Tjimur Arts Festival hosted by Tjimur Dance Theatre. India’s Odissi dance is very foreign to the Taiwanese audience, and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in this Indian classical dance form in the workshop was a rare opportunity. Tjimur Dance Festival had a lot to offer: it included Paiwan handcraft courses, body workshops, moving theatres as well as international performances performed jointly by Taiwanese and Indian dancers. In addition to satisfying all four senses, participants of the festival were given the opportunity to enjoy the international collaboration between Taiwan and India. What a fruitful summer!
This year marked the second exchange in dance and culture between Tjimur and Kaishiki. In the first year, the main task was to get to know each other’s culture and learn from this understanding. This year’s cultural spark was about how bodies of different cultural backgrounds could possibly fuse with harmony, which was a lesson for choreographers and dancers of both sides. After all, the deconstruction and transformation of different dances and physical movements should be based on understanding cultural contexts. For dancers trained in Western and East-Asian dance like me, it was already a tremendous challenge for me when I first joined Tjimur to grasp the Paiwan tribe’s use of body. The study of Odissi dance provided me another opportunity and a new perspective to understand my own body. I am grateful to my company which has been giving us abundant resources to learn, to start from scratch, and to accumulate valuable lessons for the body. I believe that as long as I persevere, I will be able to create a better version of myself.
Personally, this year’s learning experience is different. I remember last year I shared with my dance partners that the physical coordination of Odissi dance is different from the classical Chinese dance which we had learned. They seem similar but are in fact quite distinct. Back then, I simply managed to use my brain and body to learn the steps with the logic of Odissi dance, but I didn’t understand why. When I got in touch again with this way of using the body, I got something new out of it. I seemed to have found some kind of dynamic equilibrium, which was something that Dasha Ji emphasized in class constantly. I finally realized that’s the spirit of it. The contemporary Paiwan dance workshop prepared by Tjimur Dance Theatre this year was an advanced version of the course last year. We combined the daily movements of kissing hands, sewing, crashing betel nuts, spitting and the traditional Paiwan four-step dance. The changes in rhythms and levels brought about a new series of body stimuli. During the courses I could see that Indian students and dancers were very willing to learn; even though they were not able to fully demonstrate Paiwan traditional ancient ballads and body movements, their eyes showed their yearning for learning and understanding the culture of Taiwan and the Paiwan tribe. What also impressed me very much was the two workshops in Bombay. The conditions of the two spaces were drastically different and both challenged the ability to quickly adjust to the environment. I noticed that workshop participants, whether the workshop took place in a stuffy assembly hall or in a dance studio that could hardly accommodate more than seven dancers, cherished the short time of two hours spent with us. In mutual sharing and discussions, they were very willing to share with us their feelings, which moved me deeply even if sometimes it’s just a short sentence. The second part of the workshop was a one-hour presentation performed by Kaishiki and Tjimur Dance Theatre. There were representative works from each company as well as collaborations. It was a great challenge for both Taiwanese and Indian dancers to accomplish a joint creation in as short as a week. Fortunately, thanks to the harmonious relationship developed between both parties, they had built good rapport in the working process, which helped accelerate and strengthen the development of the creation. In addition, the experience to work with local musicians in Bombay was also very special for me. For one thing, the choice of instrument combination (drums and organs) was quite uncommon for the Taiwanese. For another, their ways of counting beats and using accents were also different from those in the music genres and melodies which we were familiar with. In the process of collaboration and communication, I sincerely appreciated their willingness to try new ways of interpreting the dancers’ requests. The exposure to this kind of music genre had also brought new stimuli for my physical expression and sense of hearing.
In July 2019, Kaishiki visited Sandimen in Pintung Township and held an Odissi dance workshop during the Tjimur Arts Festival hosted by Tjimur Dance Theatre. India’s Odissi dance is very foreign to the Taiwanese audience, and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in this Indian classical dance form in the workshop was a rare opportunity. Tjimur Dance Festival had a lot to offer: it included Paiwan handcraft courses, body workshops, moving theatres as well as international performances performed jointly by Taiwanese and Indian dancers. In addition to satisfying all four senses, participants of the festival were given the opportunity to enjoy the international collaboration between Taiwan and India. What a fruitful summer!
This year marked the second exchange in dance and culture between Tjimur and Kaishiki. In the first year, the main task was to get to know each other’s culture and learn from this understanding. This year’s cultural spark was about how bodies of different cultural backgrounds could possibly fuse with harmony, which was a lesson for choreographers and dancers of both sides. After all, the deconstruction and transformation of different dances and physical movements should be based on understanding cultural contexts. For dancers trained in Western and East-Asian dance like me, it was already a tremendous challenge for me when I first joined Tjimur to grasp the Paiwan tribe’s use of body. The study of Odissi dance provided me another opportunity and a new perspective to understand my own body. I am grateful to my company which has been giving us abundant resources to learn, to start from scratch, and to accumulate valuable lessons for the body. I believe that as long as I persevere, I will be able to create a better version of myself.