“Dance in Proximity,” an international dance symposium jointly arranged by TNUA, Dance Research Society Taiwan, and World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific (WDAAP), took place at TNUA on November 10 and 11.

The two-day symposium featured a series of lectures, round table discussions, research paper presentations, workshops and dance performances. 
 

The participants were dance experts, scholars and students from various countries across the world, including Taiwan, China, Korea, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Papua New Guinea.
 

The first lecture of the event, “Dancerly Divides: Cultural Translation and Proximity: From a World Dance Perspective,” was delivered by Prof. Marta E. Savigliano from the Department of Dance, University of California, Riverside (UCR).
 

There was another lecture, “Dance in Betwixt and Between,” by Prof. Chang Chung Shiuan from TNUA’s School of Dance. The talk analyzed and recollected the different roles – as student, dancer, educator and administrator – that she has played in her career in dance.  
 

Prof. Chang also talked about the projects that she has been in charge at TNUA to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration (between dance and medicine) and the university’s social responsibility (for community development in the Kuandu area). 
 

The round table discussions had scholars from Taiwan and other countries share their opinions about different subjects, including the dance education in Taiwan and cross-cultural dance education. 
 

The discussion of cross-cultural dance education, moderated by Prof. Chen Ya-Ping from TNUA’s Department of Dance, featured four speakers: Prof. Marta Savigliano; Prof. Zhang Xiao-Xiong, chairman of the Department of Dance, TNUA; Prof. Leigh Warren from Australia; and Prof. Munguntsetseg Munkhbadrakh from Mongolia. 
 

The academic papers presented at the event discussed various subjects, including traditional dances in China and Malaysia, and parent-children interactions through dance programs.

There were also several performances by dancers from various countries, showcasing the styles and skills of dance of their countries.
 

Caption: Guests of honor from various countries pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of “Dance in Proximity.”