TAIWANfest presents Flamenco de Formosa
Step into the Heartbeat of Taiwan - featuring Hsueh Yu-Hsien & Genio Dance Group
Legend has it that the musically and dance-gifted Romani left North India and embarked on a wandering journey, with some settling in Andalusia in southern Spain. They absorbed Spanish culture while retaining their unique cultural perspective. Flamenco, rooted in grassroots traditions, speaks to the beauty and sorrow of ordinary people, with dancers like red flowers blooming with all their might in a tragic tale.
During wartime, Liao Ho’s father fled to Taiwan. Ho was born into a "Taro and Sweet Potato" (mainlander and Taiwanese) family and at 19 saw her soul in Flamenco—a wild, untamed essence in each step and glance. Her brief time learning dance in Madrid was both her happiest and most regretful period. Her daughter, Hsueh Yu-Hsien, also went to Madrid at 12, experiencing a tumultuous journey between Taiwan and Spain. In 2022, she became a permanent dancer at Ballet Nacional de España, continuing to tell her story and that of her island through her creations.
They are passionate and resilient, striving forward with every step even in the hardest times.
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