Reacting to society
BDC has many faces, from the masculine valor of Qaciljay and the quirky appeal of Colors to the troupe members singing madly at the Taiwan Pasiwali Festival, using familiar old songs to energize the atmosphere at the event. When asked which of his works is most representative of the company, Bulareyaung tilts his head, at a loss for an answer. “Our performers dance, and sing, and also speak and act, so we’re hard to define. We seem to combine all the performing arts. The most important thing is that we never turn our back on traditional culture.” One can learn something about BDC from each individual work, but from any given piece one can only learn a part of who they are.
By his own account, in the past Bulareyaung never paid attention to social issues, and still less to indigenous issues. He felt that as an artist his greatest contribution to society was simply to produce good works. But since returning to Taitung, he has been surrounded by the past, present, and future of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. Their concerns have become part of his life, and caused him to leave his comfort zone. As a result, BDC productions are often responses to the contemporary environment.
During the 2017 occupation of Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard in protest over the issue of traditional indigenous territories, BDC came north several times to show their support. At that time they were in the middle of rehearsals for a new production, Stay That Way, so they were unable to stay with the protestors. But when they began performing the piece, they transported some of the colorful rocks that had been brought to Ketagalan Boulevard from various indigenous communities to their performance space and shared the protest with audience members. Three women indigenous singers were invited to take part in the work, and there was thrilling interplay between their life stories and ringing voices, and the movements of the dancers. Through this production BDC expressed the difficult situation that indigenous people have long been facing. Although audiences did not understand the words of the songs being sung, the grief and sorrow conveyed by the voices brought tears to their eyes.
Since 2015, BDC has toured indigenous communities, putting on performances and holding seminars. Bulareyaung says that the work they perform most often there is Warriors, before which the dancers share their personal stories from the stage. This allows communities to see a different side of indigenous dance, and the work gives indigenous parents the courage to support their children in pursuing their dreams. The performances create a shared image in the minds of parents and children.
Qaciljay, based on a traditional warriors’ song, displays the dancers’ physical strength and beauty. (photo by Pungiya Kao, courtesy of BDC)