Varhung: The Infinite Body of Sound
by Tsui Tsai-Shan (Assistant Curator at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition Department)
Sounds of breath and reverberation circulate throughout the space, ripples of amniotic fluid within the womb, palpitating into our hearts. Here, the breath is not merely the pulsation of life but also speaks of the harmony between humans and all living beings, bringing forth the cultural resonance in our heartbeats and blood.
Having staged 2 Gather with Black Grace Dance Company and collaborated in the presentation of Go Paiwan with choreographer Lin Wen-Chung, Tjimur Dance Theatre has explored the connection between human beings and the Motherland for many years. Gathering inspiration from Austronesian culture and local living, Tjimur Dance Theatre centers its creative vision around the concept of “Varhung,” allowing their dancers to leave their professional training behind and retrieve the authentic bodily movements of Paiwan culture. The dancers of Tjimur Dance Theatre develop unique contemporary expressions through chanting traditional ballads and transform the theatre into a platform for interaction and life into art.
In Paiwan, “varhung” not only refers to the “heart” but also the expression of inner emotions. The concept of “voice” is repeated and expanded in the works of Tjimur Dance Theatre and is even used as a metaphor for “life.” Varhung: The Body of Sound is the dance troupe’s exploration of ancient culture through “integrating song with dance,” “guidance through voice,” “breathing transformation,” and “voice creation,” an exhibition with performing arts at its core. The bodies and steps of the dancers are guided with their breaths, responding to their modesty and love towards the land by sinking the bodyweight to create unique “bodily movements,” echoing the chanting with movements of the body, seeping deep into the essence of life. Varhung: The Body of Sound is an exploration of the origin of life and the intertwinement of the heart, each other, tradition, and the contemporary, an ode to the intimacy between humans and the land.
The People of the Slopes
Showing stark differences with the mindsets of urban societies, Paiwan people have been referred to as “the people of the slopes” and apply their “slope philosophy” to acknowledge the changes of different generation. In the age of Capitalism, the tension between modern living and their indigenous roots has presented a tug of war between “traditional confrontation” and “cultural preservation.” For Ljuzem Madiljin, the artistic director of Tjimur Dance Theatre, the task is to balance the two forces. Devoted to interpreting Paiwan culture through contemporary discourses, Ljuzem Madiljin is concerned about finding ways of retracing the roots of the tribe, either through the spirit that traditional dance steps inspire or the souls of tribal songs. Through bodily movements, Ljuzem Madiljin responds to life and the humbleness of the land by giving tangible expression to intangible blessings qualities. Ljuzem Madiljin also brings forth the energy that dwells in the blood, connecting the lives of dancers and viewers.
Coming back to Room 104 of “Pan-Austro-Nesian Arts Festival,” the steps on stage seem to reiterate the bodily sensations and culture of Paiwan’s “the people of the slopes,” while the ongoing breath not only acts as guidance to viewers but its lingering acoustics also indicate “the cycle of breath and life.” Tjimur Dance Theatre also awakens the life forces that exist within our bodies through the sounds of heavy nasal breathing, penetrating the minds and inspiring viewers to join.
Contemporary and Tradition: Each Complementing the Other
What then appears before viewers is a projection of dancers wearing traditional and modern dancing attire, each accentuating and complementing the other. The bodily rhythms of Paiwan culture are beckoned by the breath while the projection of images mirrors the souls of dancers, resulting in an interlaced staging of tradition and the contemporary. The projected, virtual images are metaphors of not only tribal memories and contemporary choreography but also the souls of the dancers distilling space and time into cultural connotations. The visual features are edited through the Montage technique with theatrical lighting as the backdrop, highlighting the dancers’ breathing rhythm and close-ups of the dancer’s bodies, complementing the live physical performance with virtual presentations.
Concentric Light
“The breath is like concentric waves rippling outwards.” This is the poetics of the works by Tjimur Dance Theatre. Whether it is the breaths among the steps or the moving bodies of dancers in the images, they all follow the same frequency, portraying the legacy of Paiwan culture. A ray of theatrical spotlight represents the coming together of the concentric circle, which surrounds and coats the image segments within. The flow of “voice creation” is intertwined with the gaze, hinting at the humbleness of the body towards the land when entering the Umaq (slate houses) while invoking the rhythms of the Zemiyan (traditional Paiwan four-step dance). The steps of Zemiyan emerge in both on-site performances and video recordings, alluding to the concentric circles in Paiwan tribes, aggregating and blossoming with each breath.
The Body and Life of Sound
Let’s return to the breath. Ljuzem Madiljin once stated: “Contemporary Paiwan bodies present an underlying attempt to integrate with tradition. But what is this integration? I contemplated this and told the dancers: ‘Let’s start with studying ancient Paiwan ballads.’ This also became what was later known as the Tjimur system teaching method, which brings forth the Paiwan body through the breath and sound.” The essence of breath is the interaction and codependence between humans and the land. Through each inhale and exhale, the heart continues to beat, and the blood is transfused throughout the entire body, which leads to movements, memory, and cultural legacy. In The Body of Sound, bodily movements are guided by the breath and are physical manifestations of inner pulses, which further generates “integrating song with dance” and “breathing transformation,” interpreting Paiwan’s “Varhung” through contemporary expressions. The “life of sound” uses the breath to channel the inner “life” and brings out the exchange between indigenous tradition and “contemporization” through “guidance through voice” and “voice creation,” finally revealing the core substance of Paiwan culture.
