Another Formosan Journey (Part 1)
The 14-day wanderlust experience of Dipolog Community Rondalla.
Music penetrates beyond the limits of distance. The participation of the Dipolog Community Rondalla (DCR) to the 2016 Yilan International Folklore and Folkgame Festival (YICFFF) consisted of of 13 performances and a performance for the Closing Ceremony. The YICFFF is an annual summer festival which focuses on performance, exhibition, games, and cultural exchange. The group stayed in Taiwan for a total of 14 days from August 3 to August 16, 2016.
Dipolog Community Rondalla departed for Cebu City from the Dapitan City Port on August 1, 2016 at around 4:00 PM. The group arrived in Cebu Mactan International Airport on August 2, 2016 at around 6:00 AM. On-board Cebu Pacific Flight 5J300 bound for Taipei, the group left at around 10:00 PM on August 2, 2016. At around 12:30 AM on August 3, 2016, the group arrived at the Taoyuan International Airport.
The Cardinal Tien College of Healthcare Management Dormitory served as the official residence of all the international performing groups, and as well as the 2016 YICFFF staff. It is located at No. 112, Minzu Road, Xindian District, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Day 1. August 3, 2016. Upon arrival at the dormitory, positive impressions immediately dawned. The Cardinal Tien College of Healthcare Management Dormitory is a five-story building with a basement. All of the rooms in every floor of the dormitory have identical layouts. There is a laundry area, a lounge, and a kitchen in every floor. Every room can accommodate four persons. In order to maximize the space, bunk beds are installed in each of the rooms. However, there are only study tables and cabinets in the lower part, and the upper deck is utilized as the sleeping area. There is also a separate toilet and bathroom in every room. Since it is a dormitory, there are also areas for hanging your wet clothes in the terrace of every room.
The first day consisted of free time and rehearsals. The meals were served at the dormitory’s restaurant, which is located on the first floor. Every meal was on a buffet-style. You can choose what you can eat from the different types of dishes on the serving table. There were also different kinds of breads, desserts, ice cream, and beverages.
In the afternoon, a short rehearsal for the group was held at one of the classrooms in the nearby building.
Later in the afternoon, the group first strolled in the city proper of Yilan, took photos, and ate dinner at a traditional Chinese food house along with other international groups. There was also a Chinese opera presentation that was held in line with the celebration of the Ghost Month.
Some of the food that were served at the traditional food stall in the city proper. Photos by: Mrs. Violeta H. Rosal
Most of the actors of the Chinese Opera were young students.
These were some of the offerings in observance of the Ghost Month.
Day 2. August. 4, 2016. There were two performances scheduled on Day 2. The Circular Stage at the Dong Shan River Park served as the venue of the performances of the Dipolog Community Rondalla. The first performance was scheduled at 10:00 AM, and the second performance was at 1:00 PM.
Sound and technical checking before the actual performance.
Immediately after the performances, DCR proceeded to the Closing Ceremony rehearsals at Fushing Junior High School. The performance was intended for a musical exchange to be showcased during the closing ceremonies. It was meant to exhibit the flexibility of the musicians, even despite the differences in the type of instruments that were used by the performers. DCR played along with musicians from Taiwan, such as the Yilan Youth Orchestra and Formosa Melody Music Center.
Arrival of the group at Fushing Junior High School.
Mr. Vincent Li of Formosa Melody Music Center and Mr. Jay Sarita of Dipolog Community Rondalla discussed the repertoire for the Closing Ceremony.
Day 3. August 5, 2016. No performance was scheduled for Day 3, however the group had to attend the Closing Ceremony rehearsals at Fushing Junior High School in the afternoon. DCR had to rehearse five new pieces for the closing ceremonies. The first and second pieces were “Spring Wind”, a traditional Chinese song and “Lord of the Dance”, an Irish folk song. These pieces were played along with the Chinese Orchestra. The third piece was Jiang Jun Ling (General’s Command). The Fourth piece was the “Children’s Tune Medley”. It is arranged for rondalla by Mr. Dave Dagta of the Padayon Rondalla. The Children’s Tune Medley was composed of the folk songs “Greensleeves, Can Can, Arirang, Do-Re-Mi”. The Fifth piece is “Flower”. It is a Japanese song that was performed along with by the Fushing Junior High School Chorale. The last piece is the most famous folk song in Yilan, “Diu Diu Dang” which is a train song. Mr. Vincent Li of Formosa Melody Music Center directed the flow of the program for the musical part of the closing ceremony. Mr. Jay Sarita of DCR served as the conductor for the whole musical performance.
Sammi Lu (Lu Yi-An) is the official translator, road manager, assistant, and the best companion the group has ever had.
When the rehearsals ended, DCR headed to a restaurant which is owned by Mr. Li’s sister. All groups that were invited for the festival through the Formosa Melody Music Center were gathered for the welcome dinner. At around 7:00 PM, the group dined with the Padayon Rondalla and Loboc Children’s Choir from the Philippines, and other groups from Spain and Japan.
Mr. Li’s daughter (far left) joined the group for the dinner.
Day 4. August 6, 2016. Only one performance at 11:00 AM was scheduled for this day.
The Loboc Children’s Choir’s first performance was held at 10:00 AM.
A performance by the Japanese at the Red Brick Square at around 12:00 PM.
The rest of the afternoon was scheduled for the closing ceremony rehearsals from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The performers first rehearsed at the Fushing Junior High School. A service bus took all of the performers to the Dong Shan River Park at around 5:00 PM.
Striking a pose while waiting for the service bus to arrive.
Dinner for all of the performers was served at the park. Since it is already the last day of the closing ceremony rehearsals, the performers rehearsed at the Outdoor Theater of Dong Shan River Park at 6:00 PM.
It was designated as the venue for the entire closing ceremony program. The order of the program, the blocking of the performers, the sound check, and the entire flow of the ceremony were rehearsed. The rehearsal made all the performers tired, yet it has to be done in order to produce an excellent output.
Day 5. August 7, 2016. France, who is a Laud/Octavina 2 player of the group, celebrated her birthday during this day. Performance 4 was scheduled at 10:00 AM.
Group photo at the Dong Shan River Park Entrance Gate.
The Roomupakad dance group from Estonia had their performance at the Red Brick Square at around 11:00 AM.
The dancers pose along with members of the Dipolog Community Rondalla after their performance.
In the afternoon, the group went to the Longtan Lake. Some of the members rented bicycles, while there were some who chose to walk around the lake. The scenery introduced a relaxing vibe. It was therapeutic in the sense that nature came a whole lot close to its visitor’s heart. There were fruit and tea vendors along the pathways beside the lake. There was also a temple and some tombstones within the lake’s vicinity. The lake is rich with the wonders of flora and fauna. No fishing is allowed in the area, thus several types of fish thrive in the lake.
The view of Turtle Island of Yilan County can be seen from the window of the service bus while going to the Longtan Lake.
A Budda Shrine was situated beside the lake. Passers-by can avail of the beverages for as long as any amount will be donated for the temple above it. There were bottled water, wintermelon tea, and plum juice in front of the statue.
Day 6. August 8, 2016. Only one performance was scheduled for this day. It was held at 1:00 PM.
The Loboc Children’s Choir had their performance set before the Dipolog Community Rondalla.
After the performance, the group went to the National Center for Traditional Arts. It was the second time for some members of the group to visit this place. The first time was on last December 2014 for the first leg of Cuerdas Global; it was during this time that the group stayed for two nights at the dormitory of the National Center for Traditional Arts during winter time last 2014.
Our dedicated assistants Bondo Hara and Sammi Lu with France (center).
Day 7. August 9, 2016. The whole day was intended for the Taipei City Tour along with the Padayon Rondalla. The group left for Taipei at around 8:00 AM. Travel to Taipei took around two hours. The first stop of the tour was the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. This attraction was built to honor the memory of Chiang Kai-Shek, a former president of the Republic of China.
The group headed towards the bank for those who intend to change their money to Taiwan dollars.
Bondo Hara and Mrs. Rosal at the streets of Taipei.
During lunch time, the group had McDonald’s inside Taipei 101 Mall. For the second time, some members of DCR toured around Taipei 101 Mall and took pictures inside of it.
The next stop was the Taipei New Horizon. The place was a former cigarette factory. Inside Taipei New Horizon were bazaars which featured local artists along with their creative work of arts for sale. There were also boutiques, tea shops, restaurants, instrument stores, and bookstores.
At around 4:00 PM, the group headed to Rohe Night Market for a budget shopping. The group arrived at the dormitory at around 10:00 PM.
A temple located near the Rohe Night Market.
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