Tsai Jui-yueh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The location of Tsai's dance studio, pictured in 2006
Tsai's rebuilt dance studio in September 2013

Tsai Jui-yueh (Chinese: 蔡瑞月; pinyin: Cài Ruìyuè; 8 February 1921 – 29 May 2005) was a Taiwanese dancer and choreographer regarded as the mother of modern dance in Taiwan.

Life and career[edit]

Born in Tainan on 8 February 1921,[1] Tsai made her way to Japan in 1937 to study dance under Baku Ishii and Midori Ishii.[2][3][4] Prior to leaving Taiwan, Tsai's experience with dancing included aerobic dance class in elementary school and watching Japanese groups in high school.[3] She had heard a Japanese person refer to Taiwan as a "barren desert for dance" and sought to return in order to promote the art of dance in Taiwan, declining a personal dance recital in Tokyo arranged by Midori Ishii.[3] Tsai returned to Taiwan in 1946,[2] and grew in popularity during this period, in part because she accepted every offer to perform.[3]

She married the Indonesian-Chinese poet Lei Shih-yu [zh], who taught at National Taiwan University, in 1947.[3][5] Lei was imprisoned by Kuomintang authorities in June 1949 and later deported to Guangdong.[3][4] Tsai was sent to Green Island shortly thereafter and released three years later, but barred from leaving Taiwan.[2][5] In 1953, she founded her own school of dance at the China Dance Club, later known as the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute.[6][7] Tsai's travel restrictions were lifted in 1983,[3] and she moved to Australia to live and work with her son, a dancer who was a student of Elizabeth Dalman.[8] Tsai's studio was left to daughter-in-law Ondine Hsiao and Hsiao's sister Grace.[9] The building was to be demolished in 1994, but plans were called off after three dancers protested by suspending themselves in the air via crane for 24 hours.[10] The Taipei City government named Tsai's studio a municipal heritage site in October 1999. Four days later, the building burned in a suspected arson attack.[7] Reconstruction efforts began in March 2002.[11] Tsai died in Brisbane, Australia, on 29 May 2005, aged 84.[12]

Legacy[edit]

The inaugural Tsai Jui-Yueh International Dance Festival was organized in her honor in 2006.[13][14] Her former studio opened as a museum in May 2007 and a memorial was added to the site in March 2008.[15][16] In 2017, the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute and the Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation and Memorial Museum jointly organized demonstrations marking the anniversary of the February 28 incident.[17] Tsai's life was commemorated by the National Human Rights Commission, a division of the Control Yuan, in November 2020.[18]

Tsai is considered the mother of modern dance in Taiwan.[13][8][11][15] One of her students, Henry Yu, has been called the father of Taiwanese modern dance.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dancer | Tsai Jui-yueh". Ministry of Culture. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Chen, Ya-ping (5 September 2016). "Tsai Jui-Yueh (1921–2005)". Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism. doi:10.4324/9781135000356-REM83-1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Han Chueng (28 May 2017). "Born to groove". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b Baker, Diane (2 November 2007). "Dance imitates life in remembering Tsai Jui-yueh". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b Baker, Diane (31 October 2014). "Dance on the move". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute". Taipei City Government. Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b Chu, Monique (31 October 1999). "Dance studio gutted by blaze". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b Lee, Vico (21 February 2003). "Giving peace a dance". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  9. ^ Baker, Diane (19 December 2008). "Yule be in the mood for a little song and dance". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  10. ^ Lii Wen (31 October 2014). "Dance festival promotes social activism in Taipei". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  11. ^ a b Ko, Shu-ling (13 September 2001). "China Dance Club studio reconstruction plan ready". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  12. ^ "Madre de la Danza de Taiwan deja rico legado". Noticas de Taiwan (in Spanish). 26 July 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  13. ^ a b Mead, David (9 November 2007). "Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Festival". Ballet Dance Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  14. ^ Baker, Diane (3 November 2016). "Memories of greatness". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  15. ^ a b Ko, Shu-ling (14 May 2007). "Historic studio of dance legend opens as museum". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  16. ^ Loa, Iok-sin (30 March 2008). "Monument opened to Tsai Jui-yueh, a pioneer of dance". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  17. ^ Hsiao, Sherry (22 February 2021). "More than 200 march in Taipei in memory of 228". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. ^ Chen, Yun; Pan, Jason (22 November 2020). "Commission celebrates life of 'mother' of modern dance". Taipei Times. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  19. ^ Baker, Diane (26 December 2008). "Oldies but goodies". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tsai_Jui-yueh&oldid=1173352681"