When opening the annual Kaohsiung Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival at Lotus Pond on Oct. 31, Mayor Chen Chu invited some 100,000 Kaohsiung residents to join her in a record-setting event on Nov. 1 and make “Taike Dance” the most representative of Taiwanese folk dance.

The Wannian Folklore Festival, which will last until November 8, has been developed from a local activity into an increasingly popular large-scale national event of culture and tourism which attracted more and more visitors since its start in 2000, noted Mayor Chen.

Following the successful performance of innovative “The Third Prince” folk dance at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2009 World Games, Chen said the Wannian Folklore Festival has specially developed the unique “Taike Dance” based on temple fair dance involving “Seven-Star” steps that used to be danced by Taoist deity sedan chair carriers during religious festivals accompanied by loud traditional temple tunes and dazzling neon lights, hoping all visitors will enjoy it and have pleasant memory.

The innovative folk dance amazed more than 50,000 audience, many of whom were foreigners, attending the Kaohsiung World Games opening and closing ceremonies in July because of its strong Taiwanese folklore characteristics, said Shih Jhe, director-general of the Kaohsiung City Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

Mayor Chen passionately invited all Kaohsiung residents to dance the “Taike Dance” at Kaohsiung’s Lotus Pond around 3 p.m. on Nov. 1 to challenge Guinness World Records and make the innovative dance a true representative of Taiwanese folk dance.

In addition to “Taike Dance” performances, Wannian Folklore Festival organizers have also planned pleasure boat riding, firecracker lion patrolling, lighting water dance, firework show and other playful activities for visitors during the nine-day event.

Chinese translation: http://www.cna.com.tw/postwrite/cvpread.aspx?ID=42099

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