Taiwan’s drum troupe U-Theatre gets standing ovation at Russian art fest

台灣鼓團「優人神鼓」在俄羅斯藝術廣受好評

The troupes’ 'Sound of the Ocean' tugged at the heartstrings of the audience in Sochi


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The drum troupe U-Theatre received a standing ovation from an audience of 800 for their performance at the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi 2019 on Feb. 22.

U-Theatre is the first artistic group from Taiwan invited to participate in the fest that celebrates culture in all forms, spanning music, dance, opera, and theater, reported the Central News Agency.

Combining drumming and martial arts, the troupe presented the show “Sound of the Ocean,” which managed to pull at the heartstrings of the audiences. The performance seeks to “stimulate the distinctive sounds of water in its five states – collapse, flowing, breaking, the ocean heart, and the sound of the ocean,” euronews quoted U-Theatre’s Music Director, Huang Chih-chun (黃誌群), as saying.

Dmitri Tsverianishvili, a percussionist with a long-standing interest in the development of percussion music in Asia, noted that “Sound of the Ocean” delivered a harmony between nature and mankind, and “the audiences were so enchanted and mesmerized by the performance that time seemed to have stopped when a state of tranquility prevailed,” CNA quoted him.

It was the third time U-Theatre has staged a performance in Russia, following performances at the Chekov International Arts Festival in Russia in 2005 and 2018.

Starting in 2007, the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi has grown in scale and diversity over the years, with the full support of the government. The event aims to become one of the most iconic international cultural showcases across Eurasia, wrote CNA.