bulabulay mun? / how are you?, Tjimur Dance Theatre
Tjimur Dance Company, bulabulay mun © Ba Sa-xi
The Mudan shipwreck of 1871 is a painful moment in Taiwanese history.
Ryukyu sailors (that is inhabitants of the islands of Ryukyu which at the time was a “tributary state of Qing China as well as within the Japanese sphere of influence”*) became shipwrecked on the coast of Taiwan. Although initially peacefully welcomed by the indigenous Paiwan people, their early departure from their hosts led to their massacre: the Paiwanese killed 54 of the Kyukyuans. This massacre would be used in 1874 by the Japanese as justification to invade southern Taiwan. This is a tale where arguably both sides lost.
History is normally used by victors to celebrate their achievements, so it is interesting that Paiwanese choreographer Baru Madiljin uses such a devastating incident, in which his ancestors do not necessarily come off well, as a starting point for his poignant contemporary dance piece, presented as part of Dance Umbrella Festival 2025.
Tjimur Dance Company, bulabulay mun © Ba Sa-xi
Madiljin's work was an abstract reflection on the incident, which seemed to focus more on the shipwreck than the subsequent massacre. It was sombre and mournful, with movement interspersed with traditional Mudan song, wailed by the dancers in a haunting manner against a soundscape of electronic tones and crashing waves (the waves also feature on a screen behind them).
The choreography was captivating. Dancer’s knees never stopped bouncing, as if bobbing along the waves, as they ‘sailed’ across the sea and crashed ashore. Their movement continuously evolved and became weightier across the night. At first, the five performers were restricted to stepping motions, but as the work continued it began to take on a martial arts feel, with jumps entering the scene and arms reaching up and out, before climaxing with floor work and lifts. There was also a level of physical theatre. In a humorous, but more subdued, ending, dancers tousled as others tried to roll up the red fabric they were walking along. The blood spilled? The later repression under Japanese rule?
Tjimur Dance Company, bulabulay mun © Ba Sa-xi
Most memorable, however, was a large branch used in the first half of this hour long work. Representing a boat’s mast, the dancer’s placement and waving movement allowed us to imagine the ship before us. As the ship hit rough seas, the mast was dragged about, clambered up and jumped from before being discarded as they hit the shore.
This was easily one of the strongest abstract contemporary works to have taken to the stage in a while. The choreography felt fresh while the staging was minimal but effective. On its own it is a fantastic achievement in dance. However, while it may seem counterintuitive to pick apart a non-narrative work on its narrative, it must be said that at times it was a struggle to match up the aims of this piece with what was staged. The programme talks of ‘a community confronted by the immense power of wind and waves, awakening a profound awareness of how far they have drifted from nature’, and that it would reflect on ‘the consequences of human action and the resilience of the Paiwan people’. Add in the Mudan Incident and you have three, if not more, distinct themes to explore within an hour. While the power of wind and waves was evident throughout, the rest was a little harder to identify. An expanded dance triptych would be an interesting next stage.
*Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudan_incident
★★★★
bulabulay mun? / how are you?, Tjimur Dance Theatre
Part of Dance Umbrella Festival
The Place / 21 October 2025
Press ticket
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