The 2024 Xinying Arts Festival will kick off on April 13 and continue to June 29 at Tainan’s Xinying Cultural Center. In its 12th year, the event titled “Sweet Swing” organized by the performing arts groups Our Theatre and Shimmering Production invites people of all ages to participate in an innovative cross-disciplinary combination of movement inspired by water, visual art, and local culture.
Shimmering Production Artistic Director Wang Yeu-kwn (王宇光) says that he discovered the Chianan Irrigation system flowing near the Xinying Cultural Center during the site survey, which inspired this year’s theme. He emphasizes that by personally participating in the production, art can nurture the public as water nurtures life. Through dance, Wang questions if art can permeate our bodies and lives as completely as water. Using the body as a medium, the many performances and activities explore the idea of water as the starting point of life, human society, and urban culture.
Tainan’s Cultural Affairs Bureau Director-General Hsieh Shih-yuan (謝仕淵) says that this year is Tainan’s 400th anniversary and the arts festival also incorporates Tainan’s history and future possibilities. He points out that water symbolizes nourishment but also represents sustainability, which is one of Xinying Cultural Center's long-term major promotions, and that he hopes everyone will participate.