The Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade, the largest international sporting event ever hosted by Taiwan, officially kicked off with the opening ceremony on August 19th at the Taipei Stadium. The cultural program during the opening ceremony provided a global perspective, displayed Taiwan’s characteristics, and reflected the mind of the young generation. The program stunned the viewers and received only positive feedback from all around. Taiwan successfully presented its culture and creativity to the world through 2017 Universiade.
The cultural program was designed and managed by Interplan International Corp., around the theme of this year’s Universiade – “For You. For Youth”. The concept was to use the perspective of youth, to gaze back into the past, ponder upon the present, and look into the future, creating a 3-part performance to welcome the arrival of athletes from 141 countries from all over the world.
“Vibrant Island” was the first part. Beginning with the island at its birth, viewers follow as Taiwan evolves in response to the ocean-borne elements. A giant LED stage and multimedia effects were integrated with the live performance into a 3D spectacle. Aborigine singers including Sanpuy Katatepan Mavaliy offered a paean to the beauty of life, and dancers wearing fantastic woven costumes navigated the stage under chasing lights. Breathtaking. Taiwan’s diverse culture starred in the performance, embedded with folk elements like traditional Chinese opera and “bando” banquets, beckoning everybody to lean in and learn more.
Part 2 was “Hybrid Taipei”. Introducing Taipei City as the place where modern and traditional converge, where the brisk energy of stall-lined night markets was displayed by the quick flicks of the wrist by stir-frying chefs. Rap-rock band Boxing and indigenous singer A-Lin took the stage, and a light show featuring Taiwan-made Gogoro electric scooters proved to be a crowd-pleaser.
The 3rd and last part of the cultural program “Global Tribe” highlighted Taiwan’s digital connections with the world through a solo performance by violinist Tseng Yu-Chien, the dance of silicon wafers by Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancer Chien Pei-Ju, and the interactive concert performance by Taiwanese-American singer and actor Wang Leehom.
The cultural program was a collaborative effort of 42 troupes with over 2,500 performers and nearly 3,800 people working behind the scenes. It was the first mega event in Taiwan to use a 1,200 square meter LED floor panel as its stage. Through the latest technology, the effects of sound, mid-air performance on a hanging wire suspension system, dance, and special effects created an amazing 3D performance for the live spectators in the stadium and TV/internet audiences around the world.
