Fr. Michelini is not your stereotypical Catholic priest. He prefers short sleeves and blue jeans, even when receiving distinguished guests. He loves to treat friends to a cup of wine, baked squid, and Lotung's special fruit, the longan. To make sure his guests have a memorable visit, he often takes the opportunity to introduce them to Italian folk songs or, sometimes, dances. He is an outstanding tenor himself. He matches the traditional hospitality of the Chinese people, making sure each guest has a hearty meal. Using a heavily accented Mandarin, he also makes sure the guests are aware of the struggle to build up the LYCC and meet its requirements.
About 30 years ago, a group of Italian Catholic priests came to Lotung from across the Taiwan Straits. They set up a branch of the Camillian Society and established a hospital to treat both mental and physical illness. Twelve years later, Father Michelini and four associates landed on Taiwan after a month's sea voyage. After studying Mandarin for two years in Hsinchu, Father Michelini determined that he would devote his energy to "body" language instead of vocal effort. Asked why, he replied in a clear, Italian-accented Mandarin: "During my stay in Hsinchu, I constantly visited Chinese opera and puppet shows and watched Chinese films to help me learn Mandarin. I became greatly enamored of Chinese art and culture, and above all, of this land.
Youth's emotion is the dancers' message
"To tell the truth, it is very difficult for a foreigner to understand the Republic of China. With the belief that children are fine 'little ambassadors,’ I decided to organize a troupe devoted to the introduction of Chinese folk dances abroad, and of course, to spread the message of peace and happiness to the world."
After 18 years of hard work, everyone in Lotung knows Fr. Michelini. His enthusiasm has resulted in sufficiently strong local and overseas support to permit construction of a two-story cultural activity center with swimming pools for adults and children, a kindergarten, and a dance studio on a land area of some six hectares. These facilities are a grassroots resort for the people of Lotung.
In 1974 the Lan-yang Dance Troupe made its overseas debut in a three-month, 67-performance tour of Italy. Pope Paul VI received Father Michelini and his "little ambassadors” at the tour's end. In the following year, Fr. Michelini and his troupe toured Germany, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy. They overcame many difficulties, including Chinese Communist harrassment, to successfully present some 80 performances. Then in 1977-78 they performed in Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United Stales. The troupe's performances were staged in facilities as diverse as grand theaters, open squares, TV stations, clubs, official residences, and primary schools.
a Chinese fan dance
Father Michelini remembers how hard he strove for permission for the troupe to perform in Buenos Aires. Though performances had been arranged by their agent in advance, they were subsequently forbidden after the Chinese Communists threatened Argentina with trade sanctions. The Argentine foreign minister called Fr. Seismael Quiles to inform him of the new prohibition. But, unwilling to sacrifice the tour to such tactics, Frs. Michelini and Quiles appealed to the Argentine ministers of education and interior and to other government leaders. Two days later, the Argentine President reinstated the troupe's performance schedule, and sent his best regards. The Argentine press proclaimed the troupe the best art group to tour the country in 20 years.
On their trip back home, the group was invited to perform at Disneyland in Los Angeles. It was the first Chinese cultural performance at the massive entertainment center.
The troupe toured Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras the following year. The President of Costa Rica and the first lady of Ecuador personally received the troupe in the two countries.
a traditional wedding (left); A tribal dance (right).
Troupe members range from kindergarten lots to college students, and help each other to prepare for numbers. In general, it takes only a few seconds for a change of dance outfits.
The more than 100 dancers are divided into seven classes according to talent. Seven instructors teach them ballet, folk dances, martial arts, Peking opera, and above all, the fundamental movements of modern dance. They learn and practice six hours every day, except for Sundays.
Henry Yu, a leading local dancer, was invited to teach the group dance-master Martha Graham's basic movements. "Lan·yang is the country's best student private dance troupe, even better than the student dance majors in the colleges," he said.
All of the group's programs are based on Chinese tradition. For instance, the sequence "Dance under Moonlight" is drawn from Miao and Yao tribal tradition in the southwest provinces of China: in the spring, unmarried youth dance in the moonlight as they choose their mates.
Dancers perform an aboriginal ritual before an overflow crowd (top left); The Lan-yang girls meet the Costa Rican President and First Lady (top right); Fr. Michelini - Plans for the future (bottom left); Dancers cavort during a break (bottom right).
As the terrain and pleasant climate of Taiwan favor tea plantations, crowds of girls can be seen here picking tea-leaves on the mountain slopes. One dance depicts the cheerful scene. A special Taiwan aborigines' dance suite is divided into four sections - hunting, festivity, worship, and marriage. Children's nursery tales provide the framework for another dance, "Clam Game."
The drum, one of the major rhythm instruments of China, is honored in the dance "Celebration of A Peaceful Year Via the Drum Dance." Still another number is inspired by the Mongolian prowess in riding horses across the wilds.
Fr. Michelini is well-acquainted with Chinese history and legend, and helped, for example, to create a sequence based on the legend of Chung Kuei, a wronged scholar or the Tang Dynasty. Even before the Cloud Gate Dance Ensemble had choreographed "Legend or the While Snake" and "An Auspicious Day," the Lan-yang dance troupe had designed dances on the same themes. But, accompanied by traditional Chinese music and featuring typical Chinese costumes, Lan-yang's versions are more historically explicit. Fr. Michelini explained this emphasis: "I believe that audiences can be moved most by the essences of thousand years of Chinese history and culture, such as the well-preserved residences in Kinmen or in the Taiwan countryside… not what they can also find in the West." It is not surprising that the Lan-yang Dance Group is a consistent trophy winner in the national folk dance contest.
Father Michelini has mapped out new plans for the troupe's future. Two members of the troupe who received scholarships to study the dance in Italy, are expected to instill new life in the dance troupe upon their return. A skating rink is planned at the LYCC to make possible a new medium for the expression of Chinese folk tradition. Eventually, Fr. Michelini hopes to set up a dance school explicitly for foreigners interested in Chinese culture.