LJUZEMS WALK IN WEIMAR

Traditional Taiwanese path to performative self-discovery across Weimar

The choreographer and performer Ljuzem Madiljin comes from the Timur community, a subgroup of the autochthonous Paiwan people, the second-largest ethnic community among Taiwan’s 16 Indigenous groups. These 330,000 people represent Taiwan’s original inhabitants and speak a total of 21 different Austronesian languages and dialects – a family of languages which is independent of the Han group of languages (such as Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka). Ljuzem is the founder and Artistic Director of the Tjimur Dance Company, the Paiwan people’s first professional contemporary dance company, which can also be seen at Kunstfest with the German premiere of the ensemble piece ‘bulabulay mun? – How Are You?’. The open-air project ‘Ljuzem´s Walk’ has gradually evolved over a period of around ten years as a form of therapeutic ramble devoted to self-reflection and personal development. The project is always predicated on engaging with the history and anecdotes, architecture and people of the location where the walk takes place. Ljuzem will undertake her walk barefoot, wearing a splendid traditional Paiwan wedding dress, through a section of Weimar’s old town, (re-)visting certain places that connect the past, present and future. Here – depending on the significance of each place – she will silently carry out a type of small, personal ritual along her route. In this way she will enter a spiritual interaction with the place (space), the audience (people) and the present (time), which all become part of her performance. All members of the audience are invited to accompany Ljuzem and enjoy this journey through life in the contemplative mood in which it is offered.