A Visit to Tjimur Dance Theatre in Sandimen, Taiwan

As our studio approaches its third anniversary, we have been thinking about like-minded partners we could create new possibilities with. 🌱

A spark from a conversation took us to Sandimen, Pingtung, with Winnie and Shawn from SW Design to visit Tjimur Dance Theatre. The company interprets indigenous Austronesian Paiwan culture through the body and dance, while our studio translates its cross-disciplinary background through digital creation. Though our fields differ, we share the journey of running creative teams and rediscovering ourselves through creative challenges.

Choreographer and Dance Director Baru reflected on Tjimur’s twenty-year journey, from performing on international stages to refining its distinctive physical training system and creative practice. Like them, we must stay flexible as the creative landscape changes, while continuing to trace our cultural roots and redefine ourselves. The experience gathered along the way keeps us moving forward.

This visit planted a seed for future collaboration. We hope to combine Tjimur’s deep understanding of Paiwan culture and the body with our design research to create new work and introduce more people to this company, rooted in the land yet reaching out to the world. We also hope to connect with more like-minded partners in Taiwan, supporting one another and bringing the diversity of Taiwanese culture and creativity to wider audiences.

I used to spend a lot of time in the mountains when I was in university, but it had been a long time since I last spent time in nature like this. The pace of the mountains made me slow down and gave my usually busy mind some space to settle and sort itself out. I came back from this visit not only with ideas for future collaboration, but also with a reminder that sometimes, slowing down helps us see the next step more clearly.

By Director Cho, September 2026