The Betel Nuts Brothers, an ethnic Amis music and dance troupe, put on several cultural shows in Thailand last month at the invitation of Todd Lavelle of Le Musiq, Chulalongkorn University, and Thailand Horticultural Society respectively in joint effort with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand.
The Amis are the largest aboriginal group dwelling mostly in eastern plains of Taiwan and are well-known for its rich music and dance tradition. The troupe kicked off the tour performance at Phatthalung World Musiq & Shadow Festival held at Talay Noi Sanctuary on Feb 13. An audience of around 2,000 people took great delight in the group’s magnetic vocals and traditional Amis dance.
The second show at Chulalongkorn University was staged on Feb 15 at the invitation of Art Music Festival II and the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts of the university. Betel Nuts Brothers showcased more than ten traditional tunes/ songs from the Amis on the stage. Following the well-applauded success at Chulalongkorn, they moved on to charm the world music lovers at Rhythm of the Earth World Festival at Central World on Feb 16 & 18, and visitors at Wangnamkeaw Flora Fantasia in Nakhon Ratchasima on Feb 19.
The Betel Nuts Brothers’ shows were one of the major events organized by TECO in celebration for the centenary of the founding of Republic of China (Taiwan) throughout 2011.
Caption: Betel Nuts Brothers and 5 young Amis dancers were joined by Frank Chen, Director of Information Division, TECO in Thailand, in a TV coverage on Feb 17.
