By Grace Hatchell
Some stories don’t need dialogue to make themselves heard.
Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe with an entirely new cast, Formosa Viva is an ambitious contemporary dance production that takes audiences on a journey through 500 years of Taiwan’s history. Blending contemporary dance, physical theatre and striking visual storytelling, the 50-minute performance explores identity, resilience and democracy through movement alone, proving that sometimes actions really do speak louder than words.
Performed by eight nationally selected young dancers from across Taiwan, Formosa Viva traces the country’s story from its Indigenous roots through colonial encounters to modern-day democracy. Following acclaimed appearances at Avignon Off, the Edinburgh Fringe and Adelaide Fringe, this year’s production introduces a completely new company of performers, continuing its mission to share Taiwan’s story with international audiences.
I’ll let you into a little secret – whenever someone says “contemporary dance”, I instinctively panic that I’ll spend the first ten minutes wondering whether the show has actually started. Then, almost every single time, I find myself completely drawn in. It’s a bit like modern art. At first I’m thinking, “Is that upside down?” and by the end I’m nodding thoughtfully as though I’ve understood everything. Theatre has a funny way of sneaking up on you like that.
And let’s spare a thought for the performers. I can barely carry my postbag upstairs without looking like I’ve just completed an obstacle course, yet these eight dancers are telling the story of an entire nation using nothing but movement. If I tried it, my contribution would probably be interpreted as “woman searching for her glasses.” That’s why productions like this fascinate me. They ask you to put your phone away, stop trying to second-guess everything and simply feel something. The Fringe is brilliant for that. Just when you think you’ve seen every kind of show imaginable, along comes one that reminds you there are countless ways to tell a story.
The production has already earned impressive praise from critics. Theatre Weekly described it as “a love song—or dance—to Taiwan”, while What’s The Show awarded it four-and-a-half stars, saying audiences will be “utterly enraptured the entire time.” Those are the sort of reviews that certainly make my Fringe radar start beeping.
One of the things I love most about the Edinburgh Fringe is stumbling across stories from countries and cultures I know far too little about. Formosa Viva feels like exactly that sort of discovery. You don’t need to speak Mandarin—or any language for that matter—to connect with emotion, and that’s what makes this production so appealing. Whether you’re a dance enthusiast or someone who usually heads straight for the comedy section of the programme (guilty as charged), this looks like a chance to experience something genuinely different.
Formosa Viva will be performed at Sanctuary at Paradise in Augustines from 8–22 August (excluding 9 and 16 August) at 12:20pm. The performance lasts 50 minutes and is entirely non-verbal.
Fringe Listing
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/formosa-viva
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