Alliance between Art and Enterprise: Golden Anchor the Open Kid Invites Everyone to Join the Hand Puppet Show Galore!
18 Youths from Around Taiwan Compete for the Skill, Creativity and Top Awards
The 2009 7-Eleven Cup Youth Hand Puppet Competition is supervised by the Council for Cultural Affairs and Preparatory Office of the National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, and organized by 7-Eleven. After 2 months of entry and judging by experts and scholars, 18 top young hand puppet performers (under the age of 40) were selected for the preliminary round of the competition. The chosen contestants will participate in the 6-day competition held between August 15 and 20 at the National Center for Traditional Arts (NCFTA), for prizes totaling NT$450,000 and the opportunity to participate in performances organized by NCFTA or Uni-President within the next year.
The 18 selected participants are between 25 and 40 years old. Most of them learned hand puppetry during their childhood while studying at school. Given that they have been performing since they were little, they have all garnered abundant performing experience. The youngest performer is 25-year-old Hsiao Weu-jen, who comes from the Hsiao Weu-jen Hand Puppet Troupe in Hsiushui Town, Changhua County. Due to his passion and enthusiasm for onstage performance, he was determined to join the hand puppet performance industry after graduation from high school. Hsiao Weu-jen has capitalized on the creativity of being a “1980s-born” youngster. In addition to enhancing his performance skills, he is also actively engaged in developing more innovative hand puppet stunts and different approaches to performing, hoping to attract more audiences to the hand puppet show business,
The organizers extend their warmest welcome to everyone in Taiwan to witness the fierce hand puppet competition, which will be held between August 15 and 20 at the National Center for Traditional Arts. For more detailed information, please contact the NCFTA visitor hotline at 03-9507711 ext. 228, or please log on to the NCFTA website: www.ncfta.gov.tw
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