Taiwanese Sports Troupe to visit Westmont

Students in the Taiwanese Folk Sports Troupe will visit DuPage County this week to demonstrate their athleticism, coordination and balance in two performances.

During the first free presentation at 10 a.m. Monday, July 20, the young athletes will interact with participants to demonstrate how they accomplish some of their sporting feats. The sports troupe then will give another free, 90-minute performance at 1:30 p.m. Both events are at the Westmont Park District Community Center, 25 E. Richmond St.

"Our relationship with the Taipai Economic and Cultural Organization continues to grow and this is another joint effort in which we are collaborating to bring unique cultural presentations to our community," said Larry McIntyre, communications director for the village of Westmont. "The entire community is invited to attend this upcoming performance."

The performance will consist of athletic displays of coordination and balance that are unique to Taiwan. These ancient sports - including shuttlecock kicking, diabolo spinning, rope skipping, kite flying, dragon and lion dances, and top spinning - have long been practiced from generation to generation.

Today in Taiwan, these folk sports are extremely popular among students. They can be regarded as gymnastic and recreational activities, or displayed in performances and competitions.

Talented primary and junior high school students have been selected since 1988 to form youth folk sports troupes to visit different places around the world, including Asia, America, Europe, Australia and Africa. They entertain overseas and gain excellent ratings in international athletic meets, academic conferences or folk festivals.

Through them, these traditional folk sports are introduced to countries all over the world and are gradually becoming popular internationally.

This year's troupe includes 26 students ages 12 to 14 from Hsi-Yuan Elementary School, Xin-Yi Junior High School and Hong-Dao Junior High School in Taipei who have been selected to visit the United States. They present their agile performances in diabolo spinning, shuttlecock kicking and rope skipping. Intertwined in their program is a combination of folk music, folk dance, pop music and dance, as well as children's games played in their country.

For information on the Westmont performance, contact info@westmont.il.gov or (630) 417-0280.