MOCA CINEMA - Dancing Home 跳進部落的孩子

Dancing Home is a heartfelt documentary tracing the artistic journey of world-renowned Paiwan choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, a member of one of Taiwan’s Indigenous tribes, whose work is deeply rooted in nature and indigenous heritage. Presented by the Museum of Chinese in America, the film follows Bulareyaung’s return to his hometown in Taitung, Taiwan, where he found renewal at a time of personal and professional uncertainty.

A graduate of Taipei National University of the Arts and former dancer with the legendary Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Bulareyaung later received an Asian Cultural Council fellowship to study in New York in 1998. He went on to choreograph for internationally acclaimed companies, including the Martha Graham Dance Company.

In 2015, supported by the Luo Manfei Dance Grant, he founded the Bulareyaung Dance Company—offering a space for indigenous youth, many without formal training, to explore contemporary dance. Dancing Home captures their shared journey of self-discovery, as these young performers reconnect with their roots and, in doing so, help Bulareyaung reconnect with his own.

The screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with Bulareyaung, focusing on his artistic experiences in New York and his lifelong commitment to uplifting Indigenous communities through dance.

*This 90-minute documentary is presented in Mandarin with English subtitles.

This program is supported by Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York.

Born in the Jialan Village in Taitung, Taiwan, Paiwan choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava’s name means “happy warrior.”

He dreamed of becoming a dancer at the age of 12, choreographed his first piece while studying at Taipei National University of the Arts, and later joined Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, performing solo works on tours around the world. In 1998, he received a fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council to study in New York. His choreography has been featured by esteemed companies such as the Martha Graham Dance Company in the U.S., Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, and Cloud Gate 2 in Taiwan. He has also been invited to perform at prestigious international venues, including the Vancouver Winter Olympics Arts Festival, the Vail International Dance Festival in the U.S., and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. His works have been praised internationally for their “wild originality, humor, sensuality, and surprise—making modern dance irresistible.”

In 2010, while taking a curtain call hand-in-hand with the Martha Graham dancers at Lincoln Center, Bulareyaung thought to himself, “How wonderful it would be to be holding hands with my own people.” That wish became a mission. In 2015, he returned to his hometown in Taitung and founded the Bulareyaung Dance Company (B.D.C.). Drawing from the rich cultural heritage of indigenous communities and rooted in a landscape between mountains and sea, B.D.C. empowers local youth who love to dance. Through the exploration of voice and movement, the company develops a unique vocabulary of indigenous contemporary dance.

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