George town: Taiwanese jazz musicians and dancers are set to join local and international artists at Malaysia’s 16th George Town Festival, which runs from August 2 to 10 and includes over 50 performances.

According to Focus Taiwan, two Taiwanese groups, the Stacey Wei Quartet and Hung Dance, will present four performances as part of the festival’s “Isle to Isle” section, a collaboration between Penang and Taiwan now in its seventh year.

The Stacey Wei Quartet, led by trumpeter Stacey Wei, will perform on August 2 and 3. Formed specifically for the festival, the ensemble features Taiwan’s renowned drummer Rich Huang, pianist Guras Batu, and double bass player Liu Yu-chia. Malaysian keyboardist Tay Cher Siang will later join the Taiwanese quartet, performing original pieces and well-known Taiwanese and Malaysian tunes, as stated by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture in a press release.

Hung Dance, a contemporary dance troupe, will perform “Birdy” on August 9 and 10. The piece incorporates tai chi movements and traditional Chinese opera elements, such as Peking opera’s feathered headpieces, exploring themes of constraint, transformation, and transcendence. Previously, “Birdy” has been staged to sold-out audiences at the Off Avignon Festival in France and the American Dance Festival. Its premiere at George Town will be its first performance in Asia outside Taiwan.

Since its inception in 2008, the George Town Festival has grown into a significant annual arts event in Southeast Asia, launched to honor George Town’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The “Isle to Isle” project, initiated in 2019, aims to highlight cultural ties between Taiwan and Penang, through a collaboration between the festival’s curatorial team and the Culture Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECRO) in Malaysia. The Taiwan segment has since become a staple of the festival.

In addition to the performances, the festival will host a jazz seminar on August 1 titled “And All That Jazz: Stories of Malaysia and Taiwan,” featuring Wei, Huang, and Tay. This free session, already fully booked, will delve into the development of jazz in both countries. A series of jazz workshops, including a jazz drumming masterclass led by Huang, will also take place during the festival.

The performances aim to embody this year’s festival theme of “Connection” and reinforce “Isle to Isle” as a platform for cross-cultural dialogue, according to the statement.