Dragon dance troupe passes on Hakka culture

Zaoqiao Elementary School is located in Miaoli County, where there is a large Hakka population. Combining sports and Hakka culture, the student dragon dance troupe is a distinctive feature of the school, and the annual street parade during Lantern Festival is a highly significant event for the troupe. Performances and competitions provide valuable learning opportunities for the dragon dance troupe and less academically inclined students.

With Taiwan's ever-worsening fertility rate, the school’s dragon dance troupe faces a shortage of students and lengthy practice times are often required to improve tempo and rhythm, especially for special education and remedial students. Teachers believe self-belief is the most essential element in the teaching process and the school’s dragon dance troupe has grown into a tradition that makes students and teachers intensely proud. Hopefully, the troupe will continue developing and performing long into the future.

以下為中文對照

造橋國小位在客家人口眾多的苗栗縣，舞龍隊是該校的特色，結合了運動以及客家文化。每年元宵節的踩街活動，對造橋國小舞龍隊而言是重要的任務。其實每一次的表演與競賽活動，除了給少數不擅長讀書的孩子展現自己的機會，也使舞龍團隊得到更多學習經驗。

但隨著時代的變遷，舞龍隊也面臨著因少子化帶來的人才缺失問題。雖然有時候，需要增加特教班及資源班學生的練習時間，訓練節奏及律動，不過老師認為教學過程中最重要的還是要相信他們的能力。舞龍隊如今已成為學生及老師們引以為傲的傳統，希望能一直延續下去。

照片