Spotlight: Ko Ya-wen, Turkish belly dancer

Spotlight: Ko Ya-wen, Turkish belly dancer

2023-08-01

Turkish belly dancing is known for its dynamic and flamboyant movements. Today we take you to meet Ko Ya-wen, an award-winning Turkish belly dancer and teacher. She started a studio to train Turkish belly dancers, and has traveled around Taiwan to perform at art festivals and events. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Ko to find out more.

She takes the stage with an explosive and dynamic belly dance performance. Her movements are bold and strong, with many body rolls, spins, and floorwork.

Compared to other belly dance styles, Turkish dance movements are faster and lighter. This is a performance by Ko Ya-wen, an award-winning Turkish belly dancer.

Ko Ya-wen
Founder
There are so many styles now. The most unique thing about our Turkish belly dancing is that it is flamboyant, uses power from the lower belly, and combines movements of the body. The style of music is also more joyful. Because in Turkey, it is performed in front of an audience, so I will make a lot of eye contact with you. We also wear high heels, so controlling our body is quite difficult.

Prior to being a belly dancer, Ko worked in the printing business. She fell in love with belly dance after taking lessons from a Turkish belly dance teacher named Crystal Lian. Ko decided to quit her job in the printing business and start teaching at her instructor’s studio. She also traveled around the world to master the art.

Ko Ya-wen
Founder
Before I became a dancer, I was an assistant at a printing factory. That was a very stable job. I had no foundation in dancing at all, and after seeing this dance, I really liked it and wanted to dance as well as my teacher. I thought I could do it. So I spent a lot of time learning from my teachers, studying abroad, and studying videos of many dancers. Besides giving me confidence, I think Turkish belly dancing is also so beautiful. Because my teacher left Taiwan, I thought it would be a pity to lose this beautiful dance, so I hope to continue to pass it on.

In 2019, Ko opened her own dance studio. One of her main goals is to nurture more Turkish belly dance teachers and talent.

Ko Ya-wen
Founder
I hope Turkish belly dance can continue to be passed on. Therefore, I have been cultivating teachers. Not necessarily teachers, but also people who like to perform very much. I’ve started to let them teach. I am doing this for their future. If a woman really has a dream, I hope to provide a stage where she can fulfill her dream.

Having taught Turkish belly dance for 15 years now, Ko hopes to continue to foster more talent in Taiwan and give them a place to shine. She also wants to let more people know about the beauty of Turkish belly dance and culture.

「柯雅文藝術舞蹈團」在台教學土耳其肚皮舞

2023-08-01

以充滿活力和華麗的動作而聞名的土耳其肚皮舞。今天帶大家來認識一位屢獲殊榮的土耳其肚皮舞表演者和老師柯雅文。她開設了一家培訓土耳其肚皮舞者的工作室，也經常在全台的藝術節和活動登台表演。一起來看看!

她以充滿爆發力和動感的肚皮舞表演登上舞台。大膽且俐落有力的舞蹈動作，結合許多身體翻滾、旋轉和地板的動作。

與其他肚皮舞風格相比，土耳其肚皮舞的動作更快速、更輕盈。來自於柯雅文的表演，獲獎無數的土耳其肚皮舞舞者。

[[創辦人柯雅文]]
“因為現在的風格非常多，那我們最主要的特色，就是比較炫技、比較使用中段的技巧，然後身體的組合動作會比較多，音樂的風格方面也是比較歡樂，因為主要在土耳其是表演給觀眾看，所以我跟你的眼神接觸會非常多，還有要穿高跟鞋，所以身體的控制是蠻困難的。”

在成為一名肚皮舞表演者之前，柯雅文曾在印刷行業工作。與土耳其肚皮舞老師連翊晶學習後，她愛上了肚皮舞。柯雅文決定辭去印刷行業的工作，開始在老師的工作室任教，她還為了鑽研肚皮舞跑遍全世界。

[[創辦人柯雅文]]
"我當舞者前我是印刷廠的助理，那個是一個非常安穩的工作。我本身是完全沒有舞蹈基礎的，但我接觸到肚皮舞後，我真的喜歡，並且也想跳得像老師一樣好，我就覺得我也可以做得到，所以我花了非常多的時間跟老師學習，或是出國學習、鑽研很多舞者的影片。跳舞除了能讓我更有自信以外，我認為肚皮舞本身就充滿美的意境。由於我的老師離開台灣了，我想如果這美麗的舞蹈就此消失，真的會很可惜，所以我希望可以繼續傳承下去"

2019年，柯雅文以自己的名字創立了「柯雅文藝術舞蹈團」。她其中一個目標，是想培養更多的土耳其肚皮舞教師和人才。

[[創辦人柯雅文]]
"我希望它(舞蹈)可以一直流傳下去，所以我就有在栽培師資，不一定是師資，也有很多非常喜歡表演的人，我開始讓老師教課，我是為了他們的未來做準備，希望每個女生，如果她真的對這件事情有夢想的，我希望這裡是可以完成她夢想的舞台"

柯雅文教課土耳其肚皮舞已有15年，她希望繼續在台灣培養更多人才，讓他們有一個發光發熱的地方，她也想讓更多的人了解土耳其肚皮舞的美麗和文化。

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Vice President Lai Ching-te was spotted in Changhua enjoying authentic local flavors. He gave up a smile when locals greeted him as Mr. President.

Lai promised to return as Taiwan’s president. With sights set on continuing DPP rule, Lai will embark on a state visit next week. He will attend Paraguay’s presidential inauguration and transit in the U.S., on his way over and back.

Matthew Miller
US state department spokesperson
And with respect to his transit, such transits have happened numerous times going back decades over multiple administrations, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary about them.

The U.S. emphasized that Lai’s transit stops were normal. But according to insiders, Lai’s previous remarks about entering the White House had sparked concerns in Washington. The topic came up again at the state department’s latest press briefing.

Journalist
He said that, quote, “When Taiwan’s president can enter the White House, the political goal that we’re pursuing will have been achieved.” What is the state department’s comment on those remarks?

Matthew Miller
US state department spokesperson
I don’t have any reaction to his remarks. I will say that from the United States’ perspective, our “one China” policy has not changed.

In mid-July, the Financial Times reported that Washington sought an explanation from Taiwan, after Lai said entering the White House represented the achievement of his political goal. The report also quoted a senior U.S. official, who said the White House had not been in touch with Lai himself, his campaign, or his staff. During Monday’s press briefing, the state department was asked if it feared Lai’s election could damage U.S.-China relations. The state department declined to respond. It said only that it would not address comments made by any political candidate of another country.

Lin Ching-yi
DPP lawmaker
I think that both we and the U.S. are very clear on the fact that when Vice President Lai Ching-te spoke about entering the White House, he was expressing a hope for more normal exchanges between two democratic nations. Any normal democratic nation understands the need to respect, to not interfere with the public discourse of other countries’ democratic elections.

Ahead of his trip overseas, Lai’s White House remarks have ignited debate. As Taiwan’s vice president and a presidential contender, his every move in the U.S. will be under scrutiny.

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TPP’s Ko Wen-je stirs debate with ‘Vote White, Vote Right’ slogan

The Taiwan People’s Party recently caused quite a stir with its new campaign slogan: “Vote White, Vote Right.” After the slogan went up online, it was criticized for its white supremacist connotations. The party’s presidential candidate, Ko Wen-je, says the controversy stems from a cultural difference. Even so, the TPP has removed the line from its official website.

TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je made an appearance in Kaohsiung on Tuesday. The visit came after his English campaign slogan, “Vote White, Vote Right,” raised an outcry over its racist connotations. U.S. media outlet BNN Breaking picked up the story, noting that Ko is a controversial figure known for his contentious remarks.

Ko Wen-je
TPP presidential candidate
This is a cultural difference. In Taiwan, it’s not problematic. But abroad, it is. In the future, we’ll get real foreigners to work on our websites.

A Taipei councilor said Ko underestimates the cultural awareness of Taiwanese people.

Lin Yen-feng
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Just because the TPP themselves don’t get it doesn’t mean all of Taiwan doesn’t get it. They are completely insulting the intelligence of Taiwanese people. Having a presidential candidate like him speaking on issues of global diplomacy would be a disaster for Taiwan.

Miao Po-ya
Taipei councilor (SDP)
Ko urgently needs to find aides who are qualified in international affairs, diplomacy, defense, national security and matters like that. Truly qualified aides with both talent and morals, and not just a PR team that diverts attention away from blunders made throughout the day.

Ko has a long record of gaffes. In 2015, U.K. transport minister Susan Kramer presented Ko with a pocket watch. When a reporter asked about the gift, Ko said he might give it away or to sell it to a scrap metal dealer for cash. In 2019, after returning from Israel, he landed in controversy with another remark.

Ko Wen-je (February 2019)
Taipei mayor
In Israel, they arranged for us to visit the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The greatest publicity for Jewish people internationally has been that 6 million of them were murdered during Hitler’s time.

More recently, in June, Ko told Japanese media that Taiwanese fishers did not want to claim the Diaoyutai Islands for Taiwan, but only wanted to fish near them. Ko’s campaign slogan is just another blunder on the list.

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Han Kuang drills criticized for having more show than substance

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Last Friday marked the end of the 39th Han Kuang war games, which featured high-profile anti-landing exercises. Critics say the drills were more show than substance.

In a talk show interview, a former naval officer questioned whether the fortifications and tactics deployed during the drills would actually be useful in a PLA attack. He said that although footage of the exercises looked impressive, the troops did not have concrete fortifications, and a real enemy may not advance exactly as Taiwan imagines. The ex-officer said Taiwan’s soldiers only had wooden planks and sand to stop the enemy. He said it appeared that the drills were meant primarily for show.

Lin Wen-huang
Ministry of National Defense
All military training exercises, including this year’s Han Kuang exercises, are meticulously planned out based on the threat posed by the PLA. We develop the possible scenarios, and based on those scenarios, we plan out the war exercises. Of course we will continue improving our combat-training exercises, making them more realistic and similar to real-life combat scenarios. I think this is something we will continue working on in our training.

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The locations of our ammunition depots are chosen based on operational requirements, based on meticulous and comprehensive reviews. To minimize the impact of this depot on nearby residents, we have already made alterations so that non-hazardous supplies, such as light weaponry ammunition, are stored near residential areas. Moving forward, we will continue earnest discussions with the city government and local residents over this issue.

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With the tug of a banner, the Ministry of Agriculture makes its debut.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
On May 20, 1988, farmers staged a protest with seven key demands. One of them was to upgrade the Council of Agriculture into a ministry. After more than 30 years, that dream has finally become reality.

The first minister of agriculture is Chen Chi-chung, formerly the head of the Council of Agriculture. Braving the rain, Chen gave an impassioned speech.

Chen Chi-chung
Agriculture minister
This is a step that’s been in the making for 35 years. The harder it rains, the stronger we become. Let us take our agriculture sector forward.

Turning down an umbrella held by an aide, Chen spoke under the rain for almost 10 minutes.

Chen Chi-chung
Agriculture minister
As the first minister, I would like to thank the DPP administration led by President Tsai Ing-wen for giving a country boy like me the opportunity to take on this position.

Chen received a seal from Premier Chen Chien-jen. Also witnessing this historic moment were Su Tseng-chang and Lin Chuan, former premiers of the Tsai administration.

Chen Chien-jen
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Wei Chun-fang
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Wei was previously a commercial stylist for 13 years. She wanted to break through the idea that children’s clothes are just a vehicle for cartoon characters. In 2016 she mortgaged her house, took on more than NT$60 million in debt, and founded her company. She didn’t realize that just as she started off on her aesthetic revolution, a pandemic was about to hit.

Wei Chun-fang
Children’s clothing brand founder
When we first started, to be honest, we were losing money on every item. But this is the truth – if you have decided, “I want to make a first-rate children’s clothing brand, I want to create an international brand from Taiwan,” then you won’t compromise.

Of the six years the brand has been operating, three were during a pandemic. But Wei is undaunted, and has pushed the company onward and upward. She’s opened four concessions in foreign department stores, including Printemps, a premium French store, and the brand has featured in international fashion weeks.

The brand has spared no expense to establish their reputation, importing organic Japanese cotton, and adopting costly made-in-Taiwan functional fabrics. These clothes aren’t cheap. But they’ve won the hearts of high-end customers, and last year the brand’s revenue grew 81% year-on-year.

Wei Chun-fang
Children’s clothing brand founder
It’s about children’s health. So we block all toxic materials at the source. So we use 100% organic cotton, or for example we’re using zinc oxide on our fabric too. I want everyone to have confidence that Taiwan has the capacity to go global, to make people see that Taiwan can do design and can make it happen.

Wei has a strong vision of the clothes she wants to make and the brand she wants to establish. Along the way, she might just contribute to a new global image of Taiwan.

2023-08-01