By Cynthia Hsiung Special to The China Post
Slightly moving his fingers, a man makes a puppet play with a small ball and do acrobatics, like handstands and throwing and catching.
The performer was demonstrating his art at a press conference held yesterday to introduce the Formosa Arts Festivals in 2005.
This cultural program, which is underway and will last through December, features a variety of traditional and modern activities, including musical performances, dances, displays of handicrafts and sculptures, as well as food shows from 21 counties.
The Puppet Theater Art Festival in Kaohsiung will consist of three types of traditional puppet shows -- shadow puppets, glove puppets, and marionettes. The organizers have invited performing groups from Italy, France, Hungary, Malaysia and Japan to participate in the festival in order to enrich the art of puppetry in Taiwan.
The Formosa Arts Festivals, sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs, are an effort to incorporate cultural activities in different counties, Chen Chi-nan, head of the council, said.
"I'm glad to see that Taiwan has become 'Festival-Land' due to the hard work of the central and county governments over the past ten years," Chen observed. "Taiwan residents can get to know more about the arts of Taiwan through government-sponsored art activities."
Organizers of these festivals invite not only local but also foreign performance groups to participate. For example, the Austronesian Festival in Taitung County, scheduled to begin tomorrow and last through Aug. 28, will have groups from Hawaii, Okinawa and Fiji, to display their seafaring cultures.
At the festivals in Hualien and Miaoli, people interested in sculpture can enjoy wood and stone carvings.
Hualien is referred to as "the home of stones" for its abundant mining and quarrying industries. At the Hualien International Stone Sculpture Festival, visitors will be able to see modern and prehistoric stone carvings.
Also, works by sculpture master Henry Moore will be displayed in the main hall of the county's Bureau of Cultural Affairs.
The International Sanyi Wood Carving Festival comprises two main exhibitions: one on Oceania wood carving and the other on wood carving, presenting unique buildings and other objects in Sanyi, Miaoli County.
For more information about the Formosa Arts Festivals, visit the Web site: http://formosa-festival.cca.gov.tw