TAIWU BALLADS TROUPE & DUNGI SAPOR (TW)

At Czech Music Crossroads, a fusion will emerge that you won’t hear anywhere else – a meeting of traditional polyphony and cutting-edge electronics. DJ Dungi Sapor, a trailblazer of electronic music rooted in the Indigenous culture of Hualien, will share the stage with the youth vocal ensemble Taiwu Ballads Troupe, guardians of the millennia-old songs of the Paiwan people. Their collaboration will blend digital beats with ancestral voices into an extraordinary experience that hovers between spiritual depth and dancefloor ecstasy.

Taiwu Ballads Troupe was founded at Taiwu Elementary School in Taiwu Township, Pingtung County, situated in the heart of the sacred mountain range of the Paiwan people, Beidawu Mountain. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Camake Valaule, the group—comprising children and teenagers—performs traditional polyphonic ballads passed down by their ancestors with natural and emotional vocal expressions. They are also capable of collaborating with professional musicians in high-level cross-genre performances, making them a treasured cultural gem of Taiwan that is frequently invited to international music festivals and cultural events.

DJ Dungi Sapor is an Indigenous artist from Hualien, Taiwan. Inspired by Enigma’s Return to Innocence, she found herself asking: “Why isn’t electronic music combined with Indigenous music?” Hence “I Ho Yan” became the first single of great significance in her life and was designated as the halftime music for the NBA G League.

Dungi strives to find new ways to bridge tradition and contemporary culture. And she travels all over the world, promoting and learning, resulting in many exchanges with various cultures, and using electronic music elements to a richer fusion of traditional and modern cultures.