Seniors rock audience at Yilan festival

2014-10-06

Eight groups composed entirely of local seniors aged 60 years or older staged a musical extravaganza Oct. 2 as part of the nine-day annual Yilan Forever Young Festival established to encourage the elderly to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

Performers including Taichung’s Anti-aging Street Dance Group, Taitung Haiduan Grace Band and Yilan Energy Band played a range of styles from rock and roll to jazz at Yilan Stadium.

“It is exciting to see so many seniors embracing a robust lifestyle and fulfilling their musical dreams,” an official from Yilan County Government said. “The concert is a special opportunity to honor our elders and help them live their lives to the fullest.”

In addition to routines usually performed by young people such as pole and robot dances, the concert featured a dazzling visual display created from light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting.

The event also included two other sets that received a rapturous welcome. They were Yilan Energy Band’s rendition of “Taiwan Rice,” for which they dressed in the straw rain capes traditionally worn by agricultural workers, and a jazz performance by LKK Jazz Band.

Now in its second year, the festival includes a wide array of events such as baseball games, a bridal dress show, catwalk fashion event and Chinese chess contest. The activities will conclude Oct. 5.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=222458&CtNode=413)