現代性與台灣當代舞蹈映像：由迷戀「中國」到迷戀「福爾摩莎」

Modernity and Contemporary Dance in Taiwan: From Obsession with “China” to Obsession with “Formosa”

本文係針對前「新聞局」出版的《中國舞蹈》(1968)及《舞宴》(1995)兩部宣傳紀錄片，作音像比較與歷史分析，目的旨在釐清舞蹈如何再現官方政績，並試圖解讀兩部影片背後所扣連的台灣當代社會意識、現代性與族群身分政治的變遷等。紀錄片號稱是紀實電影，本身即為一種社會文本，記錄觀點更是檢驗拍攝當下的政治、社會指標。那麼在台灣特殊的時空下，舞蹈如何被動員來催化民族──國家的宣傳？從舞蹈紀錄片中，現代性在台灣的兩階段顯影，其所呈現的時代面貌、社會變遷與族群關係為何？當舞蹈成為官方宣傳主題時，即便是以正向方式來呈現「社會現實」，然而影片在模仿(mimesis)與敘事(diegesis)的框架之間，其兀自逸出的訊息是什麼？藉由「現代中國舞」(Modern Chinese Dance)與「原住民樂舞」的呈現方式，以及Agnes Heller的現代性邏輯分析，本研究發現，鏡頭在移轉之間所揭示的是，「黃昏的民族」意象與外省族群由權力位置移往邊緣的「同時共代」(Fabian, 1983)性，而促使台灣社會的族群關係躍然於銀幕之上者，其實是主體斷裂與扣連的能量，由迷戀符號「中國」轉向迷戀符號「福爾摩莎」的現代性追求。

Dance documentaries often refer to works of realistic, genuine, and already past performance events, perhaps to inform the viewers for various purposes, whereas propaganda aims at social engineering for the government’s own benefit. Prior to the 1970s, dance in Taiwan was rarely documented in film, except in political propaganda. Until the 1990s, the most comprehensive documentaries on contemporary dance in Taiwan were still for the purpose of political propaganda. This essay examines two propaganda dance documentaries, entitled Three Faces of Chinese Dance (1968) and A Dancing Feast: A Documentary on Taiwan Choreography (1995). Since the lifting of the 38-year long period of Martial Law in 1987 happened to be the defining event that separated the earlier documentary from the later one, it is assumed to have had different impacts on the two films, despite both being issued by the same ROC Government Information Office. Thus, under these particular situations in Taiwan, how was dance mobilized to reinforce the concept of the nation-state? What eidetic imagery marking the social changes, ethnic relations, and appearances of modernity in Taiwan can be seen from these two dance documentaries? When dance is playing the role of propaganda, what information is revealed through these two documentaries by means of mimesis and diegesis? In terms of these two ideological states, pre and post-martial law, dance artists seem to continue to take their cues from a nationstate point of view. Whether to resist, dodge, or follow the censored clues, they have only considered “serious” choreography as their subjects. Through Agnes Heller’s “logics of modernity” and the filmed presences of modern Chinese dance as well as indigenous song and dance within the respective two dance documentaries, I argue that ideologies derived from a search for modernity in Taiwan’s contemporary dance works have moved from an obsession with “China” signifier to an obsession with “Formosa” signifier.