“The Islanders” are a talented and diverse troupe of young Taiwanese American actors, dancers, musicians, photographers, cinematographers, and performing artists who perform at local events in the Village and around the city. This was a collaboration borne out of mutual friendship.
The troupe’s latest incarnation “Islanders 4” celebrated and performed the event Compound Playground at Pretty Garden located on 99 Canal Street on November 2nd. The key eight principals of “Islanders 4” are: Chieh the choreographer/dancer, Yo-yo the violinist, Sabina the pianist, Leo the host/linguist (also singer/composer), Bing-Bing, the actor, Fang, the actor/singer, Yohan the photographer, and Grant, the cinematographer.
The Compound Playground
The event’s Compound Playground concept is a mix of live musical performances and multi-media exhibitions. For the latter the focus was on short films created by the troupe that featured abstract dance, a violinist fluttering upon urban rooftop scenes, the interaction of these subjects and how this relates and affects environmental concerns. Two key principals, Chieh and Yo-yo, were featured in the film. Actors also performed during an apartment scene. The live concert performance, which happened after the exhibition, consisted of Yo-yo, Sabina, Leo, and two special guests: a cellist, and a jazz singer.
Three Original Compositions
The first original piece was composed by the pianist Sabina to express her journey of motherhood called Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? which she wrote about her young son Ryan’s favorite book. The song is an allegory of a child’s vivid imagination, where numerous animals are represented by colors in the story. It culminated into the students in a classroom all seeing the “brown bear.”
The second song, also composed by Sabina, was called Sleepless, and this piano composition starts with a more upbeat jazzier feel, and later segues during the bridge into avant-garde classical, then back to jazz.
The third song, Curry Rice, was composed by the host Leo. He wrote this while living in New York City when he was homesick during Lunar New Year. He was missing his mother, still living in Taiwan, who used to cook this dish for him. Leo wrote and sang the lyrics in Taiwanese.
An End of Year Celebration
Compound Playground was an event filled with fun, music, and art. Special Taiwanese dishes and soups, beers and various local wines were also available.
If you’d like to learn more about Islanders 4, view their schedule, or book any of them for a private event, visit this link below.
instagram.com/compoundplayground
Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:
Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify