On the stage the rolling drums open a performance rooted in traditional Chinese philosophy.
Behind the stage, the same drums are bringing peace and hope to young prison inmates who are kept away from society.
Twenty performers in maroon trousers move in unison with every stroke of the stick. The white masks hide the identities of the inmates of the Changhua Prison in central-west Taiwan, a remote correctional facility for young offenders between 18 to 25 years of age.
For the last four years, under the leadership of a former warden who has an education in art therapy, the prison has been holding music and art classes to calm down the often impulsive inmates.
Helped by a government-sponsored program to improve the image and environment of detention centres around Taiwan, Changhua Prison started a initiative with the U-theatre in 2009.
The theatre troupe specialises in performances which mix drumming and martial arts under a Zen theme and practices.
The inmate drummers were selected from volunteers among the 2,750 prisoners. After three months of training in meditation, Taichi, and drumming, the inmates made their debut in November 2009, in front of more than 10,000 people, all outside of the prison walls.
The participants of the programme say the training and performances have changed them in how they look at themselves.
"The biggest change is that we have honour and we can be a team now. We were only concerned about self benefit before and did not cooperate with each other. Now we want to do a great performance, and we start to work as a team. I like it," said the 22-year-old team leader who calls himself Hsiao Tsai, which is not his real name.
Others said that drumming is a chance for them to free their minds and forget about the freedom they lost.
"I got nervous before the performance, especially the very first time. But when I stepped onto the stage, I forgot that I'm a prisoner, I emptied myself when I performed on the stage. I can't say that I have reached the spiritual level of my masters, but I do not care what people think about me. I am just doing my best with every drum beat," said 27-year-old Hsiao Chen, who is waiting for conditional release on parole, after serving half of a six-year sentence.
Although their hard work had won them applause from the outside world, the shackles on their wrists and ankles still keep some of them chained to their past.
More than 20,000 criminals have been released from the detention centres since the beginning of 2010. But many often face economic difficulties and are not welcomed by prospective employees and many end up back in jail.
"The prison is just like a school, we try to transform them through arts education, to help them build up their self confidence. We let people understand what we are doing here, and try to make it easier for society to accept them," said the Changhua Prison Warden, Tai Shou-nan.
U-theatre's founder and art director, Liu Ruo-yu, said the theatre's core value of union of art and meditation allows the inmates to seek inner peace and not just focus on strength and skills.
"We teach them with both the mind and the skill. They made mistakes before, so we are more concerned about education of the mind. We try to help them to enjoy and get the sense of satisfaction with drumming and gain confidence from it. Once they have the confidence, they can trust people, then they can feel close to society," said Liu.
Over the weekend, the prisoners performed for the first time this year at a community library. The number, "The Strength to Start Out", symbolises their renewed energy to redefine values in life.
There is no guarantee where their lives will lead them after they serve their sentences, but Liu hopes when they make the next choice in life, they will remember their performances and the hard work and effort that made it possible for them to succeed in becoming musicians.
Reuters
source: newshub archive
