Origin

Street Culture originated from modern metropolises in the US and Europe and it comprises elements of street dance, graffiti, rock and rap.  It is now very popular in many cultures, especially among teenagers all over the world.  As the most urbanized district in New Taipei City, Banqiao, the street culture is flourishing and can be seen on every corner of the city, the charms and the energy of street culture can be experienced anytime, anywhere.  As for rock, there are many music rehearsal rooms in Banqiao that are used as bases for rock ‘n’ roll bands to sharpen their skills.  Many now well-known rock ‘n’ roll bands used to rehearse/practice in Banqiao, accumulating their energy and waiting for their moment to shine.  Meanwhile, Banqiao is also the friendliest district to graffiti culture in the city.  The only legal graffiti area in New Taipei City is located in Banqiao and many graffiti artists have left their brilliant art works, very pleasing to the eye of people indeed.  Banqiao serves a special meaning in the Street Dance Culture of Taiwan.  Since 1998, when Banqiao Station was opened to the public, its spacious layout has attracted many young people to practice dances and observe and learn from each other; thus, it has cultivated many great street dancers who shine internationally.  Banqiao has, for this reason, been given the reputation of the “Street Dance Practice Mecca”.  The Street Dance Competition which has been held for five consecutive years has accumulated such a reputation over the years that its scale has expanded to preliminary competitions in northern, central and southern Taiwan.  Meanwhile, rap and graffiti competitions have been added. Thanks to this competition, the street dance culture of Banqiao has developed, while the modernity and charms of New Taipei City has been further enhanced.

Activities

Rock ‘n’ Roll Sherlock: The street music concert - “Rock ‘n’ Roll Sherlock” held in July-August opens the curtain on the activity. Using the concept of SummerRock, the concert is made up of four parts: rap, heavy metal, blues and children’s rock-‘n-roll.  Unlike the Ho-Hai-Yan Gongliao Rock Festival that had a big stage set up on the beach, the concert is held at places around the exits of Fuzhong and Banquiao MRT Stations.  Station after Station, rock ‘n’ roll concerts are held at streets where people gather, allowing the audience to enjoy the charms of various kinds of rock ‘n’ roll music in a relaxing and spontaneous manner.  Furthermore, through these concerts, it is likely that more music talents of the younger generation will be scouted, boosting the rock ‘n’ roll energies of Banqiao to the fullest.

The Amazing Street Shows: After a passionate summer rock ‘n’ roll concerts, in August-September a street graffiti contest will be held at the square in front of the Banqiao Station in downtown Banqiao.  Meanwhile, people may enjoy the Beatbox contest (Beatbox is referred to as the fifth element of street Hip-Hop Culture) and the chalk graffiti camp that allows children to experience the fun of graffiti directly.  At the square, we have the elements of “music” and “colors” for appreciating the amazing colors of graffiti and the super sound-techniques produced by the ever-changing vocal percussion.

The International Street Dance Competition: Since 2008, Banquiao district authorities have been holding big-scale street dance competitions.  The competition has successfully attracted many participants domestically and internationally as well as the support of street-dance-lovers; this competition has laid a solid foundation for the reputation of Banqiao street dance.  This year’s competition has been expanded from the competition last year. In addition to holding preliminary contests in northern, central and southern Taiwan, international street dancers are also invited to participate in a special qualification contest.  For the final contest, world-renowned street dance masters have been invited as judges and international champion teams will participate in the contest as seed players to upgrade the level and professionalism of the competition. Furthermore, with the promotion through various channels throughout Taiwan, this competition is elevated as the representative street dance competition of Taiwan as well as an international-grade competition that puts the street dance of Banqiao on the international map, making the world see Taiwan!!