NTCPA

 FEDEC member since 2026

The National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (NTCPA) is a pioneering public higher-education institution in Taiwan offering a coherent and long-term professional training pathway in traditional opera and performing arts. 

The NTCPA is built on the legacy of two academies, the National Fu Hsing Experimental School of Theatre Arts (1957) and the National Kuo Kuang Academy of Arts (1976). In 2006, the college was further upgraded into the present-day NTCPA, which currently has six departments – of Jing Ju, Acrobatics, Xi Qu Music, Taiwanese Opera, Theatre Arts, and Hakka Opera – as well as affiliated performing units - the Jing Ju Troupe, the Acrobatics Troupe and the Traditional Opera Youth Troupe, founded in 2016. 

Its mission is to:

• Teach, preserve, promote and innovate Taiwan’s traditional operas and related performing arts
• Blend rigorous skills training with academic learning, research and artistic creation
• Cultivate holistic artists through general education alongside major curricula
• Strengthen international exchange while deepening local cultural transmission

Training offered

The NTCPA provide a 12-year coherent curriculum, from elementary school to college, ending up to the obtention of a Bachelor's degree, across traditional opera and contemporary stage practices. 

The school is composed of 6 departments:

• Department of Jing Ju: Peking Opera performance, playwriting & directing
• Department of Acrobatics: Skills training from basics to contemporary creation
• Department of Xi Qu Music: Traditional opera music performance & composition
• Department of Taiwanese Opera: Taiwan’s indigenous opera tradition and innovation
• Department of Theatre Arts: Stagecraft, lighting, sound, sets, costumes
• Department of Hakka Opera: Hakka opera performance, creation and cultural heritage

The major curriculum provides professional skills, traditional culture, contemporary performing arts, theory & practice, and is completed by a general education in humanities, sciences and transversal skills for holistic development.

Introduction of the Department of Acrobatics

The Department of Acrobatics is dedicated to cultivating professional acrobatic performing arts talents through systemic training and precise control. By blending traditional acrobatics with contemporary theatrical narratives, the department develops a performance style unique to Taiwanese culture. To respond to the diverse, tech-driven demands of today's society, it actively breaks traditional boundaries to remain modern and relevant.

The curriculum balances theory and practice across three core dimensions to build a comprehensive foundation for students. In terms of specialized majors and cross-disciplinary clusters, it offers two major tracks—Juggling, and Acrobatics and Acrobatic Dance—while integrating performing arts, directing and choreography, and pedagogy to deliver a well-rounded professional education. For physical performance and aesthetic training, students enrich their physical vocabulary through modern dance, theatrical acting, and specialized physical topics, while deepening their stage presence and movement layers through contact improvisation and martial arts. Finally, the academic research and forward-looking technology dimension features special topics research to encourage fieldwork, literature reviews, and the historical tracing of Taiwanese acrobatic arts, alongside performance and technology courses that drive digital, cross-disciplinary innovation.

To transform technical skills into mature performance capabilities, the department has designed a progressive four-year practical performance blueprint through theater practice and cooperative education.

• The freshman year focuses on foundational review and theater practice, utilizing full-class joint productions to emphasize the precise execution of classroom techniques while introducing theater administration, technical execution, and professional rehearsal attitudes.
• During the sophomore year of style exploration and creative awakening, students develop unique short pieces based on group members' individual specialties and traits, providing them with the creative space to showcase personal styles.
• The junior year emphasizes independent presentation and industry integration, requiring students to complete an individual solo show to solidify their personal signature techniques, alongside off-campus internships with professional performing arts companies for real-world experience.
• For the senior graduation production and professional showcase, students plan milestone capstone works under faculty mentorship, adapting to their individual strengths through grand scale public performances or distinct performance, directing, and creation tracks. 

Disciplines taught

• Acrobatics

• Juggling

• Xi Qu music (traditional Chinese Opera)

• Dance

• Jing Ju (Peking Opera)

• Taiwanese Opera

• Hakka Opera

• Theater Arts (stage technologies)

Learn more about this member

Founded in 1957 and upgraded to the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts in 2006

Management team

• Director: Yang Lee
• Artistic Director: Yu-Chun Cheng 

Teaching language

Chinese

Location

No.177, 2 section.,Neihu Rd.
Taipei, 11464
Taiwan

Contact

pingping21614@gmail.com
https://www.tcpa.edu.tw/p/404-1000-31578.php?Lang=zh-tw