A troupe of more than 100 ethnic Taiwanese left Taipei by a cross-Strait weekend charter flight on Monday for a performance during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.

The troupe members were not professional singers and dancers but they were willing to display the Taiwan's indigenous minority culture, said troupe leader Kao Chin Su-Mei.

The troupe will give a 3-minute-plus performance during the warm-up part of the opening ceremony to be held at the Bird's Nest. It will perform the Bunun Tribe's unique eight-note harmonies, the hair dance of Tau Tribe and other ritual dances of indigenous tribes in the show, according to the leader.

In an earlier interview, she has said her team were proud and honored to present their culture and tradition to the Olympic audience.

She said all the members arrived in Taipei one day ahead of schedule on Sunday as they were worried Typhoon Fung Wong would have hindered traffic.

During a rehearsal several days ago, many troupe members told Xinhua they were anxious to give the performance in Beijing and take the opportunity to have a look at the mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2008)