Inner Space Dance Conversations (2017)

Synopsis

With the the advent of globalization and the availability of multiple means of education, multilingualism is becoming quite a norm. It is immensely possible for one person to speak in two, three, four, five, six or even seven languages. But is there a limit to what may be conveyed via such written or spoken languages?

This experiment will take place over a very short period of just 3 weeks where we will see a group of dancers presenting full-length repertoires within the dance styles of Western Contemporary, Odissi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam. Each of these repertoires is designed as standalone showcases, which are described further as follows.

Production Information

  • Production / Presenting Company:TFA Inner Space Dance Company
  • Artistic Director / Curator / Programme Coordinator:Umesh Shetty
  • Date:3 – 4 August 2017
  • Total Showing:2; NB: A total of 22 individual pieces were performed. Below is only a selection of the main items.
  • Venue:Shantanand Auditorium, The Temple of Fine Arts, Brickfields
  • State:Kuala Lumpur

Individual Dance Items

Item #1

  • Title:Drawinger
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    The Cajon, is a boxed shaped percussion instrument with Afro Peruvian origins. Today, it has become a globally loved music instrument that is used across a diverse range of artistic genres. The instrument is universally used in classical, contemporary, traditional and fusion type works. Power is great but power can be evil and unjust. Power is something that man aspires for, but can it also be something that man cannot comprehend or understand? The Cajon as a representation of power. Draw, Drawing… DRAWINGER.

  • Choreographer:Mohammad Khairi Mokthar
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar, DHanya Thurairajah, Hemavathi Sivanesan, Rohini Shetty, Shonabushani Velusamy
  • Composer:Jan Jelinek, Khairi Mokthar

Item #2

  • Title:SHE II
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    What is our connection to the people around us? What is our relationship with the society around us?…. A multitude of doubts infest my mind, influence my thoughts… and ultimately I choose to hide away from society. But then again, there must be light and there must be hope in this life of many boundaries… and many layers. A table with many sides, a society with multiple perspectives, and a multitude of choices.

     

  • Choreographer:James Kan
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying
  • Composer:Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Alva Noto Ryuichi Sakamoto

Item #3

  • Title:Treachery
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    A moment of solitude, an eternity of loneliness… The awakening of strength

     

  • Choreographer:Muhammad Fairul Azreen Mohd Zahid; Assistant Choreographer: Alisya Razman Adam
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar, Dhanya Thurairajah, Hemavathi Sivanesan, Rohini Shetty, Shonabushani Velusamy
  • Composer:Svarter Greiner

Item #4

  • Title:Chain Reaction
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    In an interconnected universe, what the body does not remember is that a small IMPUSE can produce a colossal chain reaction. Just like a conversation can either confront, concord or remain silent.

     

  • Choreographer:Ng Xinying
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar, Rohini Shetty
  • Composer:Robert Lippok, Yves De Mey

Item #5

  • Title:Bounce Back
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    Bounce, an act of jumping or an instance of being moved up and down that comes into contact with an impulse that has been reflected. This piece is an exploration from the act of bounce into new taste of movement quality.

     

  • Choreographer:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar
  • Composer:Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke

Item #6

  • Title:Dystopia
  • Item Synopsis / Program Notes:

    An undesired and frightening society. A world of fear and treachery, and of trampling and being trampled upon. A world that will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Is this the kind of world that we are creating? A dystopian society where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives. Social and technological trends have contributed to a corrupted or degraded state of deprivation and oppression. Governmental tyranny and an exploitation of the people are also prominent. Dystopia, typically envisages the relentless forces of a technologized society extending its power over the human race, offering a nightmare of the individual, crushed by inhumane state forces. This piece might give you a lot to think about. Not as an abstract far off idea, but as a dystopia happening right here and right now!

     

  • Choreographer:James Kan
  • Category:Contemporary
  • Dancers:Ng Xinying, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar, Dhanya Thurairajah, Hemavathi Sivanesan, Rohini Shetty, Shonabushani Velusamy
  • Composer:Sam Lee, Daniel Pemberton

Credit