MyDance Alliance has organised a late afternoon gathering cum makan on Sunday (16 February) and everyone is invited – members, friends and anyone interested in knowing more about the organisation and the people involved.

Members of MyDance rarely have a chance to meet, talk and get to know each other better. What better way than over food?

The main people behind MyDance (members of the committee) will explain what the organisation is about and detail some of the major projects that are either already underway or still in the planning stages – the 2003 Dance Box Series and the second MyDance Festival, MDF 2003.

MyDance however, is not just for the committee. There are many ways in which you could also play role.

Are you interested in the Creation & Presentation of dance performances? Join Mew Chang Tsing and you can experience directly many aspects of putting on a performance. Perhaps you are interested in Education & Training? Help Gan Chih Pei as she organises workshops by local and foreign artists.

These are just two of the five networks that MyDance has incorporated into its structure so that it can address different aspects of dance. The other networks are Research & Documentation (DrAnis), Status & Welfare (Karen Liew) and Management & Promotion (Amin Hassan). They might have something that would interest you more.

Or perhaps you are curious about what is happening in dance at a regional level? If so, you might like to attend the 2003 World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific / Congress on Research in Dance / International Council of Kinetography Laban International Conference to be held at the National Taipei University of the Arts, Taiwan in August 2003. Participants there will investigate dance as a healing agent in a cataclysmic environment and explore representations of identity across international, individual, cultural and temporal boundaries.

If nothing else, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to have a say in what is being done by MyDance and to pass on any suggestions that you might have for the future.

Gathering Details
Date: 16 February 2003 (Sunday)
Time: 5.00 – 7.00pm
Venue: Home of the President, Mew Chang Tsing
(41 Jalan 20/2, 46300 Petaling Jaya)
Cover charge: RM10 per person for food and drinks

Contact: 019-213 1923 (Dayang) or 03-78778706 (RiverGrass) for further information

Organised by Kakiseni.Com, the Cameronian Performing Arts Awards Ceremony will take place 28 February 2003 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The nominations for Dance include:

Best Choreographer:
Choo Tee Kuang – La La Li La Tang Pong 2002
Judimar Monfils – Curfew
Loke Soh Kim – La La Li La Tang Pong 2002
Zaridah Malik – Dance of the Weave

Best Solo Dancer:
Judimar Monfils – When They Dance 3
Umesh Shetty – La La Li La Tang Pong 2002
Weijun – Sinful Legs, Sacred Body

Best Lighting:
Loke Soh Kim – Curfew
Tan Eng Heng – Chicken Parts 8

Best Group Dancers:
Judimar Monfils and dancers – Curfew
Nyoba and dancers – When They Dance 3
P’nang Dance Station – La La Li La Tang Pong 2002

Dancer/Choreographer Mew Chang Tsing of RiverGrass Dance Theatre was nominated for Best Actor for her role in Stories for Amah.

Ramli Ibrahim of Sutra Dance Theatre has written a two-part play, Mak Su & Sarasa, to be directed by Faridah Merican and featuring Sabera Shaik.

Mak Su is the story of a MakYong diva in her late sixties who, caught by surprise at the sudden appearance of an old friend, bewails the passing of a great era of MakYong – an ancient traditional dance theatre form that no longer finds its relevance in contemporary society.

Mak Su regales her visitor with stories of yore, the heyday of MakYong when people waited, laughed and cried along with the performers. Although poor, she is a contented woman, at peace with herself and with life’s cruelties. Her art has given true meaning to her life and blessed her with rich memories.

Sarasa is about a woman who has just found out her daughter Komala has eloped with the tailor’s son – the son of her worst enemy. Enjoy a scene reminiscent of an Indian movie sequel – with exaggerated melodrama, breast beating, hair pulling and wailing!

Penang
14 – 15 February 2003 @ 8.30pm; 16 February 2003 @ 3.00pm
Venue: The Actors Studio Greenhall
(Zhong Zheng School Memorial Centre, 32 Lebuh Light, 10200 Penang)
Admission by Donation: RM 25 (Adults) & RM 15 (Students)
Contact: 04-263 5400

Kuala Lumpur
20 – 22 March 2003 @ 8.30pm; 23 March 2003 @ 3.00pm
Venue: The Actors Studio Box
(Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Raja, 50050 Kuala Lumpur)
Tickets: RM 27 (Adults) & RM 15 (Students)
Contact: 03-2694 5400 / 2692 5927

In conjunction with Chinese New Year, Batu Dance Theatre will stage Dance, the Colour Rouge. Directed and choreographed by Vincent Tan Lian Ho, there are eight pieces – The Little Dude Stone Dance, Blossom in Countryside, Joyfulness, Ball Game, Rural Vista, Calling on Spring, The Breeze and Crimson.

Date/Times:
12 February 2003 @ 3.00pm and 8.00pm (two performances)

Venue:
Batu Dance Theatre
(3rd floor, 1 Persiaran Pegaga, Taman Bayu Perdana, 41200 Klang

Tickets:
RM5 (children under 12 years), RM10 (students), RM15 (adults), RM35 (family of two adults and two children)

For further information contact: 03-3324 7568 or 012-656 9065

Compagnie Eolipile’s Petites Pièces is coming to Penang and Kuala Lumpur courtesy of Alliance Francaise (Kuala Lumpur and Penang) and The Actors Studio.

Petites Pièces is an introduction to a new way of dance. The stage, set, sound and lighting are used in places other than the theatre or usual showroom. Outside the theatre, the poetry of the body is different. The artists are closer; you can hear them breathe… Dance can be bewitching and transforming when done in unconventional places.

Playing with limits, light and transparency, Lin Yuan Shang’s unique movements create a strange space that spreads out from the dancer, breaking boundaries between stage and audience, dance and theatre, art and reality.

Penang:
11 February 2003 @ 8.30pm
The Actors Studio Greenhall
(Zhong Zheng School Memorial Centre, 32 Lebuh Light, 10200 Penang)
Admission by Donation: RM 35 (Adults) & RM 25 (Students)
Contact: 04-263 5400

Kuala Lumpur:
13 February 2003 @ 8.30pm
The Actors Studio Theatre
(Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Raja, 50050 Kuala Lumpur)
Tickets: RM 35 (Adults) & RM 25 (Students)
Contact: 03-2694 5400 / 2692 5927

The Dance Space in Sri Hartamas is holding a Valentine Dance Promotion whereby a special crash course will be conducted for couples on the basics of Argentine Tango, Salsa, Rumba and Cha-cha. They will also get a free hour of practice at the studio.

Saturday (8 Feb)
4.00-5.00pm – Argentine Tango
5.15-6.15pm – Rumba / Cha-cha

Sunday (9 Feb)
5.30-6.30pm – Salsa
6.30-7.30pm – Free Practice Session

Cost: RM100 per couple

For more information contact: 013-388 0821, 016-243 0025 or email dancespace@asia.com

From 6-16 February 2003, the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay will present the Huayi Chinese Festival of the Arts showcasing a mixture of music, opera, theatre and dance performances by local and international artists and companies.

Dance performances include:
Lin Yuan Shang – Chinese Bastard by Compagnie Eolipile
Re: Lady White Snake by RiverGrass Dance Theatre
The Kiss of the She-Wolves by Companie Yun Chane
Rear Light by the Beijing Modern Dance Company

Visit www.esplanade.com for further information.

Double Vision is a full-length video-dance event by Ng Mei-Yin, Eric Kozioll, Laura Blereau & guest. It comprises a series of episodes that explore the desire to see and show the private and normally hidden.

The use of spy cameras within the dance transform passive viewers into active voyeurs. Combining live and recorded events, the performance unfolds as an intimate and unpredictable optical pursuit.

Dates: 26-27 January 2003 @ 8.00pm
Venue: The Construction Company, New York

For further information contact Mei Yin at mei.bee@verizon.net

To note: Ng Mei Yin is Malaysian and was a founding member of Nyoba & Dancers with Lee Swee Keong and Loi Chin Yu

“An Evening of Dance” commemorates the 20th Anniversary of Jeya Nritha Kalalayam Dance Academy, which was set up in January 1983.It will be presented by the students and graduates of the academy whose experience in dance ranges from 1 year to 20 years and more.

The repertoire consists of bharatanatyam and folk dances choreographed by academy principal Mrs Kumudhini Sivanathanas well as by the academy’s graduates.

Date/Time: 25 January 2002 at 7.30pm (Sat)
Venue: Kalamandapam, Lorong Scott
(off Jalan Tun Sambatan)
Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

Tickets: Free Admission Tel: 03-2283 5522 (Mr.R.Sivanathan)

Dancing New Asia is a collaboration between the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Fringe Club to promote intercultural dialogue and networking between Hong Kong and Southeast Asian nations.

The 3-day event comprises a forum, workshops and performances by representatives from Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

From Malaysia:
Arifwaran Shaharuddin will conduct a workshop and perform The Anthology of Mein Fuhrer Dr. M
Prof Mohd Anis Md Nor will speak on the Confluence of Diversity: Inventing Contemporary Dances in Malaysia

Dates: 27 February – 1 March 2003
Venue: Fringe Club, Hong Kong
Fee: HK$500

Look under ‘Festival Plus’ of www.hk.arts festival.org for further information on this Southeast Asian Dance Showcase and Forum.