about dancebox
MyDance Alliance has been producing the Dancebox series in partnership with The Actors Studio going back to 2001.
It remains a popular platform for new or experimental dance works from emerging and established choreographers, presented in a professional theatre but an informal setting, and affordable and accessible to all.
Huge thanks to the staff and crew of The Actors Studio and Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre for this continuing opportunity.
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www.mydancealliance.org.
To get involved in other MyDance Alliance events, email contact@mydancealliance.org.
programme
1. Madhava Vandhanam & Madhava Kauthvam
Madhava Vandhanam
As the Threda Yuga ended and entered into Dhwavara Yuga, many new kingdoms arose. Mother Earth, unable to bear the burden of sins committed by evil kings and rulers, appealed to Brahma, The Creator. Brahma prayed to the supreme Lord Vishnu, who assured him that he would soon be born on earth to annihilate these tyrannical forces. One such evil and terrorizing force was Kamsa, the ruler of Mathura. Thus was born Krishna, the dark complexioned lord, the son of Vasudeva, supremely pure. The loving child of his mother, Yashoda. He who assumes the human form and is timeless. [Ragam: Basanthi | Thalam: Aadhi]
Madhava Kauthvam
Krishna is known by many names and forms. He resides with affection in the hearts of his devotees as Guruvayur Appa, Vengadesa, Sri Ranganadha, Govinda, Mukunda, Madhusudhana and Vasudeva. He is a central character in the Bhagavadha Purana and Bhagavad Geetha and is mentioned in many Hindu historical, philosophical and mythological texts. He is portrayed as a God child, a prankster, a mortal lover, a divine hero and a supreme power. Prominently, he is also known as Hari and usually depicted as a pale blue being, similar to Vishnu’s incarnations Rama and Krishna. Om precedes all else as in Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namo Bhagavadha, Om Namo Narayana. But only Hari precedes Om in the form of ‘Hari Om’ or Hari Om Tat Sat. [Ragam: Brindavani |Thalam: Aadhi]
Choreographed by Guruvayur Usha Dorai
Performed by Zhen-Zhu Chandrasekaran and Guruvayur Krithika Ramachandran
Managed by Zhen Zhu Chandrasekaran
Music composer: Achyuthan Sashidaran Nair
Lyrics for Madhava Kauthvam by Guruvayur Usha Dorai
Guruvayur Usha Dorai is founder and principal of Laasya Arts Academy, a renowned classical dance and music school in Malaysia. The only daughter of mridangam maestro Guruvayur Dorai, she is blessed to have a strong and wonderful heritage of culture, tradition and the arts. Her training in traditional Carnatic music began under Guruvayur Ponnamal, and was furthered by Maestro Neyveli Santhana Gopalan. In nattuvangam, the titillating vibrations that accompany dance, she was trained by Shrimathi Indra Rajan and guided by Shri Pandanallur Srinivasa Pillai. In dance, she was awarded a Diploma in Bharatanatyam by Vadhini Natyalaya, a school headed by Mahaguru Shrimathi Indra Rajan, and was conferred the title of Madura Natya Mamani. She has also earned a BA from Madras University in Sociology with music as an ancillary subject. With her own institution established in 2003, her vision for Laasya Arts Academy is to create awareness of the dance and music of South India.
2. Are You A Narc?
Are you? Or are you not a narc?
Choreographed by Jeremiah Richard Lim
Performed by Mohd Shafiq Bin Md Yusof, Douglas Philip Labadin, Wong Shan Tie, Ang Zhen Wei and Ong Jee Teng
Music ‘Ur Tchan Tan Tse Qi’ by Matmos, and ‘Miserere mei, Deus’ performed by Tenebrae, composed by Gregorio Allegri
Jeremiah Richard Lim, born in Papar, Sabah, studied Art in Fashion Design at COSMOPOINT Internatonal College in Kota Kinabalu from 2010 until 2013. He graduated with his Diploma in Dance from ASWARA in 2017, and this year he just graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Dance, majoring in performance. Jeremiah has represented Malaysia for Muara Festival 2017 in Singapore, Chinese New Year Gala Night in Hunan, China, in 2020, TARI’19, and performed on numerous occasions for the ASWARA’s Faculty of Dance productions and performances beyond ASWARA. He worked with numerous choreographers among the faculty and fellow students at ASWARA. His final year Bachelor’s Degree performance included contemporary dance works ‘Absent’ by Mohd Failul Adam, ‘IGAI’ by Murni Omar and ‘Shiva’ by Umesh Shetty. He also took part in Short + Sweet Dance 2017 with his own choreography ‘Sarabande’, inspired by music by Jon Lorde.
3. Why Not?
A gift to myself.
Choreographed & performed by Dalila Binti Abdul Samad
Music: Chubb-E, and ‘Sol’ by Alef
Dalila binti Abdul Samad was born in Kuala Lumpur. A Bachelor of Dance graduate from ASWARA, she is well known for her performances in ‘Jarum Berseri’ by Yunus Ismail and ‘Madu’ by Nadhirah Razid. Dalila also won Best Female Actress for Malaysia in the Malaysian Dance Odyssey 2014, China-ASEAN Theatre Week 2014 in Nanning, China. She performed in Ahn Ae-Soon’s ‘Here There’ for three consecutive years in Gwangju and Seoul, Korea. Dalila also has experience in film acting, as the main actress in short film ‘The Fleeting Years’ by Durianfm. Dalila is slowly venturing into choreography, with the works ‘Different But The Same’, ‘Sibs’, ‘Two Face’, ‘Desing’ and ‘II’, staged at Gelombang Baru, Short+Sweet Dance Malaysia and Dancebox. A member of ASK Dance Company from 2015 to 2020, she was also one of the choreographers for Dato’ Siti NurHaliza’s On Tour Concert in 2019.
4. SML
MCO – you are what dance is afraid of. Whether it is a narrow corridor or a wide living room, as long as you have a dance in your heart, you are the most dazzling one. Go forward courageously, bravely follow the light, bravely be yourself.
Choreographed by Steve Goh
Performed by Steve Goh, Matt Tan & Leo Yap
Music ‘House (Half Life Edit)’ by Ori Lichtik
Steve Goh is a Sabah native, and a dancer, choreographer and teacher. Steve Goh studied dance on scholarship at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. An award-winning performer hailed as one of Malaysia’s best male dancers, Steve has won numerous awards at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, including Best Performer, Best Choreographer in a Mixed Bill, Best Choreographer in a Feature-Length Work, and Best Group Ensemble. His recent works include local productions “SML” (Be A Part 2020), “Body Riddle” (George Town Festival, 2019) and “Arabian Night – Aladdin”, as well as “If Only”, performed in Graz, Austria, and Beijing, China, in 2018. Steve has also performed for Pentas Project, KL DanceWorks Production, and Kwang Tung Dance Troupe, as well in Austria, Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Paris, Singapore, and Taiwan.
5. Putaran
Apa lagi yang berputar selain bumi?
Karya ini menggunakan manipulasi sebuah objek yang dinamakan buugeng. Buugeng berasal dari negara Jepun dan telah dicipta oleh Dai Zaobab. ‘Buu’ bermaksud seni pertahanan diri dan ‘geng’ bermaksud ilusi, di dalam Bahasa Jepun.
Choreographed and performed by Sharm Noh
Poetry performance by Shahirah Ainaa
Music ‘Dusted Compass’ by The Human Experience
Syamsudin Bin Noh – known as Sharm Noh – hails from Shah Alam. He kicked off his career as a dancer when he assembled a cheerleading squad in 2010. He further honed his skills by attaining a diploma in dance from ASWARA, and through numerous dance performances. An active performer in musical theatre, he starred in shows like MUD: Our Story of Kuala Lumpur and Uda dan Dara (2015). He also won third place for group and special award for solo competition at the Andong Mask Dance Festival, Korea. In 2015, Sharm started to choreograph. His works ‘KETUK’ appeared in 24hours Dancing in Solo, Indonesia, ‘D.I.D’ in Short+Sweet and Dancing in Place, and ‘Langgar’ in Dancebox. Active in the acrobatics scene, he coached for gymnastics company Kickstart and also joined modern circus art company Psycusix as artistic director. He currently studies at University of Malaya for his Bachelors in Dance.
6. Jué
We painted the world with our leaves and breaths of promise,
The storm seeked to shake us out of our haven,
We remained different in the face of indifference,
We rebuild our sanctuary in the face of adversity.
We are none without the other,
The marrows of each and another.
Choreographed by Chan Kar Kah
Performed by Ker Yee Teng, Wong Chi Ying, Ong Jee Teng, Winnie Tay, Joey Mak, and Jessie Lim
Lighting design by Moch Jack Zhong
Crew/Assistant: Chin Shu Ning
Chan Kar Kah is a freelance choreographer, dancer and instructor. She studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Dance at Beijing Normal University. During her time in university, her works was presented in International Student’s Night, Collegiate ASEAN Games and numerous cultural events in Beijing. Kar Kah joined Han Fong Dance Ensemble in 2012. After her return from Beijing, she has also instructed Noir Dance Theatre and is now the guest instructor of WuXu Dance Troupe. Her recent works have been presented in Dancebox 2018 and 2019, Dancing in Place 2019 and MAPFest 2019. She has worked with artists of different disciplines for research programs and collaborative performances. She now continues to focus her research with Marrow Collective which she founded in 2018.
7. A Reason for Falling (Excerpt)
An exploration of Wei-An’s relationship with falling.
Choreographed & performed by Hwa Wei-An
Hwa Wei-An has spent his whole life falling down; it’s a by-product of perpetually thinking he can do more than he actually can, whether that meant trying to spin on his head or backflip before he was ready, or learn how to snowboard on his own. And though he may not be the best at those activities, he’s become quite good at falling. He has, in fact, built his contemporary practice around his love-hate relationship with gravity, and the connections this relationship has with the psychological state of flow.
Out of this practice, Wei-An created The Art of Falling during a residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2018. This work has since been performed in Malaysia, Northern Ireland, and South Korea. Wei-An’s other work as an independent artist has also brought him to the United Kingdom, Australia, and most recently, Luxembourg.
This work was incubated at and is co-produced by Dance Nucleus (Singapore), and supported by Rimbun Dahan and the Campbelltown Arts Centre (Sydney).
8. Wallop
The act of swiping is a dangerous game.
Choreographed by Douglas Philip Labadin
Performed by Douglas Philip Labadin and Jeremiah Richard Lim
Douglas Philip Labadin hails from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. A graduate of the Bachelor’s Degree in Dance with Hons. (Performance) and Diploma in Dance program of Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), he received the Best Faculty Student Award, Rector’s Award, Dean’s List Award, Leadership Award and Excellence Award. In 2017, he was awarded Best Supporting Dancer for his performance in ‘Voginang’ during Short+Sweet Dance Malaysia. During his time in ASWARA, he has been actively involved in various productions and worked with numerous members of the faculty and fellow student choreographers, and has created several short works of his own. His dancing has taken him to the Cultural Arts Festival in Thailand, MUARA Festival in Singapore and Festival Siak Bermadah in Indonesia, and he is actively involved in the local dance scene of Kuala Lumpur. He currently works part-time as a tutor in ASWARA and also as a dance instructor in Tunas Tari, an enrichment centre for children.
9. Kairos
Kairos is a piece inspired by Tsuzing’s electronic score that using repetition in developing the motif. The piece plays on the action and reactions of dancers in canon and synchronicity.
Choreographed by Kenny Shim
Performed by Teoh Zhi Lin, Liew Xiao Rou, Christina So Hui Fang, Vivian Chan Wei Yee, Tristen Loo Zi Juin, Caitanya D Thialan, Tung Esme Yen Li, Saibya Thialan, and Amirah Hannah Binti Mohammed Redza
Music: ‘Ave Maria’ by Michael Bublé, and ‘Sunrise East’ by Tzusing
Kenny Shim is a choreographer, dance tutor and practitioner. Trained in the UK, Shim has worked with choreographers and company members from around Europe such as Wayne McGregor, Tom Roden, Alexander Whitley, Phillipe Blanchard, Gary Lambert, Alison Curtis-Jones, Lea Anderson, Joseph Toonga, Jeanne Yasko and Fred Ghedrig. Shim collaborated with Möbius Dance Company (UK) in producing and choreographing Mix Bill, featuring two new creations entitled ‘Shades of Shadow’and ‘Human’. Recently, together with Suhaili Micheline, Shim co-produced Women on Men on Men, premiering a new work entitled ‘Wet Room’.
MyDance Production Team
Producer – Rithaudin Abdul Kadir
Stage Manager – Lee Bee Hui
Stage Crew – Alice Wong Yieng Zhu, Muhammad Azamuddin bin Hajijul
Front of House – Nurulain Nabihah binti Megat Osman, Muhd Aizat Alif bin Mohd Khairudin
MC & Reservations Coordinator – Bilqis Hijjas
klpac Technical Crew
Lighting Designer – Mathanakumar
Assistant General Manager – Lawrence Selvaraj
Technical Manager – Mike Thomas
Senior Art Director – Joel Wong
Videographer – Coebar Abel
Front of House / Theatre Executive – Cindy Kang
