The renowned Hossam and Serena Ramzy are coming to Singapore and will perform and conduct a series of workshops in Egyptian Rhythm, Music and Dance.

An Evening of Oriental Dance
This full-length performance will feature a 45min performance from Hossam and Serena Ramzy in addition to pieces by dancers from registered belly-dancing schools and societies.

4 July 2003 @ 8.00 pm @ Kallang Theatre
Tickets: S$21 – S$51 from www.sistic.com.sg

Lessons in Oriental Dance
Workshop A – Understanding the Layers
The rhythms & the music; movement & expression; various dance styles; choreography (Baladi)
5 July @ 1:30pm – 6:30pm
Dance Studio (Terrace), 3rd floor Victoria Theatre

Workshop B – Making the Body Sing
Improvisation & taksim; choreography (Raqs Sharqi)
Can only be taken in conjunction with Workshop A
6 July @ 10:00am – 6:00pm
Dance Studio (Terrace), 3rd Floor Victoria Theatre

Workshop C – Sup with the Stars
Video clips of famous dancers; lecture; Q & A session; dinner
7 July @ 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Venue: TBA (subject to response)

Fees:
Workshops A & B: S$310
Workshops A & C: S$170
Workshops A, B & C: S$330
S$20 Registration Fee will be waived if your registration is received before 1 July

All levels of dancers are welcome and encouraged to attend. The Ramzys have a wonderful way of communicating the essence of their art forms and are experienced performers and teachers.

Contact Serene at serlim@kkh.com.sg

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Hossam Ramzy was born in Cairo, Egypt. His musical career began early, when at the age of three he was given his first drum, an Egyptian Tabla. A move to Saudi Arabia led him to research and experience in depth, the musical heritage of many Bedouin tribes, which gave him rich insight into the cultural origins of Middle Eastern music. This became the inspiration for many of his later rhythmic directions.

In the mid 1970s Hossam came to England, and enjoyed great success as a Jazz drummer working with many respected Jazz musicians. But as he began looking for new dimensions of percussive sounds, he found himself turning full circle back to his first love, the Egyptian Tabla (Drum), and the thrilling dance rhythms of the Middle East. Hossam then encorporated all his rhythmic experience into creating a new sound that is heard on hundreds of the world leading albums recorded today.

The Penang YTL Arts Festival will run 30 May to 5 July. Its dance component will comprise the following:

Darpana: The Mirror Of Beauty and Bliss by the Temple Of Fine Arts
A treatise to the aspect of Indian classical dance in the Orissan style of Odissi
21-22 June 2003 @ 8.00 pm @ Auditorium P. Ramlee
Invitations by donation available at KKK & TFA

Awas! by Akademi Seni Kebangsaan
Contemporary dance drama: a fusion of graceful classical Makyong with the frenetic energy of modern dance, exploring pertinent issues of power and justice.
28 June 2003 @ 8.30 pm @ Auditorium P. Ramlee
Free admission

Penang Oh Penang by Badan Kesenian Negeri Pulau Pinang
A cross-cultural choreographic work featuring several Penang-based cultural dance troupes
5 July 2003 @ 8.30 pm @ Dewan Sri Pinang
Ticket Prices: RM 8

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The Arts and Culture Information Centre (KKK) is run by the Penang State Cultural Council.

A monthly calendar of events, information on performance venues and other services are available at http://arts.tourismpenang.gov.my

Inquiries regarding local and international arts and culture events and booking of tickets:
9.30 – 5.00 Monday to Friday
9.30 – 2.00 Saturday
Ground Floor, Dewan Sri Pinang, Lebuh Light, 10200 Pulau Pinang

Tel: 04-264 2273 / Fax: 04-264 2081
Email: artspen@tm.net.my

As part of the French Art Festival, the Alliance Francaise will present ICARE, performance and workshop, by the Brumachon Dance Company.

Performance
ICARE is a 45 min solo choreographed by Claude Brumachon originally for the 50th Festival of Avignon. It is the culmination of 15 years work with Bruno Billaudeau (music) and Olivier Tessier (lighting).

ICARE represents a personal search towards a new gesture and a new way of considering the space. The solo is a challenge for the dancer who is alone on the stage without anyone to attract, rely on or be intoxicated by. On this occasion, it will be performed by Benjamin Lamarche.

Date/Time: 9 June 2003 @ 8.30pm
Venue: The Actors Studio Bangsar
Tickets: RM15 (AF Members) / RM25 (non-AF members)
Contact: 03-2094 0400 / 03-2094 1400

Workshop
In addition to performing, the Brumachon Dance Company will conduct an ICARE dance workshop, organised by the Status & Welfare Network of MyDance Alliance.

Date/Time: 8 June 2003 (Sunday) @ 3.00pm
Venue: RiverGrass Dance Academy (12A, Jalan 20/16A, 46300, PJ)
Free Admission
Please call to RSVP: 03-787 787 06 (Tammy) or 016-2210 562 (Mew)

Mid-year registration for the professional dancers’ course at Ellie Zhou Ballet Studio starts 1 June.

The minimum requirement is Grade 6 RAD and above.

Ellie Zhou Ballet Studio is run by Artistic Director, Zhou Gui Xin, and Principal, Ellie Lai.

PJ Head Office:
No 47, Taman SEA, SS23/15 P.J.

Tel: 03-7804 5600 / 016-385 1033

Despite cancellations, the dance programme of the Singapore Arts Festival, 30 May to 22 June will still comprise:

. 4-5 Jun
(AND)
Needcompany (Belgium)

. 10-11 Jun
The Fall of the House of Usher
Ballett Nürnberg / Oper Nürnberg (Germany)

. 17-18 Jun
Swan Lake City
National Theatre of Northern Greece

. 20-21 Jun
Le Festin d’Immortalité
Singapore Dance Theatre & H. Art Chaos (Singapore / Japan)

For further information visit www.sistic.com.sg

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(AND)
(AND) is a collision of song, dance and theatre based loosely on Puccini’s opera Turandot. It digs at that awkward emotional space where one both desires and disdains love.

The Fall of the House of Usher
Choreographer Daniela Kurz creates an intense meeting between dance and opera in the strange world of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Based on the opera by Philip Glass, bodies and voices melt in an exceptional symbiosis of hypnotic imagery. Sung in English.

Swan Lake City
Leading Greek choreographer Konstantinos Rigos’ interpretation of Swan Lake screams ATTITUDE. Swan Lake City develops as the characters present their idiosyncratic lives by the lake.

Le Festin d’Immortalité
A potent alliance of two of Asia’s leading dance forces, Singapore Dance Theatre and Japan’s H. Art Chaos’ choreographer Sakiko Oshima, create a resonating full-length contemporary dance piece to an eclectic musical collage.

Sutrarasa, the 6th Sutra Arts Festival under the artistic direction of Ramli Ibrahim will run 20 May to 22 June 22 2003 at MTC (Jalan Ampang) and Amphi-Sutra (Titiwangsa).

This festival coincides with and celebrates not only Ramli’s 50th birthday but also the twentieth year of Sutra Dance Theatre’s existence and service to Malaysian Arts.

Sutrarasa focuses mainly on new ideas and creations in the field of contemporary dance and music, new choreographic and compositional ideas emerging in dance and gamelan.

Sutrarasa will feature no less than ten world premieres in dance, spanning both local and international works. These dance works will showcase creations by seven choreographers such as Anita Ratnam (India), Wong Kit Yaw, Syed Mustapha, Aida Redza, Guna, Judy Monfils, Weijun and Ramli himself.

Sutrarasa will also present new creations in gamelan music by the Gamelan Club. The gamelan, one of the most original sounds to emerge from South East Asia, is given a fresh contemporary presentation by the Gamelan Club, under the artistic direction of Jillian Ooi. New works by Saidah Rastam and others will be featured.

Sutrarasa Festival Programme

Visitations – Malaysian Contemporary dance choreography by Ramli Ibrahim
20 May @ 8.30pm: Gala Premiere (By invitation only)
21-24 May @ 8.30pm @ Auditorium Tunku Abdul Rahman, MTC
Tickets: RM50, RM30, RM20 (students with valid identification card – limited to 50 only)

Temper: Spirit of Gamelan – by the Gamelan Club; compositions by Jillian Ooi, Susan Sarah John, Adilah Junid, Maya Tan Abdullah and Saidah Rastam. Arranged by Sharmini Ratnasingam, & Sunetra Fernando
25-26 May @ 8.30pm @ Auditorium Tunku Abdul Rahman, MTC
Tickets: RM50, RM30, RM20 (students with valid identification card – limited to 50 only)

Utpala: The Awakening – Contemporary dance by Anita Ratnam, one of India’s dance icons, and dancers; choreography by Anita Ratnam
30-31 May & 1 June @ 8.30pm @ Amphi-Sutra
Entrance by donation (minimum RM30)

Passing – Contemporary dance choreographed by Wong Kit Yaw
6-8 June @ 8.30pm @ Amphi-Sutra
Entrance by donation (minimum RM30)

Temu – Contemporary dance by Tandak dancers; choreography by Syed Mustapha, Aida Redza, Abdul Hamid Chan and Ramli Ibrahim
13-15 June @ 8.30pm @ Amphi-Sutra
Entrance by donation (minimum RM30)

If: The Faces – Contemporary dance by Judimar Monfils, Guna, Weijun & Biljana Kiryazova; choreography by Judimar Monfils, Guna & Weijun
20-22 June @ 8.30pm @ Amphi-Sutra
Entrance by donation (minimum RM30)

Venues
Auditorium Tunku Abdul Rahman
Malaysia Tourism Centre
Jalan Ampang

Amphi-Sutra
12 Persiaran Titiwangsa 3
Kuala Lumpur

Ticket outlets
Sutra Dance Theatre, Persiaran Titiwangsa 3 (03-4022 9669)
Topaz, Bukit Tunku (03-6201 0397)
Silverfish, Bangsar (03-2284 4837)
Skoob, Brickfields (03-2272 2731)
Selangor Institute of Music, Section 19 (03-7956 6202)
J.S Ragaa Music, Jalan Gasing (03-7960 2486)

Sponsored by
Ministry of Culture, Arts & Tourism Malaysia
Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang)
ASTRO
Concorde Kuala Lumpur

Enquiries
Tel: 03-40229669 (11am –5pm, weekdays)
Website: www.sutradancetheatre.com
Email: sutradancetheatre@yahoo.com

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The first Sutra Festival, Ready When You Are! (1990), was originally conceived as a performing arts festival in Kuala Lumpur geared to showcasing serious arts. Subsequent festivals, Up to You! (1991), Harum (1993), Restu (1995) and Gerak Angin (2001) followed and became a prototype for other ‘alternative’ arts festivals to emulate.

Sutra Dance Theatre has consistently given the Malaysian audience a diverse and original offering of Malaysian performing and visual arts. Through its previous festivals Sutra Dance Theatre has invited national and international performers, commissioned new dance from choreographers and music from composers, besides paving the way for new ideas in many related fields associated with the performing arts.

These related fields include the development of set and lighting design, dance photography and painting, innovative art graphics right through to foyer display concept. Over the years, the festivals have collaborated with an impressive list of distinguished Malaysian artists and theatre-makers such as Eric Peris, William-Harald Wong, Valerie Ross, Najib Nor, Mustafa Nor, Chandrabhanu, Sabera Shaik and many others.

Sutrarasa will focus mainly on new ideas and creations in the field of contemporary dance and music; on the new choreographic and compositional ideas emerging in dance and gamelan. Ramli says, “The rich and diverse multi-racial background of Malaysia stimulates the creators in the performing arts field to redefine what is contemporary. No longer do we need to pay homage to just the Euro-American traditions to state our contemporary ideas. Instead, we can draw inspiration from our indigenous background. Our own diverse cultures, our landscapes and environs can stimulate us to create original works that we can relate to.”

A jury of specialists will select the best choreographers in the following categories:
· Performance recording
· Creation for video
· Reporting and documentation
· Dance and Tradition
· Exterior recording offline and online

Participants will also attend five workshops for professional training in video dance and one round table discussion.

Location: Quito, Ecuador Dates: 15-21 September 2003

Contact president@cid-unesco.org for further information

Global Train, a consulting company experienced in organising seminars and workshops, is jointly organising with the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan a workshop in traditional dance for pre-primary school teachers.

This nationwide workshop will provide basic skills in 4 different dances including Joget, Zapin, Sumazau and Endang. Due to time constraints, these 4 dances have been chosen as they reflect the diversity of dance styles in Malaysia. These dances are also fairly energetic and vibrant and will hopefully capture the imagination of the participants.

The workshop schedule is as follows:
25 May – Kuala Lumpur
7 June – Penang
22 June – Johor Baru
19 July – Ipoh
20 July – Malacca

The workshops will be led by Joseph Gonzales and conducted by Mohd Kamaludin Mohd Daud, Azizi Sulaiman and Shafirul Azmi Suhaimi, outstanding graduates of the Akademi and already reputed to be among the most talented dancers in the country.

For further details, call Mr Yeow at 03-6250 8112 / 012-325 9090 or email yeow@globaltrain.com

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For true development of culture and the arts, the situation must be tackled at the most basic and grassroots level. This is why the target audience for the workshops is pre-primary school teachers who, besides the parents, are the first teachers of young children. The intention is to hopefully, instill a knowledge and love of these dances to the teachers who can, in turn impart these to those in their care.

This is the first time for such an approach by the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan, and if successful, may be developed to include teachers at all levels. The response to these workshops will help the Akademi gauge and plan possible paths for the future.

The Education & Training Network of MyDance Alliance and The Actors Studio have organised a workshop on Tarian Piring, an Indonesian folk dance from Sumatra. This version differs to the Malaysian Tarian Piring and is seldom performed and taught here.

Junainah M. Lojong, co-principal of Studio Chombrang, will conduct the workshop. Apart from teaching the unique body postures and important technique to holding the plates, Junainah will brief the participants on the history of this interesting dance form. All movements and postures in the dance form will be carefully explained to enable the participants to better understand and able to relate to its rhythm.

This workshop is suitable for beginners and intermediate level dancers.

Date: 24/5/2003
Time: 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Venue: The Actors Studio Academy, Dataran Merdeka
Fees: RM 25 (Adults), RM 15 (Students)

For further information contact: Gan Chih Pei (012-390-3242) or Amy Len (012-670-8454)

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Junainah M. Lojong is an experienced dancer and teacher, and a graduate of the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan. A strong performer, she is very active in the Malaysian art scene as well as in the international arena. She represented Malaysia during the 1999 Dance Festival in Spain and in the Asia Pacific Young Choreographers Workshop in Taiwan in 2000.

The Temple of Fine Arts has organised a two-day dinner come charity performance to raise funds for its new building. As part of this event it will restage Butterfly Lovers, which received much acclaim when presented in Malaysia and also during its tours to Sri Lanka, India and Australia.

Based on a famous Chinese legend, the lead roles will be danced by Umesh Shetty and Dhanya Thurairajah. The music (combining Malay, Indian, Chinese and Western rhythms) has been composed by Jyotsna Prakash and Kumar Karthigesu.

28-29 May 2003 @ Petaling Jaya Civic Center Auditorium

For further information contact: 03-2274 3709