Joseph Gonzales of the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan is looking for 4 female dancers for a show on 22 August 2003.

Intensive rehearsals at a studio in Ampang will start 12 August with only the weekend off. Dancers will be paid for their time.

Prospective dancers should be able to perform in a range of styles from jazz to ballet and contemporary.

If interested, call Azizi on 012-397 2605

Dr Chandrabhanu, renowned Indian classical dance master, will give a solo Bharata Natyam performance at a fund-raising event for the promotion of the traditional dance form, organised by Sanatan Dharam Sabha Kuala Lumpur.

Date/Time: 26 July 2003 @ 7.30pm

Venue: MAS Auditorium (2 Jalan SS7/13, Kelana Jaya)

Entry: by invitation only

Contact: 012-278 2983 / 016-248 3384 / 03-2094 9322 / 03-7981 6225

Dua Space Dance Theatre will reprise its performance of The Dance of Flourish in Penang. The evening will comprise 4 pieces choreographed by Anthony Meh (‘Untitled’ & ‘Cloud on a Wheel Chair’) and Aman Yap (‘Mr & Miss Right’ & ‘Flow’).

Dates/Times:
18-19 July 2003 @ 8.00pm

Venue:
Auditorium P. Ramlee
Kompleks Pustaka Warisan Seni, Pulau Pinang

Tickets: RM 20 (Adult); RM 10 (Student)

Contact: 016-416 0460 / 03-8943 8696

————————-

Programme

Untitled (Premiere)
An abstract piece for the audience to watch, feel and sense in its own way.
Choreographer: Anthony Meh
Dancers: Aman Yap, Leng Poh Gee, Lim Wei Wei, Crystal Low
Actor: Douglas Wong

Mr & Miss Right
Faith can lead you to a thousand miles of searching, even though the person is by your side.
Choreographer: Aman Yap
Dancers: Leng Poh Gee, Lin Wei Wei, Crystal Low, Low Shee Hoe and Lim Thou Chun

Flow (Premiere in Hong Kong, 2001)
A non-stop magical world, creating a dream of wonder
Choreographer/Dancer: Aman Yap

Cloud On a Wheel Chair (Premiere)
‘Although the mysteries of the azure sky, the floating clouds and the unpredictable scenery may only appear for a short while, it is enough to give our soul a chance to extend’ – Xin Ling Zi (renowned disabled Taiwanese writer)

This work is based on the words of Xin Ling Zi above. Although she suffered a disability, she was still able to shower her love on others rather than herself. This encouraged people to be less self-involved and to strive to survive.
Choreographer: Anthony Meh
Dancers: Aman Yap, Leng Poh Gee, Lin Wei Wei, Crystal Low, Low Shee Hoe and Lim Thou Chun

The Petronas Performing Arts Group will present a dance-drama, Demang Lebar Daun, as part of its Malaysiana series aimed at preserving Malaysia’s traditional art forms.

The narrative of this dance-drama, adapted from Sejarah Melayu (W.S. Shellabear) and Sulatus Saladin (A. Samad Ahmad), tells the story of Demang Lebar Daun and his beloved wife, Tunku Puteri Cendani, who are still childless after seven years of marriage.

Dates/Times: 19-20 July 2003 @ 8.30pm
Venue: Dwan Philharmonic Petronas
Tickets: RM30 / RM20 / RM10
Contact: 03-2051 7007

Director: Roslee Mansor
Musical Director: Faizal Uzir
Scriptwriter: Zahari Hamzah
Choreographers: Che Hassan Yahya & A Sam Palal

A new Performing Arts Programme is going to begin soon at Sunway College, created by Rey Buono. To know more about the programme, come to a presentation that will be given by Rey.

Date/Time: 14 July 2003 @ 7.00 pm

Venue: Five Arts Centre/Dramalab
27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur

For directions contact: 03-7725 4858

After a hiatus of seven years, Bavani Kanesamoothy, director of Bharathanjali Dance Academy, will showcase a solo Odissi dance recital entitled, Bavani in Expression.

Date/Time: 12 July 2003 @ 8.15pm
Venue: MAS Auditorium, Petaling Jaya
Admission: by invitation only
Contact: 03-7957 4798 / 013-351 3165 / 017-331 0480 / 017-382 8511

————————–

Bavani started dancing Bharata Natyam under Kalamani Malayadevi Aiyappan at the age of three. After completing her arangetram, she started to train under various renowned dance gurus including Lakshman, Srimathi Nagamani Srinivas Rao and Dr. Chandrabhanu.

In 1986 she took up Odissi under Ramli Ibrahim and performed with him in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India in 1991.

Bavani has also enrolled with Padmashri Dr Vempatti Chinna Satyam to further her knowledge of Kuchipudi.

Barely over Sutrarasa, its 6th Sutra Festival, the irrepressible Sutra Dance Theatre, true to its promise of continuously bringing the best of dance to Kuala Lumpur audiences, is now ready for its annual Under the Stars series of performances under the artistic direction of Ramli Ibrahim.

Running 3 July to 3 August 2003, the Under The Stars series will see an impressive array of dance productions dished up according to three main themes – Those Man Enough (male dancers performing Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi), A Season of Odissi (featuring some of the most bewitching Odissi dancers) and Salam Benua (contemporary dance melding Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with Usman Awang’s Salam Benua).

Programme 1) Those Man Enough (Bharata Natyam & Kuchipudi)
· 3-4 July – Saayujya (An eternity of longing) Bharata Natyam by Ajit Bhaskaran Dass with live music
· 5 July – Amma (Mother Goddess) Bharata Natyam by Guna & Nadarajan Muniandy with live music led by Padma Subramaniam
· July – Divine Encounters II Bharata Natyam by Ramli Ibrahim, Guna, Nadarajan Muniandy, Dennis Shambumani, Santiago Samathanam, Ajit Bhaskaran Dass, Vemana Appannah & Jagathesywara
· 11-12 July – Bharata Natyam by Lakshman, a Malaysian Bharata Natyam dancer, based in Chennai
· 13 July – Kuchipudi by Dennis Shambhumani, a Malaysian Kuchipudi dancer

Programme 2) A Season Of Odissi
. 18 July – Pallavi II by the Sutra dancers and Ajit Bhaskaran Dass
· 19-20 July – Heightened States with Ramli Ibrahim and Leena Mohanty
· 26 July – Odissi by Ileana Citaristi, an Italian born Odissi dancer

Programme 3) Salam Benua
· 1-3 August – Salam Benua is a specially commissioned work of contemporary dance between Sutra Dance Theatre and choreographer Ileana Citaristi

For all performances:
Venue: Amphi-Sutra, 12 Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, 53200 Kuala Lumpur
Tickets: RM30 / RM20 (students with valid identification – limited to first 50 only)
Time: 8.30 pm

Enquiries:
Sutra Dance Theatre
Tel: 03-4022 9669
Email: sutradancetheatre@yahoo.com
Website: www.sutradancetheatre.com

————————-

Those Man Enough
A provocative series of Malaysian male dancers in Bharata Natyam – the southern Indian temple dance – usually the domain of female dancers. Pioneered by internationally known dancers such as Ramli Ibrahim and Chandrabhanu, Malaysia is recognized in the Indian dance world for producing some of the finest male dancers in Bharata Natyam.

In spite of the general social stigmas and lack of encouragement, Malaysia continues to produce exciting male Bharata Natyam dancers who have taken the challenge of making their presence felt in spite of society’s pressures to do otherwise.

Saayujya (an eternity of longing) is that passionate quest urged by the summons of desire. Saayujya explores the emotion that lures and entwines. It features dancer Ajit Bhaskaran Dass who, with his ‘Nureyev appeal’, gives a spellbinding performance that transcends all boundaries of gender, space and style.

Amma (Mother Goddess) returns by popular demand. For those who missed this powerful homage to The Goddess by two of Malaysia’s best-known Bharata Natyam male dancers, Guna and Nadarajan, Amma is a chance not to be missed! Distinguished carnatic singer Padma Subramaniam contributes to this evocative and unforgettable insight to our Universal Amma!

Divine Encounters II – returns with new works. Never before has the stage been graced by such a stellar group of male dancers including Ramli Ibrahim, Guna, Nadarajan Muniandy, Dennis Shambumani, Santiago Samathanam, Ajit Bhaskaran Dass, Vemana Appannah & Jagathesywara. The tradition of male dancing in Malaysia has finally come to full flowering in Divine Encounters and surely, Siva the Lord of Dance must be well pleased.

Bharata Natyam by Lakshman, a celebrated Malaysian Bharata Natyam dancer based in Chennai. Having established himself as one of the most sought after male dancers and a recognised guru of dance in Chennai, A. Lakshman is also making a name for himself for his dance compositions presently in the repertoire of Chennai’s top dancers such as Urmila Satyanarayan and Priya Darshini Govindan. Lakshman finally makes his presence felt in his Malaysian debut performance.

Kuchipudi by Dennis Shambhumani, a well-known Malaysian dancer and teacher with a large following. Trained in both Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi, Dennis takes the stage in a rare performance of Kuchipudi, the popular androgynous style of Andhra Pradesh made famous by the male dancers of Kuchipudi village who don women’s clothes to perform this dance. Dennis performs new works in the Kuchipudi repertoire, which he has just acquired from his recent sojourn in India.

A Season of Odissi
An exciting series of Malaysia’s favourite Indian classical dance showcasing three bewitching Odissi dancers: Leena Mohanty, the best in the Deba Prasad Odissi tradition; Italian born Ileana Citaristi, a phenomenon and considered one of the best of the senior Odissi dancers in India; and of course, our very own Ramli Ibrahim.

Heightened States with Ramli Ibrahim, whose name is synonymous with Odissi in Malaysia, and Bhubaneswar-based Leena Mohanty. Leena Mohanty is a prodigious talent emerging as one of the most impressive Odissi dancers in India today representing the Odissi style of the late Guru Deba Prasad.

Odissi by Ileana Citaristi, an Italian born dancer who has made Orissa her home and Odissi her calling. One of the rare non-Indians recognised as one of the top Odissi dancers in the world today, Ileana Citaristi continues her legacy and contribution to dance in India not only as a dancer but as a teacher, writer and scholar.

Salam Benua
This work of contemporary dance has been commissioned by Ramli Ibrahim of Ileana Citaristi to choreograph a work that melds Stravinsky’s most famous work, the Rite of Spring, with the well-known poem of the late Usman Awang, Salam Benua.

Ileana Citaristi (presently making waves in India for using martial arts elements, especially those of Chhau, an indigenous martial arts/dance of Orissa) takes on the challenge of interpreting Usman Awang’s humanitarian plea to world peace and setting it to this well known musical piece commissioned by Diaghilev and choreographed by Nijinsky at the turn of the twentieth century.

Seven dancers – Ramli Ibrahim, Guna, Weijun, Leena Mohanty, Shagun Butani, January Low, Shangita Namashivayam and Biljana Kiryova, a group with diverse backgrounds and nationalities, from pure Indian classical dance to ballet, from Malay to Macedonian, will interpret Ileana Citaristi’s world premiere.

Tatsumi Hijikata was a co-founder of Butoh. Since his death in 1986, his wife, Akiko Motofuji, has endeavoured to keep the spirit of Butoh alive by organising workshops, performances, exhibitions and film screenings in Japan and overseas.

Her troupe, the Tatsumi Hijikata Memorial Butoh Troupe, will be in Singapore to present a talk, conduct workshops and perform.

Tatsumi Hijikata – Talk by Akiko Motofuji
12 July @ 2pm
Theatre Studio @ Esplanade
Free

Explorations – Butoh Workshops
11-12 July @ 7.30pm-10.30pm
13 July @ 2.00pm-5.00pm
Rehearsal Studio @ Esplanade
S$10 (1 session) / S$18 (any 2 sessions) / S$24 (all 3 sessions)

Together with Tatsumi Hijikata – Performances
15-16 July @ 8.00pm
Theatre Studio @ Esplanade
S$25

————————–

Additional Information

“Tatsumi Hijikata and I were born in the Showa period’s third year (1928). I could say we grew up with war and shared camaraderie because of this hardship. Japan was very national critical during this time. The children, students and even the general public were made to participate in this war. The war became severe and Tokyo suffered bombing every day. We spent our youth not understanding life or death, feeling like being in the darkness. For days and days, young people could not see the future. It was like Man’s identity crisis. Tatsumi Hijikata and I experienced this [life with no exit]. People believe the eternity of life when you start to understand that this life is a build up of waves in an eternal movement. Life is not one wave.

Butoh is an expression of tenderness that was discovered in the dark side of the human spirit after the violence of war.

Everything returns to an abundance of Mother Nature.” – Akiko Motofuji

Tatsumi Hijikata – Talk by Akiko Motofuji
Akiko Motofuji will share her times with Hijikata and elaborate on his works. There will be excerpts of rare videos and films featuring Hijikata as well as Ankoku Butoh performances choreographed and performed by Hijikata and dancers.

Explorations – Butoh Workshops
Motofuji and her dancers will give participants a chance to experience the shades, essence and spirit of Butoh. The main emphasis in Motofuji’s work is Butoh, which focuses on the body and spirit. She combines it with classical ballet, contemporary dance and Neuer Tanz techniques in a constant search for new ways of expression.

Each session is different and complete in itself.

Together with Tatsumi Hijikata – Performances
Based on her book of the same name, this is an endearing meditation by Motofuji on her life with Hijikata. Performed by Motofuji and her dancers, the performance is also an exploration of the philosophy of Butoh, and the enduring influence of Hijikata on the dance world.

Shirena Hamzah of Dancesteps Studio and Thomas Stanborough (Australian dancer/choreographer) will be staging a Broadway dance show in the first half of 2004.

They will be holding an audition for dancers aged between 18 and 30, who are able to do Ballet, Modern, Tap or Jazz.

Date: 2 July 2003
Time: 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Dancesteps Studio
11-2 (2nd floor) Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Email: dances@maxis.net.my
Tel: 012-231 6369 / 03-2300 2505

The Celestar Studio of Performing Arts (CSOPA) has three upcoming events:

Break Dance Classes
CSOPA is now offering break dance classes at its premises at:

24 B Jalan Memanda 4
Ampang Point
68000 Kuala Lumpur

Call 013-371 0862 for details

CSOPA Jazz Dance Society Annual General Meeting
Date: 28 June 2003
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: CSOPA premises

Jazz Dance Competition
Date: 28 June 2003
Time: 6.00pm-7.30pm

Categories: Solo/duo/group (three or more dancers)
Category A (kids 8-12yrs)
Category B (Adults 13yrs and above)

Duration of item: 2 and a half minutes

Prizes will be given for choreography, talent, originality, showmanship, costume

Please register by 20 June 2003

For more information call 019-360 8667 / 013-371 0862 / 012-377 1469