Drama Family presents the second installment of Dance Species, a vehicle for exploring the essence of body movements through the works of five choreographers – Joie Koo, Henry Khor, Eng Hee Ling, Tan Chin Theng and Choy Li Lee.

Dance Species continues to strive for new directions in the Penang contemporary dance scene. For more information on Dance Species, visit http://www.geocities.com/dancespecies.

Dates/Times: 26 April @ 8.30pm / 27 April @ 3.00pm & 8.30pm

Venue: The Actors Studio Greenhall, Penang

Admission: by donation of RM20

Contact: 04-263 5400 / 016-416 0460

Raqia Hassan, organizer of the annual Cairo Oriental Dance Festival and highly respected belly dance instructor and choreographer, will conduct 3 intensive workshops over 3 days in Singapore.

Workshop 1 – Dance Techniques
25 April 2003 (7.00pm-10.00pm) – S$70

Workshop 2 – Choreography (Raks Sharki)
26 April 2003 (2.00pm-7.00pm) – S$150

Workshop 3 – Choreography (Saidi)
27 April 2003 (1.00pm-6.00pm) – S$150

Special Packages:
S$330 for all three workshops
S$270 for Workshops 2 & 3
S$190 for Workshop 1 and either Workshop 2 or 3

Venue:
The Terrace Room, 3/F., Victoria Theatre, 9 Empress Place, Singapore

For enquiries & registration, contact Claribel Ng at 02-6474 3459 / 6475 6032 or email: claribel_ng@hotmail.com

For more information on Raqia Hassan, visit www.raqiahassan.net

Didik Nini Thowok is a much sought after artist in Indonesia. His multiple talents include dance, choreography, drama, comedy and the overall performance art of mime-acting-singing. Presented by Sutra Dance Theatre, Didik will perform two dances from different areas of Indonesia.

Topeng Walang Kekek illustrates three different female dispositions: the beautiful, the ugly and the old. The choreography fuses three ethnic Indonesian dance styles: Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese, and incorporates a traditional Japanese dance technique (Nihon Boyu). This new choreography is Didik’s masterpiece.

Beskalan Putri is a cross-gender dance from the Malang area of East Java, in which men dress and act as women. In the past, this dance was normally performed for village-cleansing ceremonies, for vow statements, and as the opening for Lerok or Ludruk performances. Today, women also perform Beskalan Putri, and the dance has developed into a form of entertainment performed only for opening events of Ludruk art.

Date/Time: 16 April 2003 @ 8.45 pm

Venue: Amphi-Sutra, (Sutra House)
12 Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, Kuala Lumpur

Entry: Minimum donation of RM30 each
Students: RM20 each
(limited to fifty invitations only and student identification required)

Tel: 03 – 4022 9669 (11am – 5pm weekdays only)

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Didik’s unique style combining classical, folk, modern and comedic dance forms has brought him fame throughout Indonesia. He is one of the few artists who continues the long tradition of “cross gender” dance.

His talents include impersonating female characters as well as his incredible skill in various dance traditions such as the Topeng (mask dance), Sundanese, Cirebon, Balinese, and of course Central Javanese. His performances have on many occasions dumbfounded the audience with regard to the sex of the artist.

Didik has performed for dignitaries and received awards from Japan, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany and other countries around the world.

A foundation was established under Didik Nini Thowok’s name to support and help preserve the cultural and performing arts in Indonesia. Through this foundation, Didik is able to share his talent and passion in dancing, acting and choreography with children and aspiring artists who may be less fortunate.

He owns and operates a dance studio in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Lexus Dance Theatre will be conducting an audition for modern, jazz and classical dancers aged between 13 and 30.

Those interested must prepare a two-minute dance performance and bring their own audio music accompaniment.

Successful candidates will feature in a showcase in September.

Date: 13 April 9 2003

Time: 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Venue: Puppet Shoulder Studio
2A Lorong Kolam Air Lama 1, Ampang Jaya (next to RSPCA)
Kuala Lumpur

For details contact: 012-353 1567

This musical performance by Mohram (Mohar and Ramli) will be accompanied by elements of contemporary dance choreographed by Aida Redza to create an all-encompassing visual and aural spectacle.

Traditional and contemporary musical instruments are used to create the unique, haunting sound of Mohram, evoking ever-changing moods and emotions.

Dates/Time: 11-13 April 2003 @ 8.30pm

Venue: Panggung Sari, Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

Tickets: RM176 / RM121 / RM101 / RM76 / RM51 / RM26

Outlet: Box Office

Contact: 03-4025 5932 (tel) / 03-4025 5975 (fax)
Email: info@istanabudaya.gov.my

Topsy Turvy 2: Bizarre is a dance performance that showcases works by the nine young dancers that make up Batu Dance Theatre under the direction of artistic director, Vincent Tan.

Following on from the performance that took place in Klang last year, Topsy-Turvy 2 incorporates the intrinsic talents, youthfulness and diverse cultural disciplines of the dancers. The resulting theme is Guai, Gui, Guai, Guai (or ‘Bizarre’) with the nine dance fragments expressing novel movements and stormy emotions.

The budding choreographers include Yap Yen Fah, Hoh May Yee, Carole Ong, Ailyn Tan, Yong Hui Yee, Teo Bee Fong, Liew Yong Huat, Lee Mong Medi and Yong Chee Hoe.

Dates/Times: 26 April @ 8pm / 27 April @ 3pm & 8pm

Venue: The Actors Studio Theatre, Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

Tickets: RM 30 (adults) / RM 20 (students with valid ID)
. 50% discount will be given to previous audience members who filled out and submitted their Q&A forms (valid only until 13 April 2003)
. 10% discount to group purchases of 10 or more tickets (valid only till 13 April 2003)
. MyDance member discount (with valid membership cards): RM25 (adults) / RM 18 (students)

Outlets:
The Actors Studio (03-2694 5400 / 03-2692 5927)
Batu Dance Theatre (03-3324 7568 / 012-2222 735)

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Topsy Turvy
This annual series is intended to be an alternative platform for young dancers to explore the possibilities of dance, and experience the process of creative endeavour through choreography.

Run wholly by the young people, it is creating a new way of creative planning and production making so that dance and choreography are not confined to the realm of professionals.

Programme
I Am Leaving (Hoh May Yee) voices the heart of youngsters in search of direction in their life

Bubbles (Yong Hui Yee) illustrates the earnest wish of young ladies of the future

SDE (Ailyn Tan) depicts the degraded life of a lost generation

www.hope.com.my (Ong Lay Ha) is to inspire and motivate the generation living at the edge of social restlessness

Searching (Yap Yen Fah) depicts a journey in search of security by young people, disturbed and unsettled

Forward and Backward (Liew Yong Huat & Yong Chee Hoe) enlists the rhythmic body movements based on defense and attack in a basketball game

Pipe Dream (Teo Bee Fong) illustrates the illusion of a secular world

3, 2, 1… (Lee Mong Mei) a solo dance that depicts the ease and relief of achieving solidarity amidst the lost and found in her life

Best of the Best, a compilation of the dancers’ endeavour that highlights the success of the female sex amidst an ever-challenging male chauvinistic society

Kami is a new collaboration between two of Asia’s new wave of contemporary dancer-cum-choreographers, Arifwaran Shaharudin (Malaysia) and Mugiyono Kasido (Indonesia), with set design by Japanese kinetic sculptor Masato Tanaka.

It is a dance work that uses text as a metaphor for exploring issues that continue to haunt the creation of contemporary Asian work. Using words and definitions culled from the Oxford English Dictionary (the language of a former colonial power), parallels are drawn between the tension that exists between language and the reality it represents with that of contemporary Southeast Asian society and its complex heritage.

Divided into five sections, the work is set against a fascinating backdrop of Tanaka’s stage devices and objects, demonstrating that technology can contain a sense of hidden natural beauty beyond bringing about an acceleration of modern life.

Performances:
10-12 April 2003 @ 8.00pm
Theatre Studio, Esplanade Theatres, Singapore
Tickets: S$20

Workshop with Arifwaran and Mugiyono:
12 April 2003 @ 2.00pm
Rehearsal Studio
Free!

The Dance Program of Akademi Seni Kebangsaan is proud to announce the final graduation assessment recital performances (Penilaian Tahun Akhir – PeTA) of five of its students who have completed three years of intensive study:
· Hoi Cheng Sim
· Rozilah Abdul Rahman
· Intan Carina Abdul Karim
· Shafirul Azmi Suhaimi
· Zamzuriah Zahari

Members of the public are invited to attend the performances over two evenings.
Each night’s performance will last approximately 1 hour
Entrance is FREE
Venue: Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, MTC, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

For further enquiries, call Norhafilah at 013-4054995 or 2164 9180 ext 242

9 April 2003 @ 8.30 p.m. – Traditional Dance Recital
This will feature ten dances including Layang Mas, Asyik, Terinai, Bolak-bolak, Zapin Pekajang, Tari Inai, Kanjet Ngeleput, Datun Julud, Chinese Dances from Mongolia and Tibet, and the Piring Dance originally from Western Sumatera.

These will be performed in full traditional costumes and some of these dances will be accompanied by live music. The above dances have been taught by leading traditional dance experts of Malaysia such as Dr. Chandrabanu, Nurdjajadi Jasan, Suhaimi Magi, Zhou Gui Xin, Sharifah Mahani and Guntik Sabili.

These dances are performed in as original a form as possible, and some are being performed for the first time in Kuala Lumpur. This is also the first time that graduates must dance from the Chinese Dance repertoire. This is with the aim of moulding truly Malaysian artists of the future.

11 April 2003 @ 8.30 p.m – Modern Dance Recital
This will feature choreography by Choo Tee Kuang for Hoi Cheng Sim, Loke Soh Kim for Rozilah Abdul Rahman, Shafirul Azmi Suhaimi’s Hari+Hari, Intan Carina’s Study – Solos and Duets and Zamzuriah Azhari’s Auta-auta.

This section is being presented under the guidance and advice of Marion D’Cruz, Mew Chang Tsing and Joseph Gonzales who are among Malaysia’s leading contemporary dance practitioners.

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This is a good opportunity to witness the richness of Malaysia’s traditional dance heritage and appreciate the efforts of the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan to preserve and promote the knowledge and practice of traditional dance.

Too many times we have heard that there are not enough performances being staged or that Malaysian traditional dance is simply about waving one’s hands, holding scarves or ‘bunga manggar’. It is so much more than this. If you would like to get to know your cultural heritage before it becomes obsolete, then catch the performance on 9 April.

If you care to watch some interesting choreography danced by good performers whom we hope we have groomed well, do not miss the performance on 11 April.

The modern dance audition for entry into the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts has been POSTPONED until further notice due to the current concern over SARS.

The organisers apologise for any inconvenience.

For further enquiries, please contact Douglas at 03-8943 8695/6

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The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts is holding a Modern Dance Audition for its 2003 intake.

If interested, please prepare a full resume, a passport sized photograph and dance clothes.

Date/Time: 7 April 2003 @ 8.00pm

Venue: Dua Space Dance Theatre
MINES Shopping Fair, 2nd floor

Contact: Douglas Wong (Company Manager) at 03-8943 8696 / 8943 8695

A 20-member troupe from the National Russian Ballet will tour Malaysia with “Revival”, a performance comprising excerpts from Don Quixote, Nutcracker and other ballets.

The performance will feature soloists Alexey Borzov and Olga Kuznetsova from the Bolshoi Theatre.

Tour Schedule:
20 April 2003
Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan (Jalan Istana, 30000, Ipoh, Perak)
Contact: Perak Society of Performing Arts (05-242 5936)

21-22 April 2003
Megellan Grand Ballroom (Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah)
Contact: 088-267 037 / 016-812 8080 / 016-831 1147

24 April 2003
Dewan Sri Pinang (Penang)
Contact: 04-226 8477

26-27 April 2003
Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands
Contact: 03-2718 1118