The four choreographers that are selected for the Asia Young Choreographer Project in Taiwan are :-

Elise Catherine May (Australia)
Wong Jyh Shyong (Malaysia)
Jack Gary (New Zealand)
Elena O. Laniog (Philippines)

The Singapore Arts Festival 2005, starting from 26th May 2005 until 26th June 2005, The Season of Brilliance consists of Dance, Music, Theatre, KidsFest, Family Entertaiment, Late Shows, Visual Arts, Outreach, Partners Event and Festival Conversation. It will be held in various venue in Singapore.

For more information, do log on to http://www.singaporeartsfest.com

Ms. Tamalyn directs from Miami, Tamalyn Dallal, of the “Bellydance Superstars” DVD, has been dancing for the past 28 years. She has taught in many countries and recently finished an instructional book called “Belly Dancing for Fitness”. There are 4 types of workshop available:-

Workshop 1
(26th February 2005, Saturday, 12noon – 3pm, Fees of RM 120.00)
Polishing the Basics is important for everyone. Hands and arms are the most feminine and expressive movements of belly dance. Learn about the different types of movements that come from many parts of the Middle East.

Workshop 2
(26th February 2005, Saturday, 4pm – 5.30pm, Fees of RM 60.00)
Floor Work is the artistic and beautiful but must be done in good skill and taste. This workshop teaches how to go to the floor, several types of backbends, knee walks, roll-overs and isolations while on the floor, as well as getting up gracefully and the proper costuming and music.

Workshop 3
(27th February 2005, Sunday, 10.30am – 1pm, Fees of RM 100.00)
Finger Cymbals is challenging but it improves a dancer understanding of the music and helps with coordination. Once you recognize the rhythms, your dancing will improve and so does your appreciation.

Workshop 4
(27th February 2005, Sunday, 2.30pm – 5.00pm, Fees of RM 100.00)
Belly Dancing with a Latin Flair will utilizes several popular songs that have mixture of Arabic and Spanish music. This will incorporate elements from Spain with turns and hand movements, as well as Cumbia from Colombia with skirts and delicate hip movements. While adapting to salsa steps to belly dance beats.

The venue is at The Dato Pilus Hall, Top Floor, Sri Cempaka School, No. 19, Jalan Setiabakti 1, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. Special workshop package are available as (A = Workshop 1+3 or 1+4 = RM 200) ; (B = Workshop 2+3+4 = RM 250) ; (C = All the Workshops = RM 330). Ms. Tamalyn is bringing her book and DVD for sales, so do bring extra cash to the workshop.

For further inquiries and reservations, please contact Sherlyn at 012 – 311 2277 or e-mail to her at sharkidance@fastmail.fm or even check out the website http://www.sharkidance.com

New Intake for Regular Classes, Now Open for Bookings:-

Latin Beginners (Rumba series) : Monday, 8.00pm – 9.00pm (starting 21st February 2005)
Latin Beginners (Cha cha series) : Sunday, 2.00pm – 3.00pm (booking open for March 2005)
Break Dancing : Monday, 6.45pm – 7.45pm (can join in now)

Belly Dancing Beginners : Wednesday, 8.00pm (can join in now)
Belly Dancing Beginners : Monday, 10.00am (can join in now)
Belly Dancing Beginners : Sunday, 10.30am (can join in now)
Belly Dancing Beginners : Friday, 6.30pm (can join in now)
Belly Dancing Beginners : Monday, 11.00am (bookings open for March 2005)
Intermediate Contemporary Belly Dancing : Wednesday, 7.00pm
Intermediate Traditional Belly Dancing : Sunday, 1.00pm

Bollywood Dancing : Thursday, 7.00pm – 8.00pm (starting on 17th February 2005)
Ballroom Dancing : Wednesday, 9.00pm – 10.00pm (bookings open for March 2005)
Salsa Beginners : Sunday, 4.00pm – 5.00pm (can join in now)
Salsa Beginners : Monday, 9.00pm – 10.00pm (starting on 21st February 2005)
Salsa Beginners : Sunday, 3.00pm – 4.00pm (bookings open for March 2005)

Two days special classes by Gavin will be held on 16th & 17th February 2005. Do call in for bookings. Schedules are as such:-
16th February 2005, Wednesday, 6.00pm – 7.00pm Hip Hop Funk (All Levels)
16th February 2005, Wednesday, 9.00pm – 10.00pm Salsa Partnerwork (Intermediate)
17th February 2005, Thursday, 8.30pm – 9.30pm Afro Caribbean Body Movement (All Levels)
17th February 2005, Thursday, 9.30pm – 10.30pm Salsa Shines & Footwork (All Levels)

For more information and bookings, do contact 013 – 388 0821 or 016 – 357 1899. Or do visit our website http://www.thedancespace.com.my

Sutra Dance Theatre proudly presents its major production for a Malaysia Tour – Spellbound – an extravaganza Odissi production for 2005 under the artistic direction of Ramli Ibrahim. The best of Sutra dancers and Ramli will perform, accompanied by master musicians from Orissa,India in their first ever Odissi Gala Premiere Kuala Lumpur performance. Spellbound will be presented in Sutra’s inimitable theatrical style, Spellbound is an international production not to be missed.

New works are being commissioned for Spellbound in the effort to pioneer and forge a unique Odissi tradition with identifiable ‘Malaysian’ characteristics. Sutra continues its collaboration with Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, an outstanding guru of the late Guru Deba Prasad Das style. The latter was Ramli’s Odissi guru, who took Odissi in the late fifties, to the outside world, for the first time. Spellbound will feature new stage design by well known set and lighting designer, Sivarajah Natarajan and will also be performed in aid of several charitable organisations in Malaysia.

Details : 16th – 20th February 2005 (Wednesday – Sunday) at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur
25th February 2005 (Friday) at Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang
26th February 2005 (Saturday) at Dewan Bandaran, Ipoh, Perak
2nd March 2005 (Wednesday) at Dewan Bandaran, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
4th March 2005 (Friday) at Dewan Mawar, Johor Bahru, Johor
5th March 2005 (Saturday) at Singapore

For more information, do contact Sutra Dance Theatre at 603 – 4022 9669 or fax to 603 – 4023 2548. Do visit http://www.sutradancetheatre.com or even write an e-mail to sutradancetheatre@yahoo.com

The Pak Ngah Dance Troupe will be performing at the Mini Auditorium for 45 minutes. The group will perform a series of dances including those by Iban warriors armed with their sumpit or blowpipe. Members of the audience will be invited to try their dancing and blowpipe shooting skills on stage at the end of the show.

Days : Every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Weekends, at 3.00pm
Venue : Mini Auditorium, Malaysia Tourism Centre, Kuala Lumpur
Tel. : 603 – 2163 3667

Date : 17th – 19th September 2004 (Friday – Sunday)
Time : 8.30pm
Venue : Experimental Theatre, ASK Campus, No. 464, Jalan Tun Ismail, 50400 Kuala Lumpur.

Tickets : RM10.00 and RM 5.00 (students). Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia and Akademi Seni Kebangsaan.

Jamu is a contemporary dance performance series that began in 2001 to critical acclaim as setting the standards for contemporary dance choreography in Malaysia. Upon this platform, the dance lecturers are annually commissioned by ASK to explore their creativity. This is a crucial aspect of dance training and the dance department is proud of its faculty who are artists who push the boundaries and seek to establish a Malaysian contemporary vocabulary by presenting their current thoughts.

“ASK – Celebrating 10 years of excellence in arts education”. The following choreographers will be presented in Jamu 2004 :
Mew Chang Tsing, Choo Tee Kuang, Umesh Shetty, Gan Chih Pei, Loke Soh Kim, Wong Kit Yaw, Joseph Gonzales, while younger choreographers include Martina Benedict Paul, A. Aris A. Kadir, Azizi Sulaiman, Firdaus Mustapha Kamal and Mohd. Kamaludin Mohd. Daud.

For further enquiries, do contact Mr. Jeffri at 016-238 9179 or 019-399 1452

20-21 August 2004, Stri, is Guna’s exploration into the darker aspects of the female phyche (stri).

Stri marks Guna’s return to solo Odissi after a long hiatus.

A powerful dancer who has liberated himself from the seeming contradiction of male and female labelling, Guna sees his own enlightenment with coming to terms with his own anima through Stri.