The Dance Pilgrim

Photo: Courtesy of KL DanceWorks On 9 and 10 January 2010, Istana Budaya was the hub of ballet in Malaysia. In a programme organised by KL Danceworks Production and Ena Ballet Studio, and presented by KNM Group Bhd with Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd as the main sponsor, it provided a glorious evening of ballet that will remain with fans for a very long time. The evening was a double-bill beginning with Paquita . This classical repertoire was first choreographed by Joseph Mazilier with music by Edouard Deldevez for the Paris Opera Ballet. However, in 1847, it was staged for the Imperial Ballet in Russia by19 th century maestro Marius Petipa with addttional music by Ludwig Minkus, and has enjoyed a present-day rejuvenation through the new choreography by Natalia Makarova, the legendary Prima Ballerina of the Kirov Ballet, before she defected to the west and worked with the American Ballet Theatre and England's The Royal Ballet and more. This production for Malaysia feature...

                Kerala Natanam written by Kusum Gopalakrishnan and translated by Ram Gopal Sivadas and Apsara Ram Gopal was launched at an intimate evening at the High Commission of India on the 16 November 2008. This is the first publication by the Kshetra Academy, an independent private bharatanatyam academy run by Apsara Ram Gopal. The 196-page book filled with priceless photographs is a profound tribute to the late great master teacher Guru Gopinath and traces his life and his career over a span of 50 years from his roots as a young aspiring dancer to the great heights he eventually reached. The history of Guru Gopinath is one that bears importance to dance afficionados as his lineage has had a tremendous impact on the performance and teaching of  bharatanatyam in Malaysia and Singapore. His shishya (student/disciple) was the late V.K. Sivadas who immigrated to Kuala Lumpur in the 50s, married Vats...

As I drive along each morning, from the vantage point of the Old Klang Road, and I must admit a little perilously, I inevitably look out for the progress of a new building along the filthy waters of the Klang River. Standing majestic, slowly clawing its way towards the skyline is a brick-red building that will stand no more than 5 floors high (and a roof terrace) but speaks louder to me (perhaps I am being simple, narrow-minded even) than all of Kuala Lumpur’s sky-scrapers! This building is the new physical realization of the heart and soul of a community with a dream. I remember, for the longest time, that every show I attended was in benefit of this proposed building - this is still on-going! It seemed like it was taking forever to even get off the ground. I must admit that there were times when, like all doubting Thomases, I too, doubted it would ever get built. In the past few years, as my relationship with members of this community has become more profound, and my role as a...

The 2nd. National Chinese Cultural Dance Competition organized by the Chinese Language Society of Malacca and Multi-Media University was held at the Taman Budaya, Department of Arts and Culture, Malacca from Friday to Sunday, 10-12 Mar 2006. A total of 45 groups, consisting of Chinese dance associations, secondary schools, cultural clubs and private dance schools, including seven from Singapore, took part in the exhausting three-day event. Although I am personally not in favour of competitions, primarily because of issues of judging, or the inevitable feelings of disappointment when dealing with losses, and equally, the inappropriate sense of over-estimating ability when emerging champions. I do understand that there are many benefits and I attempt to stay focused on the potential to develop a sense of teamwork, and improve the performance quality. Therefore, for the first time, I decided to enter the dance students of ASWARA in this event, to gauge the level of achievement and eff...

A chance conversation by the author with Wong Kit Yaw, a senior Chinese dance lecturer at ASWARA led to the personal discovery of a rarely talked about or never before mentioned-in-writing (in English) teacher of Chinese dance known as Low Laoshi or Teacher Low. At the meeting that was subsequently arranged at his home in the Old Klang Road area, a beautiful gentle man was resting on his chair, weak from innumerable treatments for chronic kidney disease (which was later disclosed as cancer) tended with the tough love of his former school-teacher wife, Madam Mao. Still, when he started talking about dance, his experiences and his journey, his eyes sparkled, he was vibrant, he laughed and was excited. I imagined what an interesting and passionate teacher he would have been in his day. Low Kee Sien was born in 10 November 1937, the third child of 12 in Kuala Lumpur. His mother had apparently said that he danced before he walked! He just loved dancing and there was no clear reason for...

The debut production of Rumah Anak Teater (RAT) entitled Teater Komplisasi Vol I , was staged in the Stor Theatre Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka from the 28 Jan – 1 Feb. Quite simply it was precisely the breath of fresh air the Kuala Lumpur theatre scene so desperately needed. Several young theatre graduates of the Diploma Program at ASWARA have gotten together to create the theatre collective under the mentorship and watchful eye of Sahili Abdan or better known as Namron through his Komuniti Kental Project. ‘Kental’ means strength and according to the artistic director’s notes, it is this strength of spirit that he is trying to encourage and nurture to face the challenges of life as a professional theatre practitioner in Malaysia. In Namron, they have found an artistic mentor and an inspiration much like what the late Krishen Jit was to Namron in the late 90s. These young talents are beginning to make their presence felt on the KL stage in an emphatic way through their obvious talent and pa...

I borrow and paraphrase from Neil Armstrong, the words he uttered when he set foot on the moon on 20  July 1969, as 75 young men and women enrol for ASWARA’s first intake of degree program  students on the 6 January 2008. Of these, 18 will pursue a Bachelor of Dance with Honours majoring in either performance or choreography, and the rest in Music, Theatre, Film and Writing. It is a historic day for ASWARA (that began as ASK in 1994) in particular, and for the arts in Malaysia in general. It is even more historic as I remember the total enrolment of merely 10 full-time students 8 years ago in the Dance Diploma program that has now swelled to 80 - how we have grown! While there is a deep sense of awe and satisfaction with the journey thus far and the growing numbers, there comes with it a great sense of responsibility as I look ahead to the delivery of fresh content and subsequently to the finished products of these programs. I ponder the industry and wonder how education and p...