Dance

INSIDE OUT — A Performative Exhibition by Isabelle Schad

admin Dance, Performances
INSIDE OUT — A Performative Exhibition by Isabelle Schad

Created by choreographer Isabelle Schad, winner of the 2019 German Dance Prize.
Co-created and performed by dancers from Europe and Southeast Asia.

In her performative exhibition INSIDE OUT Isabelle Schad shows choreographic sculptures that are experienced in their powerfully sensuous moving forms. Her work situates itself between dance and visual art, draws on her ongoing fascination with Aikido-Zen, community building and her long-term collaboration with visual artist and philosopher Laurent Goldring. With subtle exactness, the performers form bodies and movement into sculptures which define their own space and evolve a contemplative quality. INSIDE OUT is conceived to be re-created anew for each venue and will be seen for the first time with this unique constellation of dancers coming from Europe and Southeast Asia.

Performers: Claudia Tomasi (Italy), Przemek Kamiński (Poland), Josh Marcy (Indonesia), Noutnapha Soydala (Laos), Vidura Amranand (Thailand), Nguyen Thanh Chung (Vietnam), Nicole Primero (Philippines), Gebbvelle Ray Selga (Philippines), Jereh Leung (Singapore), and Lau Beh Chin (Malaysia).
Artistic Assistance: Claudia Tomasi (Italy)
Music: Damir Simunovic (Croatia)
Lighting: Emma Juliard (France)

DETAILS

8:30pm
Friday 15 Nov, Saturday 16 Nov & Sunday 17 Nov
White Box, MAP Publika

TICKETS

Tickets walk-in by donation at the door:
RM35 regular
RM20 students/seniors/concession
Group discount: 4 student entries for RM70 (RM17.50 each)

Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand and move around during the performance.

REGISTRATION

If you are bringing a big group, or concerned about limited places, please register with your name, number of people attending, and date of attendance, by email to arts@rimbundahan.org or Whatsapp +60 17-727 7137. Your registered space will be saved until 8:15pm on the day of the performance.

CREDITS

Jointly Organized by Goethe-Institut and Rimbun Dahan

Supported by the NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ International Guest Performance Fund for Dance, which is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.
Venue Supported by MAP Publika/UEMS Sunrise
Special Thanks to the Embassy of the Republic of France in Malaysia.

Photo by D.Hartwig

Contemporary Dance/Traditional Rhythms Workshop by Annalouise Paul

admin Dance, Workshops
Contemporary Dance/Traditional Rhythms Workshop by Annalouise Paul

Australian dancer-choreographer Annalouise Paul, the current resident choreographer at Rimbun Dahan, will conduct a 3-hour workshop open to the local performance community.

Annalouise will share choreographic repertoire and a contemporary dance warm up which intersects with Flamenco dance and traditional rhythms. She will share her process of DanceDNA for distilling traditions in order to explore new pathways for movement without disrupting or negating the essence of the cultural form. The workshop will include task work and improvisational modes.

For intermediate/advanced dancers and performers.

6:30-9:30pm
Monday 9 Sept 2019
KOTAK, Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.
Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/vBy1ACMcFCH2

Entrance is RM20 per person, payable at the door. Places are limited and REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. To register, please email bhijjas@gmail.com or Whatsapp +6017 310 3769 with your name, mobile number and email address.

Please wear clothes comfortable for dancing. Most of the work will be in bare feet. If you have a traditional dance practice of your own, please feel free to bring any required items, i.e. bells, shoes…

About Annalouise Paul

Annalouise Paul is a contemporary-flamenco choreographer and performer from Australia whose works explore identity and transformation through the intersection of contemporary and traditional forms.

Annalouise has been working in the field of intercultural dance in Australia and internationally for over thirty years. More recently she has developed choreographic tools to push dance hybridity. There is no established ‘method’ for creating cross-cultural movement or for practitioners to model from, so there has been slow but constant emergence of process and vocabulary, evolving out of a pool of processes for various works. ‘Hidden Rhythms’ is one process that employs traditional rhythms for shifting the dynamic of dance movement. ‘Dance DNA’ is the most recent method Annalouise has been investigating largely through workshops internationally and in Australia. She has held cross cultural workshops in Singapore, France, India, Melbourne and Sydney supported by World Dance Alliance, Create NSW and Critical Path.

Developing cross-cultural and hybrid processes with local dance artists at Rimbun Dahan, Annalouise is researching and creating material for new interdisciplinary works ‘Mother Tongue’ and ‘Self Portrait’, exploring the existence of multiple cultural affinities, histories and languages in the single body.

Annalouise is the recipient of the Australian Arts in Asia Award in Dance. This Creative Exchange at Rimbun Dahan is supported by Asialink Arts and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

About Rimbun Dahan

Rimbun Dahan is a private arts centre owned by architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela. The 14-acre compound contains contemporary and traditional buildings in an indigenous Southeast Asian tropical garden. Since 1994, the Cultural Programme at Rimbun Dahan has hosted hundreds of artists across disciplines, spending up to 12 months at Rimbun Dahan to develop their arts practice.

Thanks to FIVE ARTS CENTRE for their venue support.

Photo above, of ‘Mother Tongue’ choreographed by Annalouise Paul, taken by Shane Rozario.

Australian Choreographer Invites Collaborators

admin Arts, Dance, Projects, Resident Artist
Australian Choreographer Invites Collaborators
Want to explore the process of creating cross-cultural dance? Australian choreographer Annalouise Paul is looking for collaborators for her residency at Rimbun Dahan in August 2019!
Ingin mengkaji proses mencipta tarian bersilang budaya? Ahli koreografer Annalouise Paul dari Australia memohon para kolaborator menyertai residensinya di Rimbun Dahan, pada bulan Ogos 2019. Turun ke versi BM –>

Annalouise Paul Residency at Rimbun Dahan

Dates: 15-30 August 2019

Australian dancer-choreographer Annalouise Paul is looking for local dancer artists to collaborate on a cross-cultural dance exchange at Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia.

Callout for Collaborators

WHO: Dancers and choreographers who have a traditional or indigenous dance background (in any culture) are invited to apply. If you are interested in contemporary performance, making new work and challenging traditional concepts or have some experience with contemporary dance that is useful, but not essential.

WHAT: Annalouise Paul will teach excerpts from her existing works and guide artists to explore and develop new choreographic material working from their traditional dances and share her creative practice. Together we will hone a process that uses traditional dances, rhythms and concepts in structured improvisations, and if time permits develop a short choreography that can be shared in a studio showing at the end of the residency.

WHY: Sharing dialogue is key to this exchange. Feeding back on how processes can be pushed further and develop processes for making new works. And as a group, discuss contemporary and traditional dance vocabularies, cultural identity, race, languages, migration and diasporic lineages as artist-makers.

THINGS TO KNOW:

  • Conversations in the studio will be in English, but we will try to accommodate those with minimal English, wherever possible.
  • Video, photographic and written documentation by Annalouise is essential, but this will not be shared publicly, and used only for Annalouise’s artistic archives and grant reports.
  • Consent forms will be provided.
  • Artists are custodians of their traditional practices at all times and decide what cultural material is offered in the exploratory process and for group discussion.
  • Musicians are welcome in this choreographic lab.

YOUR COMMITMENT:

  • Collaborators will be invited to spend 4-5 days per week for 2 weeks, between [date] and [date] working as a group with Annalouise in the studio at Rimbun Dahan.
  • Schedules for working days will be arranged in consultation with the collaborators so that a small group can work together consistently over the period to have maximum benefit for everyone involved.
  • Times will be between 10-5pm TBC, and this will be confirmed once the collaborators are confirmed.
  • Once accepted, continuity is compulsory for the entire group. If you cannot commit for the full period please state this at the start with your best dates and times available.

FEE: There is no fee offered, however, a daily stipend will be offered to cover transport and lunch meals.

CONTACT: If you’re interested please arrange a time to speak with Annalouise Paul. Contact her directly on Whatsapp +61 408664199 or email annalouisempaul@gmail.com with your available dates and times and for more information about the project.

MORE ABOUT ANNALOUISE PAUL

Annalouise Paul has been working in the field of intercultural dance in Australia and internationally for over thirty years. More recently she has developed choreographic tools to push dance hybridity. There is no established ‘method’ for creating cross-cultural movement or for practitioners to model from, so there has been slow but constant emergence of process and vocabulary, evolving out of a pool of processes for various works. ‘Hidden Rhythms’ is one process that employs traditional rhythms for shifting the dynamic of dance movement. ‘Dance DNA’ is the most recent method Annalouise has been investigating largely through workshops internationally and in Australia. She has held cross cultural workshops in Singapore, France, India, Melbourne and Sydney supported by World Dance Alliance, Create NSW and Critical Path.

Annalouise’s residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2019 is an Asialink Arts Creative Exchange.

 

Residensi oleh Annalouise Paul di Rimbun Dahan

Tarikh: 15-30 hb Ogos 2019

Annalouise Paul, seorang penari dan koreografer dari Australia, menjemput artis tari tempatan dari Malaysia untuk menyertai proses kolaborasi dalam sebuah projek pertukaran budaya tari bertempat di Rimbun Dahan.

Jemputan Kepada Kolaborator

SIAPA: Penari atau koreografer yang mempunyai latarbelakang tari tradisi ataupun tarian Orang Asal (daripada budaya mana-mana pun) dijemput membuat permohonan untuk menyertai projek ini. Kami juga menggalakkan permohonan anda jikalau anda pernah terlibat di dalam persembahan jenis kontemporari, terlibat di dalam proses mencipta karya baru yang mencabar konsep-konsep tradisi, ataupun mempunyai sebarang pengalaman di dalam tarian kontemporari.

APA: Annalouise Paul akan mengajar beberapa petikan daripada karya tarinya, dan akan memberi panduan kepada peserta-peserta untuk meneroka dan mengembangkan bahan koreografi yang baru, dengan menggunakan tarian tradisi mereka. Annalouise juga akan kongsi amalan kreatifnya sendiri. Peserta-peserta bersama-sama dengan Annalouise akan menetapkan sebuah proses yang menggunakan pergerakan, rentak dan konsep-konsep daripada tarian tradisi di dalam improvisasi-improvisasi yang berstruktur. Terpulang kepada masa, peserta-peserta juga akan mencipta sebuah koreografi pendek yang akan dipersembahkan kepada orang ramai semasa sebuah pertunjukan di dalam studio pada hujung residensi.

MENGAPA: Berkongsi melalui dialog merupakan kunci proses pertukaran ini. Proses ini juga melibatkan tindakan maklumbalas bagaimana ia boleh diperluaskan dan digunakan untuk mencipta karya yang baru. Sebagai sebuah kumpulan penggiat-penggiat seni, kami akan membincangkan vokabulari tari, identiti budaya, bangsa, bahasa, migrasi dan penyebaran warisan.

HARAP MAKLUM:

  • Perbincangan di dalam studio akan dijalankan di dalam Bahasa Inggeris, tetapi kami akan cuba menampung sesiapa yang kurang fasih di dalam Bahasa Inggeris.
  • Annalouise sering menggunakan sistem dokumentasi proses itu melalui video dan foto serta penulisan, tetapi bahan-bahan tersebut tidak akan dipamerkan secara terbuka, dan hanya digunakan di dalam arkib seni Annalouise serta laporan dana.
  • Borang persetujuan akan disediakan.
  • Peserta-peserta merupakan penjaga budaya tradisi mereka sendiri semasa proses ini. Mereka bertanggungjawab untuk menetapkan sumber tradisi yang boleh atau tidak boleh digunakan semasa proses penerokaan artistik dan perbincangan secara berkumpulan ini.
  • Pemain muzik juga digalakkan menyertai projek ini.

KOMITMENT ANDA:

  • Peserta-peserta dijemput untuk berada di studio di Rimbun Dahan selama 4-5 hari setiap minggu selama dua minggu, di antara tarikh [ ] dan [ ], bekerja berkumpulan bersama-sama dengan Annalouise.
  • Jadual waktu bagi setiap hari di dalam studio akan diatur setelah perundingan dengan peserta-peserta. Kami inginkan sebuah kumpulan kecil yang boleh bekerja bersama-sama dengan cara yang konsisten semasa jangka masa tersebut, untuk memberi faedah yang maksimum kepada semua yang terlibat.
  • Masa di dalam studio adalah lebih kurang di antara pukul 10 pagi dan 5 petang, tetapi waktu sebenarnya akan ditetapkan nanti, setelah peserta-peserta dipilih.
  • Setelah peserta-peserta yang terpilih mengesahkan penyertaan mereka, kehadiran adalah wajib. Jikalau anda tidak dapat memberi komitment yang sepenuhnya, sila mengemukakan jadual waktu anda semasa proses permohonan.

BAYARAN: Tiada bayaran yang ditawarkan, kecuali penghargaan sebanyak RM35 sehari yang akan diberi untuk membantu menanggung kos pengangkutan dan makanan.

HUBUNGI KAMI: Untuk membuat permohonan untuk menyertai projek ini, sila Whatsapp +61 408664199 atau emel annalouisempaul@gmail.com dengan jadual waktu anda yang boleh lapangkan untuk projek ini. Annalouise akan menetapkan masa untuk berbincang dengan lebih lanjut bersama anda secara individu.

MAKLUMAT MENGENAI ANNALOUISE PAUL

Annalouise Paul mempunyai sejenis siasatan koreografi yang timbul daripada kekurangan metodologi yang wujud untuk mencipta pergerakan silang budaya (cross-cultural). Amalan Annalouise berdasarkan proses yang perlahan tetapi berterusan untuk mencipta vokabulari pergerakan. Prosesnya termasuk ‘Hidden Rhythms’ yang menggunakan irama tradisi untuk mengalihkan dinamik pergerakan tarian, dan ‘Dance DNA’ yang menggunakan pergerakan tradisional dengan pendekatan somatik. Beliau telah membangunkan proses-proses ini di Singapura, Perancis, India, Melbourne dan Sydney, disokong oleh institusi-institusi seperti World Dance Alliance, Create NSW dan Critical Path.

Residensi Annalouise di Rimbun Dahan pada tahun 2019 merupakan sebuah Asialink Arts Creative Exchange.

Dipika Mukherjee

Bilqis Hijjas Arts, Resident Artist, Southeast Asian Arts Residency, Workshops , , , ,
Dipika Mukherjee

Dipika Mukherjee (Malaysia) is an author and sociolinguist. Her work, focusing on the politics of modern Asian societies and diaspora, is internationally renown. In the past years, she has given a keynote at the Asia Pacific Writers and Translators Conference (Bali, 2017), juried at the Neustadt International Literary Festival (USA, 2018), spoken at the Hearth Festival (Wales, 2018) and the Singapore Writers Festival (Singapore, 2017); she has also given public talks at the University of Stockholm (Sweden, 2018) and the International Institute of Asian Studies (Netherlands, 2017).

I have a very personal stake in telling Malaysian stories, especially those that promote social justice. I believe that the growing intolerance of our world today (in Malaysia, India, and the US) requires voices to advocate for tolerance with stories that span our imperfect, violent world and not merely shine a light on a particular region or nation or race.

Ode to Broken Things, Dipika’s Man Asia Literary Prize-longlisted debut novel, is set against the religious and ethnic conflicts simmering in politics and explores notions of nationalism and citizenship in Malaysia.

During her residency here at Rimbun Dahan, Dipika will be conducting a workshop called A Picture; A Thousand Words. Reviewing ekphrasis (the art of writing about images), this workshop will look at how art has inspired writers in the past by focusing on writing inspired by paintings and imagery. Then participants will review a number of Malaysian visual art on display at the Rimbun Dahan gallery to write poems and short prose. All writing levels welcome.

 

Dancing in Place 2019

admin Dance, Dancing in Place
Dancing in Place 2019

Photo by Nazir Azhari.

The tenth edition of our popular site-specific dance event, 26-27 January 2019 at Rimbun Dahan. This edition featured restages of work by local dance artists, as well as newly created work through international collaborations by alumni from the Southeast Asian Choreolab.

Program:

A1. Bumbu Goyang
Ingredients

Sensation
∞mg Newspapers
2 Chairs
3 cup Nylon
100g Post it
1/2l Folding
1 cup Tracing
200ml Drawing

 2 Marker pens
Perspective
1 tsp SR
1 tsp Mental Music
20ml Replacing
3/4 tsp Touching
50ml Tearing
10 pinch Toes
1 tbsp LangserP/s: How many kg of shadows?
Choreographed & performed by Fitri Anggraini & Lau Beh Chin.

Special guests: Students of the Dance Department of University of Malaya, and Kakak Ayu Lestari.
Thanks to the exhibition and workshop of Chuah Shu Ruei.

Fitri Anggraini graduated from the Art Institute of Jakarta (2016), and choreographed KABA for Indonesia Dance Festival the same year. She has since collaborated with choreographers Mikuni Yanaihara and Ismaera Takeo, received the prestigious Hibah Seni Inovatif Award from Yayasan Seni Kelola, and participated in the Asian Performing Arts Forum in Japan.

Lau Beh Chin, from Penang, has a degree in chemical engineering, spent a year at Fontys Hogeshcool Voor de Kunsten in the Netherlands, and finally graduated from University of Limerick with a Master’s in Contemporary Dance Performance. She produced “Where Two Seas Meet” and “Your Memories, Our Identity” focusing on intercultural dialogue.

 

A2. tree.time

We went digging for roots. We found layers – layers of earth on concrete on plantation on roots on grass on skin on leaves.

This is a durational work where we grow with the space for 3 hours each on 26 and 27 January. The first day is focused on growth and the second on disintegration. The audience is invited to enter the space to look more closely at the installation and texts.

Choreographed & performed by Chan Sze-Wei & Hii Ing Fung.

Hii Ing Fung is a Sarawakian based in KL-Selangor, experienced in Chinese classical & folk dances, ballet, Hua Zu Wu, and contemporary dance technique, and active in performance, education, creation and research. She holds a Master of Performing Arts (Dance) from University of Malaya (2014).

Blending conceptual, interactive, improvisatory and cross-cultural approaches for theatres, public spaces, video installation and film, Chan Sze-Wei’s work is grounded in perception, sensation and the organic knowledge of the human body. Her work has shown in Singapore, various Southeast Asian cities, the UK, Taiwan, Croatia, the USA and Brazil.

 

A3. Canvas

A work originally created for the second chapter of《游云》project. Each chapter is specifically accordant with ancient Chinese philosophy, “Tian Shi”, “Di Li”, and “Ren He”.

“Di Li” is cultural transformation due to a shifting environment. The existing dissimilarities between Southeast Asian dance and traditional Chinese dance are indeed profound evidence of cultural assimilation amongst the Chinese during and after their migratory voyage to Nanyang. This chapter combines the elements of totems prevailing in the language of Southeast Asian dance and the emphasis on coherence and curve in every movement of the dancer, to accentuate the sparks arising from such cultural distinctions.

Choreographed by Chan Kar Kah

Performed by Ker Yee Teng

Chan Kar Kah is a Chinese dance-based freelance dancer, choreographer and instructor. She studied for her Bachelors for Dance at Beijing Normal University, and performed and choreographed for cultural festivals, International Students’ Night, and Collegiate ASEAN Games. She joined Han Fong Dance Ensemble in 2012, and is now lead dancer and ensemble choreographer.

 

A4. Within

“The human animal needs a freedom seldom mentioned, freedom from intrusion. He needs a little privacy quite as much as he wants understanding, vitamins, or exercise, or praise.” – Phylis McGinley

‘Within’ is a piece about the aesthetic element of the animal that is confined and forgotten within the human animal. The animal that has succumbed to society, race and tradition.

Choreographed by Kenny Shim

Performed by Lim Pei Ern
Originally performed by Linda Telek

Kenny Shim completed his BA in Contemporary Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, and his MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at London Contemporary Dance School. Kenny produced his debut production in 2018, featuring Winged Wolves and the Bamboo Mew, Pieces of Three Movements, and a restage of Rite.

 

B1. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Hopeful but then days are young, so who knows how the tale will end?

Created & performed by Tan Bee Hung & Chung Ping Wei

Chung Ping Wei is a Malaysian saxophonist performing classical and pop jazz. After a distinction in the ABRSM London Board Exam major, his diverse interests have led him to play in Birdian Saxophone Quartet, Klpac Symphonic Band and Klpac Orchestra. He runs The Saxophone Store in Kuala Lumpur.

Currently a dancer, choreographer, dance and Pilates instructor, Tan Bee Hung holds an LLB, and has performed locally and internationally for Kwang Tung Dance Company, as well as in her own solo work. A firm believer that humans are natural movers, she hopes to bring dance closer to people’s lives.

 

B2. Darah

I would be more comfortable if I were accompanying you.

Choreographed by Norsafini Jafar

Performed by Dalila Abd Samad & Nadhirah Rahmat

Norsafini Jafar holds a Diploma and Degree in Dance from ASWARA, majoring in joget gamelan, and works as a lecturer in the Faculty of Dance. An award-winning choreographer, with an MA from University of Malaya. She is a member of the Asian Dance Committee in Korea in 2019.

 

B3. A Strange Meeting

What can be seen if the hidden parts of our memories are uncovered?

Choreographed & performed by Nurulakmal Abdul Wahid, Fauzi Amirudin & Vidura Amranand

Nurulakmal Binti Abdul Wahid holds a Bachelors and Masters from University of Malaya. She has performed and choreographed for many site-specific works at Dancing in Place, George Town Festival, and Butterworth Fringe Festival, which informs her current PhD research. She currently works as a dance lecturer at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, UPSI.

Vidura Amranand is a contemporary dance artist and teacher based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has performed extensively with B-floor Theatre and director Thanapol Virulhakul. Her most recent directorial works are One Night Stand and The Floating Project. Vidura studied dance at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and continues to teach and develop her movement practice in trance, visualization, and awareness.

Fauzi Amirudin is a graduate from ASWARA and a principal dancer at ASK Dance Company, awarded Best Choreographer at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. In 2018, he and Naim Syahrazad presented their first full length production The iProject: Between Self and Others. His current interest is research into tari piring and the body archive.

 

INTERMISSION PERFORMANCE. While in RD

This is the visualisation of our collaboration process, related to this specific site during our stay at Rimbun Dahan as it is like an open ‘home’ for us to create a dialogue between the negotiation and curiosity from one to another. The presence of time and space, the unity of modern life and natural environments, the reflection of materials and rituals.

Choreographed & performed by Sherli Novalinda & Nguyen Chung

Sherli Novalinda is a choreographer, performer and lecturer at Indonesian Institute of Arts Padangpanjang. Her works have been featured in several international events, including Europalia Arts Festival in Belgium (2017). She is currently working on a dance trilogy which began with Meniti Jejak (2016). She has been interested in the negotiation of body, culture and gender.

Independent Vietnamese dance artist Nguyen Chung is interested in the connection between people and familiar objects used in everyday life and the transformation of their functions into his work through arrangement and movement of the body, in combination with performance art and conceptual art to expand the creative process and discover new movements.

 

FINALE. Henjut

A work that explores how people enjoy themselves with the act of bouncing. Every individual has their own style of “henjut” that represents themselves.

Choreographed by Khairi Mokthar

Performed by Noel Thomas, Shuvaseni a/p Ramasamy, Nurhaziyah Bt Salikin, Muhammad Azzarulhafiz Naiem bin Muhammad Shafari, Mohamad Shahfik bin Abd Aziz, Visalini a/p Kumaran, Yashini a/p Sivaraman, Karthini K Chandran, Moch Jack Zhong, Hafidzah Abdul Hamid, Vieazley Michael, Saiful Adwa bin Ahmad Rudin, Amiira Natasya binti Othman, and Tee Kai Ling.
With thanks to the Dance Department, Cultural Centre, University of Malaya.

Khairi Mokthar holds a Bachelor of Dance from ASWARA, where he presented his bharatanatyam arangetram, and an MFA in Dance Performance from Korea National University of the Arts. Khairi has worked for Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company (UK) and ASK Dance Company. He currently performs with TFA Inner Space Dance Company and works in the dance faculty at University of Malaya.

Dancing in Place is a production of MyDance Alliance and Rimbun Dahan.

The collaborative component of Dancing in Place is supported by an Emerging Artist Incubation Funding grant from CENDANA, the Cultural Economy Development Agency.

Producer: Bilqis Hijjas

Southeast Asian Choreolab 2019

admin Dance, Projects
Southeast Asian Choreolab 2019

From 6 to 14 July 2019, a group of 10 emerging contemporary dance choreographers from 7 Southeast Asian countries attended the Southeast Asian Choreolab 2019 at Rimbun Dahan, facilitated by Australia choreographer Liesel Zink.

The participants were:

  • Ayu Permata Sari, Indonesia
  • Hasyimah Harith, Singapore
  • Irfan Setiawan, Indonesia
  • Michael Barry Que, Philippines
  • Mimee Somvanhpheng Keolouanglath, Laos
  • Pat Toh, Singapore
  • Pham Thi Hong Sam, Vietnam
  • Pich Sopheavy, Cambodia
  • Raul “Buboy” L. Raquitico Jr., Philippines
  • Silver Yee, Malaysia

For nine days, the participants lived, worked and expored contemporary dance practice and creation together at Rimbun Dahan. consist of 7 work days with 2 days of study-tour. Work days took place in the dance studio at Rimbun Dahan. Each of the participants presented a 1-hour morning session sharing their own choreographic approaches or movement backgrounds. In the afternoon, Liesel Zink led the participants through sessions exploring choreographic methods and analysis.

The first day of the Choreolab concluded with a welcome dinner at Rimbun Dahan, including prominent members of the local contemporary dance community. The participants also visited Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre to watch a Dancebox performance, and took a short excursion to Forest Research Institute Malaysia and Batu Caves. Their full-day excursion included a long walk around the Dataran Merdeka/Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur, while Liesel led the group through exercises involving visibility/invisibility in a public space.

On the final day of the Choreolab, the participants presented several short site-specific works they had made to a small public audience.

Project Aims

To support and enable emerging Southeast Asian contemporary dance choreographers to

  1. Adopt new choreographic tools and physical, thematic and conceptual approaches to enrich their artistic practice;
  2. Develop regional networks among their peers and with regional dance institutions, for knowledge sharing, future artistic collaboration and touring;
  3. Experience works of art, cultures, places and histories beyond their home, to increase international understanding and to help contextualize their artistic practice.
  4. Work closely with an established choreographer (Liesel Zink), to participate in her particular artistic approach, and to benefit from her insights, advice and experience.

We are glad that the participants had a positive and reenergizing experience with each other at Rimbun Dahan. Here is the word cloud from their feedback forms:

 About Liesel Zink, facilitator

Liesel Zink is an Australian choreographer interested in the body as a tool for socio-political and environmental expression. With a focus on site-specific work, Liesel seeks to engage new and diverse audiences in meaningful contemporary dance experiences. Liesel was awarded the 2017 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance for her work ‘The Stance’, which has been performed at Sziget Festival Hungary 2017, Ansan Street Arts Festival South Korea 2017 and several cities around Australia. Prior to that her site-specific work ‘fifteen’ (Next Wave Festival VIC 2012 & Brisbane Festival QLD 2012) won two ‘best of’ awards both for Melbourne’s Small to Medium dance work and Brisbane Time Out’s dance award.

She is currently developing ‘Balloons & Granite’ (a large scale dance installation exploring the body in shifting landscapes) and recently premiered ‘INTER’ (a science, dance and spoken word collaboration).

Liesel has been commissioned to choreograph works for Australian dance companies including Expressions Dance Company, Tasdance and LINK Dance Company. Her choreographic style has evolved from her postgraduate research on body language and her ongoing interest in social psychology.

She was a lead artist in the creation of Force Majeure’s new site-specific work FLOCK (Commonwealth Games 2018) and has performed for Polytoxic Dance Company and independent artists including Liz Lea, PVI Collective and Dave Sleswick. As well as producing her own work she produces for dance artist Michael Smith, and co-produces The IndepenDANCE Project (Phluxus2 Dance Collective) and Angry Mime evening of experimental art.

More information: www.lieselzink.com

 

This is a joint project of Rimbun Dahan, MyDance Alliance, and World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific.
Producer: Bilqis Hijjas.
Intern: Natashya Nazlia (student, Dance Department, University of Malaya).

SEA Choreolab 2019 Call for Applications [PDF 1MB]

Dancing in Place 2018

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Dancing in Place 2018

Dancing up a tree. On a sculpture. Underwater. Underground. Dancing in Place is back!

A fun excursion for the family, Dancing in Place features 10 short dance works performed outdoors in the tranquil tropical garden at Rimbun Dahan.

3-5:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, 13-14 January 2018 (same program both days)
Rimbun Dahan, Km 27 Jalan Kuang, Daerah Kuang, Selangor, 48050.
Google Maps location: https://goo.gl/maps/Xu1UxnfH2g72
FREE ENTRY, donations welcome.

Featuring works by local dance artists:
++ Alla Azura Abal Abas, a veteran of site-specific dance, returns with her team, taking birds from classical Malay dance and putting them in trees.
++ Sharm Noh presents his captivating spider work, last seen in the Gala Night of Short+Sweet Dance 2017 at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre.
++ Balletbase dancers present “Reflets Sur l’Eau”, a lyrical modern dance work by French/American choreographer Patrick Suzeau.
++ JS Wong restages his meditative but physically challenging solo with bamboo pole, performed by Tau Chun Wai.

This year, we welcome a special program of new collaborative creations by teams of Southeast Asian choreographers, working together for the first time:

++ Chai Vivan (Malaysia) and Otniel Tasman (Indonesia)
++ Colleen Coy (USA/East Timor), Eng Kai Er (Singapore), Lee Ren Xin (Malaysia) and Ong Nitipat Pholchai (Thailand)
++ Fadilla Oziana (Indonesia), Citra Pratiwi (Indonesia) and Sonoko Prow (Thailand)
++ Fauzi Amirudin (Malaysia) and Sarah Maria Samaniego (Philippines)
++ Al Bernard Garcia (Philippines) and Siko Setyanto (Indonesia)

Plus Joelle Jacinto (Philippines) returns to Malaysia with her sister Jacqui, to perform a duet choreographed by her father, Eli Jacinto.

The event will continue, rain or shine! Please wear shoes that can get wet/muddy, and bring umbrellas and mosquito repellent. Refreshments will be available for purchase, but feel free to bring your own picnic.

Sorry, Rimbun Dahan is not a wheelchair-accessible venue, and Dancing in Place is not open to pets.

Dancing in Place is a production of MyDance Alliance, World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific, and Rimbun Dahan.
Producer: Bilqis Hijjas
Production assistance: Stephanie Ho, Joelle Jacinto, Susan Chee
SM: Keilly Lim
Graphic designer: Grey Yeoh

Southeast Asian Choreolab 2018

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Southeast Asian Choreolab 2018

From 23 June to 1 July 2018, 13 selected choreographers from Southeast Asia lived together at Rimbun Dahan, exploring choreographic practice with guidance from our international facilitator, German choreographer Isabelle Schad, with assistance from Claudia Tomasi.

The program consisted of 7 work days with 2 days of study tour. During the Choreolab, each participant presented their own participant session, sharing their own choreographic methods, repertoire or movement techniques with the rest of the group.

Half of every work day was spent with Isabelle Schad, as she shared her artistic approaches and ways of looking at dance with the participants.

The program concluded with an open showing of movement tasks from the Choreolab. The open showing was attended by the general public and members of the local arts community, outside in the gardens at Rimbun Dahan.

Participants

  • Lau Beh Chin, Malaysia
  • Nurulakmal Abdul Wahid, Malaysia
  • Jereh Leung, Singapore
  • Josh Marcy, Indonesia
  • Fitri Anggraini, Indonesia
  • Sherli Novalinda, Indonesia
  • Mee Soydala, Laos
  • Noutnapha Soundala, Laos
  • Vidura Amranand, Thailand
  • Nguyen Thanh Chung, Vietnam
  • Gebbvelle Ray ‘Dingdong’ Selga, Philippines
  • Nicole Primero, Philippines
  • Eva Wegener, Sri Lanka/Germany

Project Aims

To support and enable emerging Southeast Asian contemporary dance choreographers to

  1. Adopt new choreographic tools and physical, thematic and conceptual approaches to enrich their artistic practice;
  2. Develop regional networks among their peers and with regional dance institutions, for knowledge sharing, future artistic collaboration and touring;
  3. Experience works of art, cultures, places and histories beyond their home, to increase international understanding and to help contextualize their artistic practice.
  4. Work closely with an established choreographer (Isabelle Schad), to participate in her particular artistic approach, and to benefit from her insights, advice and experience.

About Isabelle Schad, facilitator

Isabelle Schad studied classical dance from 1981-90 in Stuttgart, and from 1990 to 1996 she danced in various classical companies. She began creating her own choreography and extending her dance education through diverse workshops and scholarships, was a member of Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus in Brussels, and worked with / danced for Olga Mesa, Angela Guerreiro, Felix Ruckert, and Eszter Salamon.

Since 1999, she has developed numerous projects and dance performances of her own, in close collaboration with choreographers, performers, musicians and visual artists, which have been presented internationally in theatres, alternative places, galleries or festivals such as Tanzplattform, Tanz im August Berlin, Internationale Tanzwochen Wien or Dashanzi International Arts Festival Beijing.

The pieces California Roll and Still Lives – a community project that has been realised in more than 12 European cities – have been presented at Tanzplattform Germany 2006 and 2008. The community project TÜDDELDÜDDEL-LÜD has been presented at Tanzkongress 2009 in Hamburg.

Isabelle Schad regularly shows her work at Hebbel-Am-Ufer in Berlin. Since 2008, she has developed an ongoing project in collaboration with visual artist Laurent Goldring, followed by the solo Der Bau (2012) and the group work Collective Jumps (2014), which were both invited to Tanzplattform.

She is teaching in Berlin at the Inter-University Centre of Dance Berlin, and internationally in the frame of workshops or short period projects mostly supported by local Goethe-Institutes. She is actively engaged in the free dance scenes of many Balkan cities / countries, including Zagreb, Sofia, Skopje, Bucharest, and Belgrade.

In her work, Isabelle Schad explores relationships between the body, its languages and representations. She focuses on working methods that privilege exchange, the sharing of ideas, practices and knowledge as a tool for circulation, for continuity in learning and cooperation with other artists.

Isabelle is co-organizer of the working space Wiesenburg-Halle in Berlin, and a Zen-Shiatsu practitioner who practices Aikido on a daily basis.

More information: http://www.isabelle-schad.net/

About Claudia Tomasi, assistant facilitator

Claudia Tomasi first studied dance and choreography at PEPCC in Forum Dança, Lisbon. In 2013 she concluded her Bachelor of Dance, Context, Choreography at HZT / Berlin. She has been studying visionary craniosacral work at the Milne Institute in Berlin since 2017.

Great influence and inspiration on her work as a dancer and/or choreographer have been Deborah Hay, Shannon Cooney, Francesca Pedulla, Frey Faust (Axis Syllabus), Elisa Ricci, Philipp Gehmacher and Isabelle Schad. Since 2007 she has been working on her own pieces as well as in various collaborations as an interpreter and artistic assistant for other choreographers and artists, including Shannon Cooney, Isabelle Schad, Ingrid Hora, Claire Waffel and Julian Weber.

She is currently working with her brother, the audiovisual artist Benjamin Tomasi, in cooperation at the interface between contemporary dance, sound art and fine art.

 

The Southeast Asian Choreolab 2018 is a joint project by

In partnership with

Morganne Mazeika and Zach Khoo

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Morganne Mazeika and Zach Khoo

apparatus dance collective, consisting of dancer-choreographers Morganne Mazeika and Zach Khoo are currently at Rimbun Dahan developing a new work called “discussions with”. The intention with the residency is to explore human interaction through a physical means of communication. Their method of movement invention is extrapolated into a thematic focus of the work: how does one communicate.

As the founders of apparatus they attended The University of Texas at Austin. During their time there they danced in the projects and residencies of established international choreographers. Their research that led to the creation of the company began in the studio that gave way to their current process; incorporating multidisciplinary approaches into dance and the method of dialoguing movement.

At their recent open studio, they spoke about collaborating long distance by sending each other videos of themselves dancing, and how to now translate that exchange through verbal and nonverbal communication when in the same physical space.

 

Dancing in Place 2017

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Dancing in Place 2017

A weekend of short contemporary dance works performed in the gardens at Rimbun Dahan, open for free to the general public.

18-19 March 2017
Produced by Joelle Jacinto and Leng Poh Gee for MyDance Alliance.

Photos featured on this page by Nazir Azhari, Tony Tan, Mohd Nor Azmil Abdul Rahman and Huneid Tyeb. Many thanks to the photographers.

Program

I March

Location: Brick fence / Reflective pond
Choreographed and performed by JS Wong
Music composed by Thong Yoong How

I march forward or backward, in or out and here or there.

He Simply Disappears

Location: Front porch of Penang House
Choreographed by Nurulakmal Abdul Wahid
Performed by Nurhanis binti Yahya and Jazali bin Mohamad of UPSI

“It’s hard being left behind… It’s hard to be the one that stays…”  – Audrey Niffenegger 

Dis-location Series

Location: Rumah Uda Manap
Choreographed and performed by Chantal Primero and Nicole Primero of Airdance Philippines

“Achieving the end of the exercise was never the point of the exercise to begin with, was it.” -Adam Savage

Pinwheel

Location: Playhouse and the path where it leads
Choreographed by Kathyn Tan Chai Chen
Performed by Kathyn Tan, Eden Lim, Lee Ren Xin, Leo Yap, Lim Hwang King.

The unseen energy that causes movement. They spin and stop and start again, as if without permission. The wind is like a child that wants to play.

Special thanks to Now Theatre, Mr & Mrs Choo

Faux

Location: Sakinah sculpture / Bulatan Plong
Choreographed by Chai Vivan and Fione Chia
Performed by Chai Vivan, Fione Chia and Kyson Teo of Kwang Tung Dance Company

We are currently living in a world where the Artificial is becoming Natural, and Nature is becoming more and more Artificial. There are times where our eyes are unable to identify true and false. There are things that stand in between the real and the fake. Does that matter anymore?

Rebab

Location: In the forest beside the dance studio
Choreographed by Rathimalar Govindarajoo
Performed by Rathimalar Govindarajoo and Wei Jun, with Amirul Said, Yap Chiw Yi, Gwen Ng, Wong Yi Juan and Karthini Chandran of UMa Dance Company

Rebab – inspired by the Main Putri and the Makyong. The concept dwells around the word “Gerhana” as the churning of the ocean where immortality is obtained, and Gods dance where the Moon is eaten by the snake, and a dragon is split to two as Rahu and Kethu…

Female. Solo Dance Series

Location: Underground Gallery
Director / Choreographer: Loke Soh Kim
Photography Director: Kim Teoh
Soundscape Designer: Goh Lee Kwang
Dancers: Rachel Chew, Hoi Cheng Sim , Lee Ren Xin, Loke Soh Kim, Wong Man Chui

To capture the beauty and the feminine qualities of dancers, choreographer Loke Soh Kim decided to make a video series for five different dancers. Restrictions of video shooting have been set between the choreographer and the photography director to minimize the interruption to the pure dance improvisation that based on environmental stimulus; long-take in the film making, no pre-context communication with the dancers, and no disturbance from the camera. Female. Solo Dance Series is a dance video that depicted the interaction of sites, dancers, photographer and soundscape designer. The series consisted of five female solo dance with different ages and backgrounds, who wish to share their stories.                       

Supported by:  PCP Publications, Little Planet Lab, Sekeping Kong Heng, Damansara Performing Arts Centre, Oriental Art & Cultural Association, and EPSON Malaysia.

Fulfillment Needs

Location: Main plaza driveway
Choreographed by Fairul Zahid
Performed by Syafiq Kamarul, Zaidyansjah, Nur Syafiqah Najwa and Fatin Nadhirah

Naesting

Location: Red sculpture under the trees
Collaboration by Tan Bee Hung, Mamad Samsuddin and Al Bernard Garcia, alumni of the Southeast Asian Choreolab.

Search. Fit. Build. Settle. Trap.

My Alay

Location: Reflective pond
Choreographed and performed by Rithaudin Abdul Kadir

Based on the traditional Pangalay dance of the Suluk (Tausug) from Sabah, this piece is reconstructed with a contemporary vocabulary to accommodate the site. By experimenting and exploring the use of the Gong and the Turung, it is a journey of self-discovery. The use of the gong symbolises the wealth and of late, the burden of the Suluk people.

The LEF

Location: 60 Turns Lawn
Choreographed by Kyo Hong
Performed by Kate Soon and Jazz Ter

As time flew away, as the leaf scattered away so do our pathways.

When They Ate The Apple

Location: 60 Turns Lawn
Choreographed by Yunus Ismail
Performed by Maria Devonne Escobia

For the good that they were promised, they chose to disobey.

Clockwork

Location: 60 Turns Lawn
Choreographed by Fauzi Amirudin
Performed by Denise Tan, I-Lyn Tan, Joelle Jacinto, Joyce Chan, Lee Jia Xi, Regina Toyad, Ving Yee of Balletbase

We negotiate between tradition and the modern; we try to find a balance between the two, until they are harmonious – “like clockwork”. Yet there is also an effort to stop time, and we try to make that universal pause before coming into a hopeful, uncertain, inevitable future.