MENTION traditional Chinese dances and the first thing that comes to mind are those featuring fans and lanterns.
But Dua Space Dance Theatre (Dua Space) and ASK Dance Company (ADC), the two artistic entities commissioned by Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP) to create “A Dance Spectacular, A Showcase of Traditional and Contemporary Chinese Dances”, quickly pointed out that their performance will break all the usual moulds.
There will be lanterns during the dance performance come Sept 5 at 8pm.
But there will also be swords, dulang (trays) and mahjong sets, and even yee sang, for a segment on Chinese New Year celebrations.
Speaking at a media preview, ADC artistic director Prof Dr Joseph Gonzales and Dua Space founder Anthony Meh outlined what audiences can expect from the showcase.
The first half of the performance, called “Pearl of the Orient” by ADC, is themed on the journey of Chinese immigrants who came to what was then known as Malaya in search of a better life.
During the media preview, an excerpt called “Spirit of the Fire Horse” showed a series of fast-paced moves and sees a dancer being tossed into the air and landing safely in a cradle catch.
“The movements here are inspired by the Mongolian dance.
“They are a depiction of Mongolian horsemen travelling across the plains,” said Gonzales.
“And yes, the move requires the boys to be able to lift the girl, which is no problem as she is quite tiny.”
The first half of the show will also see a dance centred around tin mining activities and, within it, a love story.
“This is where a duet (and lanterns) will come in.
Audiences can also look forward to a mahjong-inspired piece, complete with tiles and tables for props, as well as a sword dance, which will require precision of spacing and timing on the dancers’ part.
Dua Space will present “Passage Into the Unknown – Earth, Water, Fire, Wind” in the second half of the show.
Fans of Dua Space might remember this contemporary dance piece appearing on YouTube during the movement control order period.
According to Meh, the decision to bring a video production to stage required many changes to the original production in terms of sequencing and transitions.
“In a video production, you can feature the same dancers across several scenes through editing,” Meh explained.
“For a live stage production, you must reconfigure entrances, exits, and transitions to keep the performance seamless.”
For this piece, Meh said no fewer than 10 dancers will be bringing this dance work to life.
One segment that audiences can also look forward to in the second half of the show will be a choreography where each of the dancers will handle a 3m-long cloth.
Ticket prices start at RM69. Guests can enjoy a 20% family package discount with the purchase of six tickets in the Premium (RM169) and A Reserve (RM139) categories.
For details, call 03-2331 7007 or visit www.dfp.com.my
