PUBLISHED August 21st, 2012 12:17 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:24 pm
“We often describe developing dance arts in Malaysia as planting on rocks”. This is the statement that leapt out at me during my interview with one of the founders and choreographer Anthony Meh Kim Chu of Dua Space, the godfather and very first professional dance company to be established in Malaysia fourteen years ago, to critical acclaim. Why? Because some people can take even the most barren of soil and from it make beautiful things grow. And this is surely the case with Dua Space.
Having spent years exploring the international dance industry, Anthony and co-founder/artistic director/principal dancer Aman Yap Choong Boon brought home their visions of dance from overseas and began to plant the seeds of international dance concepts, aesthetics, and an appreciation of nurturing local arts back to their home ground.
And from those seeds, Dua Space (meaning sharing and interaction) grew, and grew. Combining traditional and modern arts elements, Dua Space are well known for their distinct style of choreography and creativity, and have inspired audiences both at home and overseas to the tune of close to 1,000 performances.
And now, right here in Singapore, we are going to be lucky enough to see their worldwide debut of their latest work – am TO pm right here on our shores. The vision behind am TO pm, explains Anthony (who is also the company’s choreographer), is to show, ” a theme of treating distorted circumstances happening in our life as norms. The dance piece has the current metropolis as background and people living in a concrete jungle as the subject of the choreography. We’ll be discussing certain topics under the rapid development of the world where people claim that their thoughts and actions are what they call ‘fashion’ or ‘trend’, which are eerie to the eyes of others and sometimes even self-contradictory.”
Well that puts paid to everyone who says that they don’t “get dance”. What could possibly be more relevant to each and every one of us who seem to be either sucked into, or struggling against this widespread social phenomenon? In my view, dance couldn’t take on a subject which was any more accessible to us all.
Anthony continues, “The main direction of the piece explores the thirst of the metropolitan people for the civilization of this modern era, to bring them a better life with material facilities and comfort, technological excitements, maverick grandstanding and more. But if such phenomena continue, will true happiness be obtained or will they just become the ‘slaves of the blind pursuit’?”
Hmm….this sure sounds like something that we all witness, every hour of every day, especially on our sunny isle. And just how we are all ourselves, witnesses to this craziness, Anthony highlights how am TO pm, “looks at the development of this blind pursuit from the perspective of some inconspicuous people of the city.”
If this is all sounding a bit sinister, then think again – am TO pm is anything but, thanks to the black humour that runs throughout giving the piece a most witty edge against a background of a variety of creative styles and different forms of performance. Whether you’re new to dance or already a lover of this art form, don’t miss the opportunity to catch an intriguing work which will help you reflect on this mad old world we are living in.
am TO pm shows 8pm, 23 & 25 August and 3pm, 25 August, tickets $28, $18 as part of Causeway EXchange Festival at The Arts House. Book tickets via the box office on 6332 6919 or online here.
Written by Ms Demeanour