My first performing arts review as published on StageKL.com :)

First and foremost, thank you to StageKL.com for giving me this opportunity to review a performing arts piece. It is something that I have never done before, nor did I ever think I would get the chance of doing. So happy to see my name there :) Thank you once again and here was my piece :) 

“In a Space of Time” is a contemporary dance piece choreographed by former Cloud Gate Dance Theatre dancer Wong Jyh Shyong featuring 6 dancers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia (2 dancers from each country).

This piece features music from famed musician Ng Chor Guan who is also the winner of several BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.

With a simple set of just, what looks like a giant sun clock in the middle of the stage, all 6 dancers danced around the clock hand in the first part of the show to depict the different relationships of different people with time.

What Wong Jyh Shyong aims to emulate is the 6 different dancers with 6 different understanding or interpretations of time. While some look at time as moving too fast, others deem it as too slow, whilst some of us view time as both slow and fast depending on the circumstances.

Allowing us to focus on the dancers’ bodylines, Jyh Shyong provided the audience with an intricate explanation of how time plays such an important part in our lives and yet, we tend to take it for granted. When time is lost, all that’s left are memories. These memories may be bitter or sweet. Screaming at the lost time does not bring back the time and all that’s left are memories. Sweet. Bitter. Painful. Joyful.

An interpretation of such magnifying proportions would be able to send a strong message to the audience. The costume is simple. Wearing almost everyday clothes, the dancers prance and hop and roll around in what seems to be like clothes that we wear on a daily basis.

What was interesting was a barrage of pebbles coming down as pendulums where the dancers laid themselves over the floor. Giving the illusion of a ticking clock, as the pendulum swings, the dancers narrate verbally what time means to them and how it can reflect and change our society. The lighting of the show was fairly simple as well, spotting each dancer where they need to be spotted.

All in all, it was a relatively simple production with a powerful message. Each dancer brought their own qualities to the table showcasing the talents from all three countries.

Dancers

• Chiu TungTung (Hong Kong), former dancer of Hong Kong Dance Company
• Cliff Huen Tin Yeung (Hong Kong), former dancer of City Contemporary Dance Company
• Huang Yu Teng (Taiwan), former dancer of Taipei Chamber ballet, Kao Hsiung City Ballet, Focus Dance Company
• Tsou Ying-Lin (Taiwan), studied in Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) Graduate Institute of Dance Performance and Choreography M.F.A Program.
• Kyson Teo Khai Shen (Malaysia), guest dancer of WC Dance Theatre
• Rachel Chew Zi Xin (Malaysia), former dancer of Ballet Jörgen Canada

Pictures courtesy of Gary Ng and Damansara Performing Arts Centre.