From T.H.E in indonesia, with love

hi guys!! sorry for the long long hiatus. we've all been swamped with putting together the best da:ns festival yet- hard to believe it's only 7.5weeks away.

Here, we've got a guest entry from Mun Wai, who is from T.H.E Dance Company - one of Singapore's best regarded, most dynamic contemporary dance companies. T.H.E is now in Indonesia for the first half of their da:ns artist residence - in the jungle at renowned Indonesian choreographer Boi Sakti's house in Depok (1 hr outside Jakarta). So this is a shoutout to da:ns fans and those excited to see the work :)

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It has been almost 2 weeks here in Depok, Indonesia. We the dancers of T.H.E Dance Company have been having a rather exciting time working with Boi Sakti at his studio. Depok is one sprawling rural town about 1 hour away from Jakarta. With it’s dusty roads and thousands of scooters zipping through the streets, it’s a far cry from the orderliness of Singapore. But Depok’s chaos is in a way strangely enjoyable.

Right now, we have just almost finished creating the prologue of the dance. The direction of the entire piece seems to be heading down an expressionistic, modernist work that talks about the discontents of modern civilisation. Boi is a man with very strong points of view and he seems intent to make these points very apparent in the work. It’s very interesting because all the pieces I have been dancing with T.H.E Dance Company so far have allowed me the space to distance myself slightly from emotion to enjoy the flow of the movements themselves but now with Boi’s work, I can’t dance convincingly without putting myself in a certain character and frame of mind.

Just yesterday, there was an earthquake in Indonesia. The epicentre of the quake was about 200km away from the Depok/Jakarta region and measured 7.3 on the richter scale. At last count, Indonesian news reported a death toll of approximately 29 people in the town nearest to the epicentre, there were minor damages to some buildings in Jakarta. We felt slight tremors in our dance studio. They were minor tremors but for a Singaporean chap whose most exciting weather experiences so far have been the afternoon Singapore showers, to feel the earth actually move put a lot of things into perspective. I shan’t venture into the cheesy clichés about life but suffice to say my being was very moved in a big way, literally and figuratively.

Mun Wai.

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Do expect more from them as they continue their residency in Indonesia, before they move to the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio for the rest of it.

Don't miss:

VOID
Jendela Peradaban (Window of Civilisation)
23 Oct 09, Fri, 8pm
24 Oct 09, Sat, 330pm & 8pm
$30

Shift Ticket packages

further on my previous colin dunne post, his performance is part of the Shift series. For our Early Bird special till 25 Sep, buy a package of 3, including a ticket to Out of Time, VOID and Transmission of the Invisible for $70. UP $90, thus making savings of more than 20%. not bad huh!

more on VOID and Transmission of the Invisible in posts to follow but as a brief intro

VOID - Jendela Peradaban (Window of Civilisation) marks renowned Indonesian choreographer Boi Sakti's return to the international dance scene. This is a da:ns 2009 commission that searches the soul and questions the meaning of 'Civilisation'. Performed by T.H.E Dance Company.

Transmission of the Invisible is a compelling tribute to the recovery and rebuilding of the arts in Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge regime. Performed by Tribal Crackling Wind, it tells, through dance, of the resilience of the human spirit.

da:ns 09 tickets go on sale next week!!!! Get excited. and keep checking back for up-to-the minute information and juicy tidbits.

love, the da:ns team