Award-winning choreographer and UM graduate student Khairulazhar Mohtar will present Abadi, which means eternal.
Six new choreographies will be presented by the UMa Dance Company next week in a two-night performance.
THE Universiti Malaya Dance Company (UMa Dance Company) will present a contemporary dance showcase next week, featuring six new works by established and emerging artistes.
Choreographed by lecturers and graduate students of the dance department, the showcase, which is held biannually, aims to demonstrate the learning outcomes of practical courses offered to students during the semester. It also serves as a platform for students to create, manage and present a stage production.
To begin the performance, which takes place at Universiti Malaya on May 15 and 16, Azura Abal Abas will present Rusuk. Inspired by a verse from the Quran, she examines the existence of Adam and Eve and the origin of the creation of mankind. The choreographer dissects the mystery and mystique of Eve, who is believed to have been created from Adam’s left rib (rusuk). This experimental work focuses on the issue of equality among man and woman in fulfilling their religious duties to God, to complete and support each other. Azura further examines the concept of equality by referring to the oneness created by the right and left ribs.
Moments by Syafizal-Syazlee Salehuddin will explore the various stressful periods in one’s life.
“There are moments when we feel the pressure in our lives. We feel the breach from within before crisis takes over our bodies. The urge to strip off the pain and the stress feels like a time-bomb imploding within us. There are times when we need a moment to peel away ... not more than a moment,” explains Syafizal.
Muhammad Syaffiq Hambali, who was voted the best dancer in the Short & Sweet (Dance) Festival 2012, will show his mettle in So What? Utilising three dancers, he poses the question as he discovers the mixed emotions that lead to the shaping of a better person.
Award-winning choreographer and UM graduate student Khairulazhar Mohtar will present Abadi, which means eternal. This piece portrays the human life cycle and mortality. He asserts that all beginnings must have an end. However, death and the after-life are often forgotten as humans indulge in all kinds of whims in the present life.
Leng Poh Gee and his students will stage Remembrances. Using the choreographic materials provided in the course, it features games, interactive activities and discussions among the dancers of diverse ethnic backgrounds; these are the essential tools that have shaped this piece.
“The title for this piece is derived from the remembrances of the dancers of their lives, from the day they were enrolled in the dance programme at the university,” says Leng, who heads the dance department.
To wrap up the night, Hii Ing Fung will present Space, examining it from various dimensions. This piece looks at the delicate relationship between human beings through interactive bodies and isolated movements depicted in public and private spaces.
UMa Dance Company was established in 2007 to enable UM dance students to showcase contemporary works featuring challenging choreography.
Although a young company, it has gained quite a reputation nationwide and was selected to perform at the World Dance Alliance Conference (Singapore, 2007), Tari – Aswara International Dance Festival (Kuala Lumpur, 2009), Pra-Festival Negara Kretagama (Indonesia, 2009), Contact – full-length contemporary dance performance (Kuala Lumpur) and Youth Dance Festival (Kluang, 2009-2011).
The UMa Dance Showcase will take place at Experimental Theatre, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, on May 15 and 16 at 8.30pm. Entrance is free but call 010-226 7190 or 016-960 0610 to reserve your seats.
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