Fresh groove: Dance educator James Kan has a new piece programmed for the 10-day MyDance Festival, which starts May 24, at various locations in the Klang Valley.
Show Off! – the Fifth MyDance Festival – brings you the best from the local dance community.
WHAT better way to attract attention than to flaunt what you have. The upcoming fifth MyDance Festival themed Show Off, however, is no exercise in self praise, but an invitation for Malaysian dancers to show off for each other as well as for the wider audience, explained MyDance Festival co-producer Bilqis Hijjas in a recent interview.
“Often as artists we get so caught up in our own worlds, creating our own work, that we forget to be interested in what other people are doing.
“It’s imperative that we keep in touch with the broader arts community, to make friends and networks outside our tempurung (shell) that can lead to deeper, more engaged art works,” Bilqis said.
She summed it up as a festival for dancers, as well as for other Malaysians, who may not have realised how deep and diverse the Malaysian dance community really is.
“The dance community in Malaysia is incredibly vibrant and active, especially considering what little money that is available.
“In Malaysia most dancers are passionate amateurs, but their contributions and creations are truly breathtaking. Many dance productions tend to be small in size and have limited visibility because of limited production budgets, but creatively and artistically they are stars,” enthused Bilqis.
The 2013 MyDance Festival covers both contemporary and classical dance over a space of two weeks (May 24 to June 2) spanning multiple locations in Kuala Lumpur, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya in Selangor and the newly opened Damansara Performing Art Centre (also in Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Unlike in the 2011 Festival, the organisers MyDance Alliance opted to focus on Malaysian artists, cutting back on the international troupes.
“The festival runs on an absurdly small budget – RM 20,000 in all – which all comes from our savings, so we have to make do with assistance in kind whenever we can. All the performers also perform for free, which is an incredibly generous contribution,” added a grateful Bilqis, who is also MyDance Alliance’s president.
“A festival, and indeed any performance, is a huge amount of work, which we do because we love the art work and the sense of enhanced community that this event brings.
“Our aim is to produce a professional result that audiences will enjoy and which will enrich people’s lives. But as we are volunteers and want this festival to be a long-term sustainable event, we also need to enjoy what we do. If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t do it,” she noted.
To get this year’s MyDance Festival off the ground, Alliance has partnered with DBKL. The festival is also backed by venue sponsors The Club @ Bukit Utama, Aswara and DPac, and supported by the British Council Goethe-Institute and accommodation sponsor Rimbun Dahan.
“We are also extremely grateful for the dance companies involved. These are companies of the highest level, including such well-known names as Sutra Dance Theatre and the Hornland Dance Theatre from Sarawak, which hosts the Sibu International Dance Festival.” The festival’s programmes are divided into three parts: theatrical performances with showcases by emerging choreographers and established dance companies, dance caught on camera with feature-length and short film screenings, plus a chance for the audience to get involved through a flash mob and a Show Your Partner tea dance where enthusiasts are invited to take their partners for a literal spin.
“Our philosophy is that everyone can dance, in their own way, and there is a kind of dance out there to suit everybody!” she said, advising potential audiences not to be afraid that they might not understand the dance or feel that they could be missing something.
The MyDance Festival 2013 runs from May 24 to June 2, with free, paid shows and master classes at various locations, including Damansara Performing Arts Centre, The Club @ Bukit Utama, Panggung Bandaraya and Aswara in Kuala Lumpur. Full details and schedules at: mydancefestival.net. Festival hotline: 017 310 3769.
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