Asia Dance Channel

Carmen & Paquita
9 and 10 January 2010
Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur

A long journey ahead for Malaysian dancers
Review by Michele Lum

After more than a couple of decades having grown up in the Malaysian dance scene and witnessing the growing exposure of Malaysians to world-class productions such as West End musicals and international ballets, the evening of classical and contemporary ballets - Paquita Grand pas classique and Carmen by Ena Ballet Studio Company at Istana Budaya on 9 and 10 January 2010, surprisingly marked a new decade for the performing arts in Malaysia, particularly among ballet enthusiasts, as a handful of Malaysian professional ballet dancers took on the Japanese-Malaysian dance stage as members of the corp de ballet alongside other talented Japanese dancers.

For a nation that continues to be in development while never quite making it after all these years, Malaysia continues to leverage foreign talent - as evidenced by "imports" such as Principal Dancer of Houston Ballet (US) Connor Walsh, First Soloist of Birmingham Royal Ballet (UK) Lei Zhao, and Co-artistic Director of Ena Ballet Studio Company Ena Hirose and the company's artistes and dancers - to provide the continued exposure and necessary benchmarks for local ballet aspirants while organizers seek to pull together a decent production for urban viewers.

Malaysian Co-artistic Director for Ena Ballet Studio Company Choong Wan Chin did make Malaysia proud with her adaptation of Paquita Grand pas classique after Marius Petipa and Natalia Makarova. It was refreshing despite the technical difficulty, that cause one of the soloists to strike off-balance positions while the corp de ballet misalign at various sections of the ballet.

Principal Guest Artistes Zhao and Walsh, however, effortlessly stood apart from the rest with their mastery of classical ballet tenets – well-toned, lithe bodies with hyperextensions, graceful lines and quiet strength. As with all grand ballets, the principals impressed the audience with the usual grand ballet requisites of statue-like balances, suspended jumps, multiple turns from the 32 grande fouettes, pose pirouettes to chaines turns diagonally downstage before ending transitioning into a final pose before exiting the stage.

The true delight, however, was in seeing Malaysia’s best dancers collaborating with dancers from other nations and fitting in a corp de ballet of international standards.

The promising first half of the evening began its journey downhill with the presentation of the contemporary ballet Carmen. Apparently a familiar story to many, Carmen was originally presented as an Opera in the 19th century and later as a 21st century modern ballet that bore strong influences of Spanish culture.

Choong's interpretation of Carmen was to be “overlaid with a more symbolic level … the struggle of opposites where each attempts to impose its will on the other with love as the tool.” Instead, it was a "nice" production of simple yet meaningful set designs and multi-media.

While I admired the simplicity of the stage props and costumes creating dramatic displays as well as silhouettes that accentuated what I know the story to be – of reckless passion, jealousy, frustration, desperation and tragic endings, the ballet did not bring to bear excellent or impressive dance movements and artistry. The depth of emotions failed to transcend beyond the stage and to the hearts of viewers.

While Principal Guest Artiste Hirose tried her level best to display drama, her performance failed to showcase any distinction in years of ballet discipline and talent that I am certain she possessed. Perhaps, this was as a result of the stark contrast between male principal Walsh's excellent form and substance in dance.

Enough said, there remains much to be done to raise the profile of Malaysian dancers to the demanding standards of international ballet. While there has been evidences of progress from a decade ago with a handful of Malaysian dancers finding their places in foreign dance/ballet companies, further training and exposure are necessary to groom the next generation of professional ballet dancers if Malaysia is ever to make its mark in the international ballet scene.