In Short

Choreographed by Angela Goh

11 July 2009

Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre

By Chan Keed Cheng

The three long rows behind had been fully occupied by seated curious spectators. The clock ticked a tad late as we anticipated the performance's commencement. Three young female dancers clad in hues of black, gray and white soon stepped in. Neatly poised in a line at the center of Studio 5, the trio began their steps once the music played.

The first contemporary dance featured the collaboration between Angela and fellow performers Hii Ing Fun, Jojo Wong and Lim Cheng Choo. Entitled See, I’m Seen it Seems, the brief synopsis from the handout provided describes, “As soon as we can see, we also become aware that we can be seen. With this knowledge we can revel in exhibition or become anxious about being watched.”

Soaked in amber light, the triumvirate moved android-like revolving one another. Their vacant and stern looks aroused my curiosity. However, the up-tempo electronic or techno music did not help narrate a story behind the dance. The element of being open to interpretation, I suppose, is a distinctive characteristic of contemporary dance. Both energetic and seemingly lifeless movements were presented throughout the first act. Rolls across the floor and hand gestures with vague directions were used to convey the dancers’ self-expressions. Resolute stares were cast upon each other by the performers. Regrettably, the choreography’s lack of varied responses to the audience’s attention and observation bred monotony. The movements were nothing revolutionary but was nevertheless, positively non- clichéd. As I perceived, the lightings utilized or concepts of brightness and darkness that could have been creatively toyed with did not compensate the irrelevance of the piece’s title to the dance. Still, the lack of output could be due to the fact that both the performances were mere excerpts. As an audience remarked how he felt the show to be “incomplete” that evening, the presentation were indeed still work-in-progress.

Australian dance artist and choreographer, Angela Goh, who is also the current Rimbun Dahan resident, has been working on the short creative development as part of her full-length artistic work. Her solo practice, “Filled and Spilled”, was the second act for In Short.

Angela started her dance accompanied by soothing musical piano notes. Using a projector and dim lighting, she engaged the viewers’ interest with an uncommon idea. As the projector cleverly lit up her bottom frame, her bare dancing legs were showered with utmost attention by all. Her upper anatomy turned into a shadowy silhouette. During her performance, Angela played with texts projected on the wall behind while the selected music effortlessly constructed imagery. In my mind, her steps reminded me of dolphins frolicking in the ocean as the sound of waves crashing by the beach produced from the speakers. It felt dreamy.

Her alternating strides and sweeping motions across the floorboards soon ebbed off along the calming tune. Electronic-sounding beats emerged as the scene turned slightly grimmer. The lights no longer beam solely towards her dainty legs and the room brightened a little. Angela’s steps were mostly close to the ground. At times, her moves depicted the emptiness within her character. I did not grasp the words precisely but the lines are something along these:

“Submerged in the comfort of being in the surrounding,

until drowning in the vastness of nothing

and the stillness starts to spill…”

Reflective of the title, both dances took only about thirty minutes in total. In summation, the performances were inadequately thought-provoking but were undoubtedly refreshing. Meanwhile, the open feedback session had proven to be enlightening. Angela spoke of her dance and herself and shared views with the audience.

During the session, an observant lady asked if dancing closely on the floor has become “fashion” in contemporary or modern dance. Angela thought that dancers exist in gravity and tend to fight it hence some may have overlooked the floor usage to incorporate more into dance. She also stated that when one jumps or hops, the range of movements and distance is limited by gravity but a wider diversity is offered by the ground.

With the exchange of thoughts, Angela plans to integrate them into her upcoming complete dance. Details are still tentative but a promising performance may be held at ASWARA this coming week!