Singaporean dancer displays her talent in five solo pieces
Singaporean dancer displays her talent in five solo pieces
By Julianti Parani
SINGAPORE (JP): Amid the hustle and bustle of modern
Singapore, where the rivers of culture from East and West meet, a
vibrant arts scene resonates. One can take delight in enjoying a
myriad of modern dance, music, theater, international acts,
world-class exhibitions and other exciting events. Singapore
itself owns its international performing arts companies, such as
the Singapore National Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre and
Theatre Works, which perform in a number of versatile arts
venues. One of them is the Substation Guinness Theatre, which, in
particular, stages a number of Singapore's rising contemporary
artists and some of the more exciting developments in Southeast
Asian arts.
An evening of five solo dance pieces by Singaporean,
Malaysian, Filipino and Indonesian choreographers took place at
the Substation from Jan. 13 to Jan. 16. The pieces were performed
by Kuo Jing Hong, who demonstrated her ability not only as an
extraordinary dancer, but also as an on-the-rise, talented
choreographer of a new generation.
She is the daughter of important Singaporean arts figures. Her
father, Kuo Pao Kun, is a playwright, while her mother, Goh Lay
Kuan, is a choreographer -- both were founders of the Practice
Performing Arts and directors of The Theatre Practice. Kuo Jin
Hong graduated in 1995 from the University of Iowa, U.S.A., with
a degree in dance and psychology. She has since worked with dance
and theatre companies in Singapore and other countries.
Throughout the 90-minute performance, entitled Lone Bodies,
she danced the pieces, which all shared a general them: a
solitary journey through diversities in search of home,
excellently.
The first dance,Hymn to the Dance & Rain Dance, was
choreographed by her mother, who is trained in classical ballet
and contemporary and traditional dance. It was accompanied by
music composed & orchestrated by Karl Jenkins. The first part was
a lyrical dance in modern ballet style, while the second part was
comical with modern African movements. It was a contemporary
piece of dance, classical-based, yet displaying solid modern
technique. A typical Goh Lay Kuan choreography, reminiscent of Om
& Intuition, which was much praised at the Japan Asia Arts
Festival in 1998.
The second piece,Dialogue, was a choreography by Loh Soh Kim
from Malaysia with music by Febian Rezatane & Erick Satie. Loh
Soh Kim is U.S.A.-trained and attached to the Penang Dance
Station. It was a modern dance using three chairs choreographed
in three different natures with a strong, dramatic theatrical
sense, in particular at the end, with the narration of a short
story.
Then came Boxes, choreographed by the celebrated Denisa Reyes
from the Philippines, and accompanied John Cale's I shot Andy
Warhol Suite and Little Boxes by Pete Seegers. U.S.A.-trained
Denisa Reyes has played an important role in Filipino cultural
expression, particularly in her performances with Ballet
Philippines. Boxes was a modern choreography that required strong
theatrical ability in the dancer. The plot was based on a
composition using eight boxes of different sizes, ranging in size
from the size of a piece of cabin luggage to a ring box.
She then presented a work by Sukarji Sriman, a Jakarta
Institute of the Arts graduate who is taking a masters degree in
dance in the U.S.A. Perempuan (Woman) was danced beautifully,
accompanied by the music of Sa'aban Yahya. Perempuan's first
appearance was in Jakarta in a celebrated festival a few years
ago, danced by ballet trained dancer Elika T.
Seeing the piece again with a Singaporean dancer, one could
feel Sukarji's strength, like in his debut Circle of the Bliss.
Kuo Jin Hong also showed her extraordinary quality. The graceful
quality of Javanese dance, Sukarji's cultural background, was
composed in a contemporary way and expressed through the forceful
sensibility of a contemporary dancer.
The final dance One/Line (a structured improvisation) showed
the ability of the still-young Kuo Jing Hong as a choreographer,
It was accompanied by Clapping Music by Steve Reich, Strange
Currency by R.E.M and Get Out The Map by The Indigo Girls. In
this dance she again proved to be an excellent dancer, as well as
one with a promising career as a choreographer; something
exceptional these days, both in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Kuo Jing Hong is a dancer with a special ability that was very
much on display in this evening of dance. She danced all the five
pieces by five Asian choreographers as if she were five different
persons.
-- The writer is a performing arts' consultant.