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.