Aswara To Host Major Dance Fest

Dancers from Chulalongkorn University

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Organised by the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry through the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy‘s (Aswara) dance faculty, Tari ‘09 will take place from July 14 to 18 at the academy in Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Themed Rooted In Tradition, it is part of a series which began in 1994. It will feature performances from top dance educational institutions in Asia and the United States.

They include Institut Seni Indonesia; Edith Cowan University, Australia; Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; De Lasalle University, the Philippines; the University of Auckland, New Zealand; the University of Hawaii, the United States; Shambhavi School of Dance, India; the Korean National University of Arts, South Korea; Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore; Macau Academy, Macau, China; and Apsara Asia and Maya Dance Theatre, Singapore.

Malaysia is represented by Aswara and Universiti Malaya. Each institution will present one dance showcase with two other countries and conduct workshops the same day. Fifteen performers will represent each institution. There will be 180 international dancers and 20 scholars participating in the seminars. Participating dancers and choreographers include Suhaili Ahmad Kamil, James Kan and Liu Yong Sean.

The international dancers, choreographers and troupes include Ery Mefri (STSI Padang Panjang, Indonesia), The Dance Company (Singapore), University of the Philippines Dance Company, Temoa Rua (New Zealand), Ernestohollija Dancers (Australia), Wendy Rogers (University of California, the United States), and Angela Goh (Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia).

The dance seminars focus on education, research and choreography. Dr Ralph Buck (University of Auckland, New Zealand), Glorife Samodio (Delasalle University, the Philippines) and Dr Maggi Phillips (Edith Cowan University, Australia) will be among the speakers. There will be 36 workshops. Entry is free and is on a first-come, first served basis. The seminars begin at 10am while the workshops are at 2pm. The dance shows take place at 5.30pm and 8.30pm (main shows).

Tickets prices are as follows:

Special festival pass (three seminars, five showcases and five evening performances) — RM250 and RM150 (students);

Showcases — RM20 and RM10 (students);

Main performances — RM30 and RM15 (students);

Performance special pass (five showcases and five evening performances) — RM150 and RM80 (students).

For details, call 03-2697-1777 and 03-2697-5043 (tickets), 012-390-3242 and 019-250-4532 (seminars), 016-234-7770 and 012-653-4426 (workshops), and 012-849-9722 (general enquiries). Dennis Chua

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (20 June 2009)

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