Review-Asia Pacific Dance Platform-Hong Kong Arts Festival
15-3-14
By: Dishkya Karti
The ‘Asia Pacific Dance Platform IV’ showcased the talents of five young dancers from China, India and Korea. Although the contemporary dance pieces weren't based around one theme, the show was able to display a variety of different kinds of performances.
Xie Xin’s ‘Falling’ opened the night on a somber note. Her movements evoked the pattern of free falling leaves. Her second piece ‘Plus’ presented the chemistry of her and her partner's bodies and relationship in a captivating way. The dance was not entirely sensuous but was a balance of brisk movements built on the trust between two bodies.
Sujata Goel was next in the show. Her piece ‘Dancing Girl’ was hard to comprehend. It was slow paced and required you to think about the postures she created with the music. Although it gained momentum as it progressed, the opening of the performance didn't make much sense. She used lighting to focus on certain parts of her body, which did not seem to be fulfill any purpose. It was introduced in the booklet as a piece in which the artist reflects on all her learning (classical styles to modern), as if she is observing herself from outside. Later during the interaction session with the artists, Goel explained her effort as a way of deconstructing all the dance forms she had learnt from Bharatnatyam, Ballet, to Bollywood. The piece only seemed to show postures from these dance styles rather than full movements.
Insoo Lee’s ‘Modern Feeling’ was easier to grasp and entertained the audience. The two male performers dressed casually and included everyday gestures in their dance piece. They kept the tempo of their performance high. It was refreshing to see Lee choreograph two male bodies without evoking any sense of romantic passion between them. He took the theme of friendship and created a narrative of a relationship between him and his friend. The piece included touches of hip hop, ballet and modern dance.
While the show attempted to present a variety of talents from the Asia Pacific region, the pieces were more independent and could easily be seen as different shows. It would have been interesting to see all the performers interact with each other on stage because they did not seem to be touched by each other’s energies.
The inclusion of an after show interaction session between the artists and the audience was a commendable effort on the organizers part. It was helpful in understanding the choreographer’s vision and allowed the audience to clear their queries.
Asia Pacific Dance Platform is playing through March 15th. For more information, click here.
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