A Revolutionary Attempt

FEB-MAY 201232

others I dance in the city

The basic tenet of creativity is revolution. It is about the spirit to wanting to make a change. In theatre, in a very modernist sense, it is about breaking the rules of

creation. Nyoba Kan Artistic Director Lee Swee Keong and co-director Woon Fook Sen’s Butterfl y Loversis one such attempt in revolting against the grain of popular music catering to mass audiences. The one-and-a-half-hour-long production fi lled with music performed on Asian and Western instruments not only gave audiences a fresh new perspective to eclectic sounds from instruments from two continents.

With only one dancer on stage, the production gave music and body ample space to create an audio painting on the plain white stage. Nyoba Kan Lee Swee Keong’s abandonment of Western and Asian hegemonies of cultural specifi city has come to light.

Little has been written about Lee Swee Keong’s body in the Malaysian theatre scene, it seems. Trained in the Japanese dance form butoh and

A Revolutionary Attempt Nyoba Kan’s re-staging of the tragic love story brings renewal to the Malaysian arts scene.TEXT: RICHARD CHUA PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF NYOBA KAN

body-conditioning yoga and other dance forms, Swee Keong has attained a body dexterity that seems to exhibit the natural fl ow of body movements. Everyone of us is natural, you might say, but there are habits which we have picked up that makes our body “un-natural”. For one, posture problems are common with urban dwellers. Strictly speaking, and especially to a butoh dancer, he would not want to be called a dancer. My defi nition of a dancer here does not refer to any form that adheres to a specifi c dance form. The stereotypical impression of a dancer in society is what I meant – dancers who can leap and jump, hands waving gracefully in the air, the list goes on. However, many non-dancers don’t realise that dancers receive long periods of training in order to do the expected antics. As much the word “antics” might not be suitable, it is this consumerist attitude that diminishes the strength and power of movements of the natural body, not to mention ballet, modern and contemporary dances, butoh even. Swee Keong truly encompasses

This Page: Lee Swee Keong’s representation of the Chinese evil.Opposite Page (From Top): Butterfl ies as metaphor for freedom; bloodbath as poetry; the demise of the fi nal resolution.

contemporary I dance in the city

FEB-MAY 2012 33

a body in motion in its natural state, its ability to reach almost every single gesture of the everyday.

The musical pieces in Butterfl y Lovers became the landscape for the body to move freely. The rising chords of Wong Chee Wei’s piano, coupled with the staccato-layered melody of Lim Leong Hon’s violin provided the platform for Ngooi Perng Fei’s Chinese fl ute. The upward cascading notes of the fl ute truly pushed the energy of the fi rst few scenes to its emotional height, allowing sentimentality to sink in. The energy was greatly needed for the sombre scenes that followed.

The highlight perhaps was Gideon Alubakan’s rendition of a meditative soundscape performed on the traditional Chinese string instrument Gu Qin. In Chinese music, the beauty of the Gu Qin lies in its ability to leave audio resonance in any theatre space. Alubakan managed to moderate the (sounds that are produced through the depressing of fi ngers on the strings) in a way to fl ow with the body movements of the actor on stage. This was especially so when one of the musicians asked to cleanse a deceased body on stage.

While different musical elements coming together in a performance (if done properly) might make a beautiful score, it might not be exciting for an attempt to discover new possibilities of Asian and Western music. The strings of a violin, with the piano, and the percussion all seemed to fl ow well with each other, but the fl ute seemed to stand out. Like birds that fl y out of a forest canopy, the fl ute was a source of surprise for the theatrical presentation. Every time it entered the musical soundscape, the musical spirit was instantly lifted.

What was exciting for me is the way the signature sounds of the Gu Qin’s (sounds of the moving hand) related to the overall music score. As much as Wong Chee Wei’s Philip Glass-like repetitive chords gave the rest of the musicians an opportunity to layer the sounds within the score, it seemed that only Alubakan’s sound left the theatrical moment in the space. It resonated with the story of two star-crossed lovers in this popular Chinese literary classic. However, much to be desired is a dancer’s body moving within the signature Gu Qin’s sounds of (Slipping Tones) and (Whispering Tones). The spaces within the soundscape of the Gu Qin would allow a dancer’s body more space to excavate the emotions within the Chinese classic.

In conclusion, the aesthetics of the Chinese theatre has been redefi ned in this piece. Butterfl y Lovers is truly a breakthrough in the defi nition of Chinese aesthetics in the Malaysian-Chinese performing arts landscape. As a truly eclectic theatrical experience that transcended the confi nes of Asian culture, Butterfl y Lovers is neither Asian nor Western. It is exquisite theatre at its best. JD