Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac)
Photography by Aaronz Cheah
The keyboard and phone line are extensions of our lust.
Pens and paper give birth to secrets
In this office, everything becomes so extraordinarily empty,
even words fail
When my Editor asked me to review On Anxiety, a performance
by the Kwang Tung Dance Company, truth be told, I was anxious myself.
Not a fan of contemporary dances, I was worried that I would not appreciate
the true value of the performance.
When I entered Pentas 2, the scene that greeted us was a setup of an office
with tables, keyboards and phones.
On the middle table laid a bare-chested man deep in sleep. When all the
audiences were settled in their seats, the scene brightens. Not long after,
a woman walks in and wakes the man. Apparently, the man had so much
work to do that he slept over at the office till the next day. Then, one by
one, the other colleagues stream into the office to start their work routine.
What amazed me was how the choreographer creatively inserted the grace
of dance into the mundane-ness of the office scene. If I understood it correctly –
please forgive my not knowing Mandarin – there is a tinge of scandal in the office
with one of the female employees having an affair with the boss. Then there are
the usual scenes of colleagues gossiping, laughing over the phone, employee being
scolded by the boss and so on.
In one scene all the employees got down to all fours and jumped and ran about
the whole office acting like apes and gorillas. This happen simultaneously when
the boss was hitting on the female employee. Perhaps that was to show the animal
The lighting was so expertly done that, even under the table, all angles of the
dancers and their various expressions could be seen. The music was also well
chosen and soothing to the ears. However, these were only the accompaniments.
The performers were the stars of the night with their many expressions and elegant
dance moves. It was obvious that they have put a lot of their time and effort in
making the production a success in their fervour of entertaining the audience.
When the performance came to an end, and it did end nicely, I was surprised to find
myself wishing that they have more to perform for the audience. But, as the saying
goes, all good things must come to an end. Bravo to the Kwang Tung Dance Company
for producing such a brilliant performance!
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