Choreographing an Identity

When “Can You Hear Me? Asian Dance Voices” opens its
doors for its U.S. premiere on Jan. 20 at Glorya Kaufman Dance
Theater, audiences should expect more than a simple display of
traditional Southeast Asian dance ““ they should be prepared
to embrace a performance that invokes questions of life,
spirituality and the power of cultural identity to transcend
generations.

The evening is dedicated to the work of three of Asia’s
leading dancers and choreographers: Chey Chankethya from Cambodia,
Baghawan Ciptoning from Indonesia and Umesh Shetty from Malaysia.
All three artists are recipients of the 2006 UCLA
Choreographers/Arts Management Fellowship and are in residence at
UCLA in the department of World Arts and Cultures this quarter.

Each artist has taken traditional Asian dances and given them a
fresh interpretation. Their performances will offer audiences a
unique opportunity to experience an often-inaccessible form of
expression.

Chankethya views her first L.A. performance as more than just an
opportunity to showcase her skills.

“I see myself more as an ambassador than as a
dancer,” she said. “I want to show you that this is
Cambodian culture.”

Chankethya has devoted her life to recovering traditional
Cambodian dance, an ancient practice that sees dancers as
messengers from God and therefore holds one of the most revered
positions in Cambodian culture.

For Shetty, trained in the Indian classical dance forms of
Bharata Natyam, Odissi and various folk styles at the Temple of
Fine Arts, his movement also relates to aspects of spirituality. In
discussing his piece that is derived from Bharata Natyam (one of
the two dances he will perform), he explained how the aim of the
dance is to reach a state where dancing becomes prayer.

“It is the story of the evolution of a dancer to a state
of liberation,” Shetty said. “He starts outside the
temple door, moves into the main center until he is in front of
God.”

Shetty’s training taught him to equate dancing to the
service of going to temple and to prayer. “In entertaining
the audience, you make them forget their worries and therefore
provide a service to the public,” he said.

Ciptoning’s modern interpretation of the ceremonial
Javanese court dance is an alternative meditation on how mankind
should live. For example, his very slow style of movement denotes
the virtue of patience, whereas his command and control suggest a
strong character.

“Learning the dance form is learning how to live,”
Ciptoning said.

Chankethya insists on the importance of recognizing tradition in
all cultures. “Everyone needs to look back to the
past,” she said.

But these artists are not merely replicating ancient traditions.
Both Shetty and Ciptoning are making great waves in terms of fusing
their traditional dances with other forms. Shetty, for example, has
incorporated modern Western elements in his works.

“I combine the joyous energy of Indian classical dance
with the shape of the contemporary,” Shetty said. He has
worked with the musicians, including a bass guitarist, for this
performance, and the jazz influence gives his music a hip-hop feel.
He feels his Malaysian interpretation of classical Indian dance
gives him more freedom to create and reinvent. “I use the
same technique but bring a unique energy to it,” he said.

Ciptoning has also embraced other styles in his choreography, as
he has learned from the many international students who come to
learn from him at the Indonesian Academy of Arts.

“My understanding is in the Javanese style, but I see the
expression of Chinese and Japanese styles, for example,” he
said.

Ciptoning admits he did not like dance until around the age of
13, when he became exposed to classical dance through his musician
father. Shetty was also heavily influenced by his father, the late
Master Gopal Shetty, known throughout Malaysia as the Indian
“danseur extraordinaire.”

Chankethya highlights how she differs from the others in the way
she became a dancer ““ with no familial influence, she learned
to love the art after she was spotted in the audience of a
traditional Cambodian performance as someone having the potential
to become a dancer. After a week of lessons, she knew she had found
her calling.

Chankethya emphasizes the importance of performing these dances
for international audiences. Although they are rich with the past,
these traditions are still being practiced today. “Can You
Hear Me? Asian Dance Voices” looks to take on a very modern
role in the world of dance, bridging the gaps between generations
and cultures.

“This is Southeast Asian culture,” Chankethya said.
“This is still our own identity.”