First published in Sunday People, New Sunday Times
24 May 2009
Marion dazzles
PEOPLE thronged the stalls of the Arts For Grabs and KL Alternative Bookfest at the Central Market Annexe, but the din paled beside the composed silence of a lone dancer in the next room.
All eyes were fixed on Marion D-Cruz who was taking her audience on a journey of her seminal works as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and student in her 35-year career.
Encountering D’Cruz for the first time, I was mesmerised by her Gostan Forward performance-lecture.
Whether relating her life’s experiences in New York or dancing with a Balinese topeng tua, I was suddenly transported with her to these different episodes of her life. It was like listening to an old friend telling you something new, yet familiar.
Marion began by reminiscing of the “sweet, gentle” Malaysia of her youth. In 2007, she asked 40 Malaysians from different walks of life and professions to tell their own stories of what it means to be a Malaysian.
Twenty-two Malaysians responded and what resulted was Bunga Manggar Bunga Raya, a work signifying the all-inclusive Malaysia sentiment that’s lost today.
She shared of how it was a year of personal loss (the passing of her husband, celebrated thespian Datuk Krishen Jit) as well as national grievances about current affairs and corruption.
D’Cruz relating her experiences using a Balinese topeng tua
Bunga Manggar was memorable for D’Cruz as she saw how these performers and non-performers were free and uninhibited in inventing new dance moves and expressions.
“Unlike most dancers who are trapped by the sedia ada vocabulary, these people could be mad and do what they want to do,” said D’Cruz.
We then went back to 1989 where she collaborated with visual artistes for the inaugural Video Art Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
The performance was based on a painting which detailed the Sook Ching ritual held during the Japanese Occupation.
Sook Ching means “purification by elimination” where the Japanese would execute informants and communists pointed out by hooded figures.
These chosen ones would have to dig their own grave before being shot by the Japanese army. D’Cruz recounted how the show was first banned by the government but eventually given the green light when the Japanese embassy said, “Show it, it is part of our history”.
D’Cruz then took us to the 1980s and New York where she went to find herself as a dancer and choreographer. She recalled how she taught silat to four white men who eventually performed it in the buff, much to her horror!
It was in New York where D’Cruz began to choreograph her own solo performances such as terinai.
Another significant performance for D’Cruz was Urn Piece in 1988 where she explored the relation between text and movements.
I was particularly entranced by the video and pictures of the dance which made me wish I had witnessed that dance.
Part of the success of Gostan Forward is the chemistry between D’Cruz and her audience. There was genuine affection as some of the audience members were her friends of more than 30 years.
Fellow thespian Anne James also joined D’Cruz onstage as they gave a heart-rending snippet performance of Swan Song, a piece based on a poem detailing the last seven hours of a prostitute called Maria Zaitun.
This performance was moving not only because of the subject matter, but the enduring friendship and camaraderie displayed by the duo.
Gostan Forward offered a mix of performances and lecture (I’d rather call it story-telling), and confirmed D’Cruz as a pivotal figure in the local dance scene. But watching snippets of her performances just whetted my appetite for a full performance.
Pictures by Philip Craig
24 May 2009
Marion dazzles
PEOPLE thronged the stalls of the Arts For Grabs and KL Alternative Bookfest at the Central Market Annexe, but the din paled beside the composed silence of a lone dancer in the next room.
All eyes were fixed on Marion D-Cruz who was taking her audience on a journey of her seminal works as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and student in her 35-year career.
Encountering D’Cruz for the first time, I was mesmerised by her Gostan Forward performance-lecture.
Whether relating her life’s experiences in New York or dancing with a Balinese topeng tua, I was suddenly transported with her to these different episodes of her life. It was like listening to an old friend telling you something new, yet familiar.
Marion began by reminiscing of the “sweet, gentle” Malaysia of her youth. In 2007, she asked 40 Malaysians from different walks of life and professions to tell their own stories of what it means to be a Malaysian.
Twenty-two Malaysians responded and what resulted was Bunga Manggar Bunga Raya, a work signifying the all-inclusive Malaysia sentiment that’s lost today.
She shared of how it was a year of personal loss (the passing of her husband, celebrated thespian Datuk Krishen Jit) as well as national grievances about current affairs and corruption.
D’Cruz relating her experiences using a Balinese topeng tua
Bunga Manggar was memorable for D’Cruz as she saw how these performers and non-performers were free and uninhibited in inventing new dance moves and expressions.
“Unlike most dancers who are trapped by the sedia ada vocabulary, these people could be mad and do what they want to do,” said D’Cruz.
We then went back to 1989 where she collaborated with visual artistes for the inaugural Video Art Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
The performance was based on a painting which detailed the Sook Ching ritual held during the Japanese Occupation.
Sook Ching means “purification by elimination” where the Japanese would execute informants and communists pointed out by hooded figures.
These chosen ones would have to dig their own grave before being shot by the Japanese army. D’Cruz recounted how the show was first banned by the government but eventually given the green light when the Japanese embassy said, “Show it, it is part of our history”.
D’Cruz then took us to the 1980s and New York where she went to find herself as a dancer and choreographer. She recalled how she taught silat to four white men who eventually performed it in the buff, much to her horror!
It was in New York where D’Cruz began to choreograph her own solo performances such as terinai.
Another significant performance for D’Cruz was Urn Piece in 1988 where she explored the relation between text and movements.
I was particularly entranced by the video and pictures of the dance which made me wish I had witnessed that dance.
Part of the success of Gostan Forward is the chemistry between D’Cruz and her audience. There was genuine affection as some of the audience members were her friends of more than 30 years.
Fellow thespian Anne James also joined D’Cruz onstage as they gave a heart-rending snippet performance of Swan Song, a piece based on a poem detailing the last seven hours of a prostitute called Maria Zaitun.
This performance was moving not only because of the subject matter, but the enduring friendship and camaraderie displayed by the duo.
Gostan Forward offered a mix of performances and lecture (I’d rather call it story-telling), and confirmed D’Cruz as a pivotal figure in the local dance scene. But watching snippets of her performances just whetted my appetite for a full performance.
Pictures by Philip Craig
