River meets light

Thursday, May 17 2012

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 20:26

ON MARCH 12, 2011, Sungai Pinang played host to River Meets Light, a unique and experimental mixed media performance that incorporated music, dance, light and visuals.

River was the brainchild of dancer/choreographer Aidan Redza and light installation artist Lisa Foo, who won the RM12,000 award from the Krishen Jit-Astro Fund in 2010. Ethnomusicologist Dr Tan Sooi Beng provided a blend of traditional and contemporary music for the performance, and Liew Kung Yu was tapped to be the artistic director. The project, coinciding with International Day of Action for Rivers, was aimed at raising awareness over the state of the nation's rivers.

Performers spent a month preparing for the showcase, an exhausting period that included physical challenges, such as rolling on the dirt while being bitten by ants, and being suspended over a wooden bridge. The performers were also trained to build up their stamina, a necessity given the nature of the project.

Dozens of people showed up to attend the performance, congregating on the pedestrian bridge over Sungai Pinang. Though the performance was delayed briefly due to rain, the participants soon gave their audience the show of a lifetime. Performers danced gracefully along the river, climbing and rolling onto the wooden bridge, as musicians sang and played music via recycled materials. The rain which had delayed the show ended up enhancing it, bringing Sungai Pinang to life.

This performance was a "workshop performance", which also saw eco-sculpture installations and poetry recitals. The premiere performance will be held in conjunction with the George Town Festival in July this year.

Pictures for the performance were taken by Joie Koo at Allspire (http://www.allspire.com/about_us.html). The eco-sculpture is by Lisa Foo (http://lfss-create.blogspot.com/) and the dance choreographer is Aida Redza (http://aidaredza.blogspot.com/)

References

Click through pictures for slideshow.