DANCE doyen Datuk Ramli Ibrahim and Sutra Foundation gave an intriguing triple-bill contemporary dance production over last weekend at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre.
While the three dances were different from each other, they flowed well under the theme, 'Malam Bulan di Pagar Bintang'.
The stage was draped in cloth in shades of night with swathes of pale moonbeams brightening corners and edges. A dream-like setting, indeed. Kudos to lighting designer M. Guna.
When the gamelan sounded for the first piece, 'Revelling', the mood of Bali was evoked. The Sutra Dance Theatre troupe weaved in and out of the reverie that comes from being in Ubud (and if you've never been there, please do so!).
There was even a tantalising mock fight scene.
This Sutra tribute to the compositions of Colin McPhee and Lou Harrison was almost a spiritual flight in modern dance, with elements of traditional Indian dance like macro facial expressions, steps and postures, and others like 'kecak' and 'lengong'.
It was a time to revel in Bali's mystical energy.
After that fascinating 20-minute segment came 'Stand By Me'. Exploring sound and the elongation of notes, based on the lyrical poetry of the Greek Sappho, the dance explored themes of love and separation.
The music evoked for me a Sunetra Fernado performance back in the 80s, where she had used her voice to create music with prolonged notes.
A short break after that sonic landscaped dance led the audience to the titular 'Malam Bulan di Pagar Bintang'. It was a tribute to old movie songs by P. Ramlee, Saloma, and Normadiah, among others.
Ramli himself wowed the audience with his unmistakable grace and artistry. That was a treat, indeed.
The joy of yesteryears was seen in segments of joget, the cha cha, the twist, with dancers in kebaya which were performed admirably by the Sutra dancers.
Ramli shared his thoughts with the audience in introducing the dances, saying at one stage that Sutra — while mainly associated with Indian classical dance — has also been responsible in catalysing the interest in contemporary modern dance in Malaysia.
He referred to a triple bill titled 'Pandanglah! Lihatlah!' which he presented in 1984.
"In many ways, this triple bill of 'Malam Bulan di Pagar Bintang' is an evocation of the wonderful memories of that production," he said.
While Ramli showed his enduring artistry as artistic director and dancer in this triple-bill show, standouts from the production included Rathimalar Govindarajoo and Harenthiran Pulingam.
When Rathimalar dances, she shows such commitment to each and every movement that it just draws attention.
Harenthiran has a visage that makes his role believable. Simply put, they both have commanding stage presence.
Together with Sutra Dance Theatre stalwarts including Tan Mei Mei, Nishah Govind Kumar, and Vickneshwaran, among others, 'Malam Bulan di Pagar Bintang' was a memorable ode to contemporary dance.