In an age where roots and culture seem to be diminishing, a performance like Hybrid Moves – with its marvelous illustration of the Peranakan culture through dance – comes along to remind us of the strengths and significance of belonging to a community.

The show was staged on Sep 15 and 16 at the University Cultural Centre Hall in the National University of Singapore (NUS) as a part of Dance Reflections 2007 – an annual dance festival of NUS Centre For the Arts (CFA).

Featuring acts by 6 CFA dance groups, including the NUS Dance Ensemble and NUS Dance Blast!, Hybrid Moves brought audiences through a journey to a Peranakan museum, a search for self-identity and one’s homeland.

The Good

Award-winning team, NUS Dance Synergy, delivered an impressive portrait of the life of a Nonya (Chinese Indonesian female descendants). Not that the remixes of folk songs like ‘Chan Mali Chan’ with contemporary beats were all that refreshing, but they successfully intertwined culture with modern art, which was what the evening was supposed to be about. Thus, Hybrid Moves.

Beijing Dance Academy graduate, Fan Dong Kai’s dance routine was able to distinguish the thin line that separates a fine fusion of culture with contemporary arts from what could have been a holy mess. It came through beautifully, exploring the growth and various personalities of a Nonya, and simultaneously accentuating the rhythmic abilities of the dance team. From a mellow love song to a fun and comedic hip-hop ending, the piece was, all in all, captivating.

The Artistic

The more artistic pieces had to be Nadi by the NUS Ilsa Tari and My Homeland by the NUS Chinese Dance. It was interesting to have, among a sea of mixtures of old and modern, 2 acts that stayed true to their respective cultures.

Nadi told a story of the search for self-identity and the struggles that come about while My Homeland traced the journey of a nation in pursuit of a harmonious society.

What was intriguing about Nadi was the concept of having each set of dancers that came out representing one of the instruments behind the music piece, which was reminiscent to Tan Dun’s ‘Night Fight’ from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. With the dramatic use of lighting techniques, emotional and symbolic dance routines, and background visuals of Chinese and Arabic writings, the dance lived up to the Malay tradition and the struggles present in pursuit of self identity plunged through strongly.

There were a few hiccups for both pieces – uneven coordination for Nadi and a scream that was let out in the middle of My Homeland became unintentionally comedic. Once these awkward moments passed, the stories went on, and on, and on. It almost felt like there was no end to each piece. But eventually, the stories in both pieces were told and, on the teams’ part, the effort made in seeing the performances through was commendable.

The Bad

But not all 6 performances could be considered outstanding. For a first act, Rentak Funky by the NUS Dance Blast! was a banal, almost cheesy opening to what was expected to be a night of artistic brilliance. Audiences were reminded of the unity aspect of being part of a community through cliché dance routines that involved the holding of hands among other typical poses and actions. Imagine that with an out-of-place hip hop follow-up alongside unsuitable numbers like Fergie’s “Glamorous” and you’ll get my picture.

It seemed the recitation of Heng Siok Tian’s poem, Sayang Airwell, was the only artistic aspect to NUS Indian Dance’s piece. Consistency lacked in the first half of the act as the journey transcribed in the poem failed to live true in the dance, which was saddening, considering how Indian dances always tell a story within their routines.

This was stale and almost meaningless choreography during which the dancers seemed to be posing most of the time. It was probable they felt that the costumes, with their detailed embroidery, told fascinating enough a story and that a better designed routine would have disrupted what the costumes were meant to convey.

Even if bits of Heng’s beautifully written poem were successfully conveyed, the lack of life in the dancers’ delivery, and the plastic, Stepford-wives-like smiles on the female dancers throughout sure were huge barriers to identifying them. This wasn’t a dance that impressed in its technical and artistic aspects.

The Icing on the Cake

Speed and flawless coordination were just 2 elements of the final piece – Samsara by NUS Dance Ensemble – that was absolutely astonishing and stood out from the other 5 performances. The piece showcased a Javanese and Balinese-inspired dance that had a change of pose for every beat in the music.

To be able to pull off as fast a dance routine as 3 sharp poses per second and to do it in perfect unity among as many as 24 dance members in the 15-minute performance was truly amazing on the team’s part. From the styles of Artistic Manager of SAF Music and Drama Company, Zaini Mohd Tahir’s choreography, to the music, to the gold costumes and background structures, every aspect of this piece collectively and accurately brought out the essence of the theme – an awakening. After a long hour and 15 minutes’ worth of performances, Samsara was still able to create an obvious sense of captivation and bring to the stage liveliness that brought justice to the theme of awakening.