Choreographer Mohd Zulkarnain Zuber along with dance talents Adlan Sairin and Wong Shan Ti have been shortlisted to present their contemporary dance piece ‘Interchange’ at the Yokohama Dance Collection 2023 next month.
Zulkarnain told Malaysiakini that he did not expect to be among the top eight chosen to perform in Japan, from 130 applicants across the world, which left him both elated and nervous.
“At first, I was just trying my luck by applying and when the organiser returned to us with good news, I was so happy.
“It was indeed one of the happiest moments for me to cherish. However, after that, I was feeling worried and nervous as the next challenge for us is to find funding for our expenses to travel to Yokohama,” the 30-year-old said.
Zulkarnain, who is with the ASK Dance Company, said a crowdfunding exercise is underway to raise money including by conducting dance workshops on Nov 11.
There is also ‘Menyemai Seni, Menjunjung Langit’, a fundraising showcase that will take place on Nov 18 and 19 at Fonteyn Theatre, Federal Academy of Ballet, Petaling Jaya.
Workshop opportunities
The workshop, which requires registration, will be conducted by Zulkarnain, assisted by members of the ASK Dance Company at its studio in Ampang.
“In this workshop, I am offering three classes. I am aiming to teach different styles and approaches to contemporary dance. So, the first two classes are more technique classes and the third class is repertoire learning.
“The participants will be able to learn a short combination of my work - ‘Interchange’ - which was selected as a finalist in Yokohama Dance Collection 2023.
“‘Menyemai Seni, Menjunjung Langit’ showcases traditional and contemporary dance, as well as featuring our guest performers from Aswara, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi), and Universiti Malaya,” he said.
A special performance from SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail (1), coached by Ask Dance Company member Adlan Sairin, is also expected.
“(There will be) dances such as Ngajat Iban, Terinai Dewa Raja, Bharatanatyam, Tarian Rampaian Tradisional Melayu, Chinese Handkerchief Dance interlaced with contemporary works by ASK Dance Company members, and of course, the finale is the preview of ‘Interchange’,” Zulkarnain added.
Tickets are available for a minimum donation of RM70 per person.
“Apart from the dance workshop and performance, we created a crowdfunding page for those who would like to donate and contribute but are not able to attend our programmes. We appreciate every ringgit you can contribute to our fundraiser.”
Zulkarnain said that the funds raised would be used to finance the flight tickets and accommodation there for approximately a week.
They aim to raise RM50,000 and any additional donations will be used for future artistic projects or international tours of the company.
‘Interchange’ was first presented at the Sibu International Dance Festival 2022 in Sarawak and has been performed twice more in Kuala Lumpur at DanceBox 2022 and MyDance Festival 2023, organised by MyDance Alliance, Malaysia.
“The dance showcases an exploration of the relationship between movement, rhythm, and tempo, reflecting the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur city folk.
“‘Interchange’ is a powerful piece, jam-packed with small intricate movements performed with accuracy and precision at various tempos, challenging the performers' agility, awareness, and sensibility of dancing with others and musicality.
“In terms of movement exploration, I used movements from the Malay classical dance Terinai and elaborated them more deeply so that the traditional movements are not directly visible,” Zulkarnain explained.
Kangar boy
Zulkarnain, who hails from Kangar, Perlis is based in Kuala Lumpur as a full-time dancer and choreographer.
He started dancing at 14 when he was studying at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Syed Hassan, Perlis.
“At that time I also joined a cultural group under the Education Ministry in Perlis,” he said, adding that he participated in many dance competitions and performances, especially in traditional Malay dance.
After completing SPM in 2010, he started working as a dancer at the Department of Culture, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP). In 2012 he pursued his studies at the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage’s (Aswara) Faculty of Dance and in 2015, obtained a Bachelor’s Degree majoring in choreography.
He is the technical manager at ASK Dance Company and has performed, produced, and collaborated with both local and foreign choreographers.
Zulkarnain has been a dancer for concerts headlined by artists such as Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin and Dzar Ismail. He has also performed and taught with ASK members in Hawaii, Japan, Korea, China, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and India.
“I am also actively teaching at several dance studios, schools, and universities around Kuala Lumpur,” he added.
Growing up, he wanted to be a police officer, a lawyer, or a singer.
“At that time, dancing was just a hobby but I didn’t think that I would pursue dance as a career in my life now,” Zulkarnain recalled.
His love for dance began when he tagged along with his mother to dance practice for an annual dinner performance at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital, Kangar, where his mother works as a medical assistant.
Zulkarnain’s father does general labour in the village where they live and works as a musician at night.
When he was in Form 5, his teacher organised a field trip to visit several universities that offer performing art majors, namely Aswara and Upsi.
“During the visit to Aswara, I saw a contemporary dance class being conducted and I was mesmerised.
“It was the first time I saw a contemporary dance performance right in front of me. I have only seen contemporary dance on television in the popular dance programme ‘So You Think You Can Dance’,” he said.
In 2011, he caught the performance of ‘3 Faces: A Triple Bill of Bharatanatyam, Mak Yung, and Contemporary’ presented by Aswara Dance Company - now ASK Dance Company - founded by Joseph Gonzales, the former dean of The Faculty of Dance Aswara at that time.
Blown away by the performance, he applied to study at Aswara and the rest is history.
The old ways are best
Though he specialised in contemporary dance, traditional Malay dance has a special place in his heart.
“Coming from a traditional Malay dance background, I would say traditional dance has always been rooted in me.
“However, throughout my journey in learning dance, I discovered that contemporary dance has opened a different world for me to explore through its techniques, movement vocabularies, and dynamics.
“Hence, I would like to explore more on how much contemporary can offer and approach traditional dance using contemporary context or vice versa,” said Zulkarnain.
He is busy choreographing and teaching contemporary dance in local studios as well as choreographing works for final-year students in performing arts institutions, especially for The Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya.
“But I still love traditional dances, especially when I got the opportunity to teach younger generations.
“For example, ASK Dance Company has been conducting its community outreach programme supported by Yayasan Sime Darby, where we teach traditional dance for free to the community, and every time I look at the hunger and the passion of the participants, I always find joy in teaching them,” he added.
Zulkarnain is a fan of choreographers Hofesh Shecter, Anton Lachky, Crystal Pite, Un Yamada, and Kyle Hanagami. Among the local choreographers, he is drawn to Jabar Laura and Chai Vivan.
“These choreographers produce works that are always outside the box in terms of movement explorations, concepts, costumes, or even ideas,” he explained.
Despite making it to the world stage, Zulkarnain said he remains eager to learn more.
“What I can be proud of at the moment is that my contemporary work has been selected to compete in the Yokohama Dance Festival.
“This is the first time in my entire career that I will participate in an international dance competition, and I thank ASK Dance Company for always allowing me to further develop my talent in choreography.” - Mkini
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