A CONTEMPORARY DANCE PLATFORM
An evening of Cambodian Contemporary Dance
Saturday May 2, 2015
Venue: Department of Performing Arts
Tonight's Program
I in Mine
Choreographer & Designer Yon Davy
Performers Yon Davy, Yon Chantha
Composer Phon Sopheap
Set builder Soy Chanborey
People possess different behaviors and ways of speaking. We see and hear them through their images and sound. One cannot see what is the feeling or thinking inside someone else. But if the inside is expressed, what would we see?
Journey
Choreographer Khon Chan Sithyka (Mo)
Performers Khon Chan Sith (Mo), KhonChansina (Nan), Soy Chanborey
Costume and Props Designer Noun Sovitou
Music Arrangement Khon Chansina (Nan)
Recording musicians Khon Chan Sithyka (Mo), Khon Chansina (Nari)
This work touches on journey in life. We usually encounter obstacles and challenges. Nothing is certain. Everything changes. The end of a problem can be the beginning of another. Some problems even repeat multiple times.
Rank 21
Choreographer, Performer, Designer, and Music Arrangement Chumvan Sodhachivy
Recording Musicians Pech Sarath, Noun Sovitou, Khon Chan Sithyka, Khon Chansina
In this piece, the choreographer explores the idea to describe the daily life and activities of the Khmer society, through a solo dance piece. It is inspired by a traditional poem named Chuch Noeng rei (The Trap & The Fish).
Spoken Words quoted from poem: Go forward, Get out of the way, Attack, Strength, Twist, Power, Arrogance, Disaster, Dead, Not Dead.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Yon Davy studied both classical and folkloric dance. Davy has always had a strong interest in contemporary dance and has been involved with workshops and performances with numerous choreographers including Emmanuéle Phuon, Bob Ruijzendaal, Peter Chin, Arco Renz and others and was a recipient of residency study grants for contemporary dance and choreography at the Taiwan National University of the Arts and in Surabaya. She has create a number of works by herself and through collaborations with other artists of different disciplines. She participated in the Southeast Asia Choreolab led by Janis Claxton in 2014.
Yon Chantha began her training in classical dance in 1993. Chantha has a strong interest in contemporary dance and has been involved with workshops and performances with Arco Renz, Cynthia Ling Lee, Chumvan Sodhachivy and Nam Narim. She has also performed extensively with the Sovanna Phum Khmer Association, an independent dance and puppetry theater in Phnom Penh, where she was given numerous opportunities to participate in contemporary dance workshops. Chantha is also an artist of the Department of Performing Arts in Phnom Penh.
Phon Sopheap studied Lakhaon Kaol (Cambodian male masked dance) and completed his training in 2000 and has since toured internationally as a classical dancer, With a strong interest in contemporary dance, Sopheap joined numerous regional dance workshops including the Young Choreographer's workshop in Surabaya in July 2006 as an Asian Cultura Council recipient where he created his first contemporary solo work entitled A Monkey's Mask. Since then, Sopheap has toured internationally in works by Emmanuèle Phuon, Peter Chin and Arco Renz and was recently a featured performer in a new work of dance theater at Theater Aachen entitled Tomorrow Maybe by German director Ludger Engels. Sopheap was a featured dancer in CRACK – a new work of Cambodian contemporary dance by German choreographer Arco Renz when it was awarded the 2012 ZKB Patronage Prize in Zurich Switzerland in September 2012 and in Mahabharata by Japanese director Hiroshi Koike. Sopheap is also a professional musician who has peiformed extensively and has been experimenting and composing contemporary music for dance.
ABOUT CONTEMPORARY DANCE PLATFORM
The Contemporary Dance Platform is a new phase for Amrita Performin Arts in nurturing and furthering Cambodian artist's choreographic development. Following on the momentum of years of artistic collaborations with international choreographers and directors, Cambodian choreographers are tapping into their new found skills as well as their classical training in the creation of new works, as they continue to develop their own Cambodian contemporary dance vocabulary.
The Contemporary Dance Platform was founded in November 2013, and this is the fourth platform. Within every platform, choreographers have 6 weeks in exploring, experimenting and creating new works-in-progress. During the creative process, they work collaboratively in making costumes, lighting, props, set and music as well as production support. This process yields in artistic and technical capacity building in the arts.
Also a vital part of the Contemporary Dance Platform are discourses among the artists, with the audience and with dance experts. In this platform, we organize weekly sharing sessions where artists can show and discuss their progress, feedback workshops with invited experts, and conversations with the public. These discourses enrich knowledge and experience of the artists and the audience.
The platform has been so productive with support from Amrita's artistic leadership team led by our artistic director, Chey Chankethya. Their active and nurturing engagements through questions, advice, and participatory investigation within the process elevate the richness of choreographic development.
Contemporary Dance Platform is the integral element of Amrita's Artist Development program.
A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Welcome to our Contemporary Dance Platform and Happy Khmer New Year!
To celebrate Khmer New Year and to share with our audiences, once again, Amrita Performing Arts proudly presents our Contemporary Dance Platform with 3 works-in-progress by our very own choreographers: Chumvan Sodhachivy (Belle), Khon Chan Sithyka (Mo), and Yon Davy. Tonight, Amrita presents to you their creative works in front of your very eyes.
Under the theme of Life our choreographers have worked in different approaches in interpreting it. Within this last 6 weeks, I have witnessed their selfless commitment and hard work in making their new pieces. I tremendously get inspired by their commitment, bravery and imagination. Different from the previous dance platforms, this time the 3 emerging choreographers have demonstrated their willingness to push their boundary to the next level of their creation. Video projection, props, and text have been experimented and used to juxtapose with movement.
As the Artistic Director, this is the second platform that I am able to work closely with our dancers. I have seen them grow incredibly fast. The are interested in seeking answer of originality and uniqueness in creating work. To me, they allow themselves to dream bigger, think wiser, and go crazier. I love and appreciate their adventurous spirit.
Once again, thanks for coming out to encourage our artists and to support the experimentation and creativity of our humankind.
Enjoy and thank you!
Chey Chankethya
Amrita Performing Arts is an International NGO based in Phnom Penh, with US non-profit status. Amrita is committed to the creation of Cambodian contemporary dance and theater, responding to the creative drive of a young generation of artists who have taken on the task of ushering Cambodra's ancient perorming arts heritage into the future. Our work is developed through workshops based on intensive exchange and dialogue with international collaborators. All of our efforts emphasize capacity building as we assist in nurturing a new eneration of Cambodian choreographers, directors and practitioners in all areas of a arts management.
THE AMRITA TEAM
Executive Director Kang Rithisal
Artistic Director Chey Chankethya
Associate Director Hannah Stevens
Senior Artists Phon Sopheap, Nam Narim
General Manager Rachel Sené
Project Manager In Rachny
Production Coordinator Hourt Bunny
Project Officer Ros Sothmmea, Lim Chanboramy
Finance/Admin Coordinator Mech Koem Eang
Technical Coordinator Chen Borey
Asst Stage Manager Mem Siphaneth
Lighting Technician Keo Thy
Dang Chariya
Sound Technician Chea Sophon
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank the following individual and group for their contribution to making this platform possible: Proeung Chhieng, John and Sophiline Cheam Shapiro (Khmer Arts), Anders Jiras, Touch Salyniroth, Rithy Lomorpich (Phlerng Kop) and Dana Langlois.
Special thanks to Khmer Arts (Sophiline Arts Ensemble) for their in-kind contribution of lighting and sound equipment for this groduction. Also special thanks to Java Cafe and Gallery for box office support and hosting of A Conversation with Artists of Amrita Performing Arts.