The saintly demeanour, silent support, unwavering loyalty, implicit acceptance and quiet intellect of a woman have often been misconstrued as signs of weakness.
Joan of Arc, the revered French saint and Sita, a respected symbol of purity in Southeast Asian cultures; are two women who ironically faced betrayal by men in power despite proving their allegiance.
The production 'When the flames blaze the caged body, I surrender my soul, I Am ...' delves in to the emotions and pain that these two women experience from this unexpected test of fire.
Has the fire truly ceased? Are they trapped in the flames? Can it destroy their spirits or has it just ignited their souls?
Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans," was born in 1412 in Domrémy, Bar, France. A national heroine of France, at age 18 she led the French army to victory over the British at Orléans. Captured a year later, Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic by the English and their French collaborators.
Sita is described as the daughter of the earth goddess Bhūmi and the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and Queen Sunaina. In her youth, she marries Rama, the prince of Ayodhya. After marriage, she goes to exile with her husband and brother-in-law Lakshmana. While in exile, the trio settle in the Dandaka forest, from where she is abducted by Ravana, Rakshasa King of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the Ashoka Vatika of Lanka by Ravana. Sita is finally rescued by Rama in the climatic war where Rama slays Ravana. Sita goes into fire for her human body to come out of fire-god's protection and her imitation, abducted by Ravana, gets back in the fire. Thereafter, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, where they are crowned as king and queen. After her sons grow up and unite with their father, Sita returns to her mother, the Earth's womb, for release from a cruel world as a testimony of her purity.
Fire in its feminine form takes these two women into her warm embrace.
Fire in its feminine form takes these two ‘silent warriors’ into her warm embrace and transforms them into phoenixes.
PANCHA-When the flames blazes the caged body, I surrender my soul, I Am …is the second part of Maya Dance Theatre’s PANCHA series.
Created and conceptualized in 2016, PANCHA (Five) is a dance series drawing inspiration from female archetypes in relation to nature’s five elements - wind, fire, earth, water and aether. Each work is centred on one element, and each element sets the stage for the female archetype who is trapped within social and relational frameworks.
The work tell their story; of their trials and tribulations faced!
When the flames blazes the caged body, I surrender my soul, I Am … present a juxtaposition of Joan of Arc and Sita (Ramayana), two women who were revered for their qualities but then betrayed by the very people they trusted (!) and made to perish in fire!
Created and conceptualized in 2016, PANCHA is a dance series drawing inspiration from expounding female archetypes in relation to the five elements based on Hindu philosophy - wind, fire, earth, water and aether. Each work in the series is centred on one element, and each element sets the stage for the female archetype who is trapped within social and relational frameworks. Women are typically seen as elemental and emotional, rather than rational and logical. PANCHA uses the logic of emotion, the consequences of history and cultural environment through storytelling and metaphor to relate to these 5 different female archetypes, often blurring the lines between myth and reality!
The artistic direction and concept choreography of this production is helmed by Kavitha.
Kavitha is a dance artist and choreographer trained in Bharathanatyam. She also has immense experience in Asian contemporary dance. Her professional qualification in Occupational Therapy helps her perceive human interactions, emotions and behavior in her environment that often brings realism and empathy to her work.
Kavitha is the co-founder and artistic director of Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) and the creative director of Apsara Asia Pte Ltd, an arts management and performance company. She has performed extensively at dance festivals and in overseas productions featured in Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, India and Indonesia. She continues to present works locally and internationally through MDT. She has been instrumental in MDT working with several renonwned and emerging collaborators from Asia, Europe and USA: Dance artists worldwide have all collaborated successfully with her.
Kavitha enjoys working with a diverse group of people and is keen to develop and share her passion, She teaches dance in schools and institutions and is often invited to work on community initiatives.
Esmé Boyce is a choreographer, director, and dancer based in Brooklyn, NY. She received a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. She focuses primarily on creating inter-disciplinary pieces with a core team of artists.
Esmé has presented work at 92nd Street Y, Fridays at Noon Series, Dixon Place, Lincoln Center, The Dogwood Performing Arts Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Fishman Space, Judson Church, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Howard Gilman Performance Space, and Center for Performance Research. As a dancer, Esmé has had the pleasure of working with renowned artists such as Janis Brenner, Catherine Tharin Dance, Yara Travieso, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Douglas Dunn, and Marta Renzi.
In her collaborative work dance, music, sculptural form and image are developed in tandem. While movement is typically the point of origin for a new piece, musical concepts feed back into choreographic decisions, which in turn inform imagery and tone. Almost always interdisciplinary, the group's performances have paired a classical emphasis on rigor and technical accomplishment with a rejection of a purist approach to genre and methodology.
My last evening-length work, titled "Dark and Pretty Flat" grew out of a text message from my mother when my parents were driving from Los Angeles to New York, in a cross-country move that would re-unite our family. They were in Oklahoma when I texted her, “What’s it like there?” Her reply was, “dark and pretty flat.” This piece is about an American attachment to vast lands, great horizontal journeys and how one can feel like a foreigner in one’s own homeland. The work is a western that wanders in the space between concrete ideas. My brother, Cody Boyce, is my composer, musician, video artist and main collaborator and together we were processing memory and emotions involved with the second large relocation of our family. As children, we moved from Chicago to LA which was a huge, life-altering jolt. Somehow moving away was quieter as both of us were adults living in New York when it happened but it was equally strange. This piece in many ways is our way of acknowledging our formative years spent in the American west.
I am currently in the creation process of a work that originated with an interest in the Dada art movement of the 1920s. The piece is titled "Interrobang," which is a nonstandard punctuation mark which combines the functions of a question mark and an exclamation point (?!), to capture the shock and absurdism inherent in Dada, as well as give a nod to the movement's generous use of typography and punctuation in nontraditional ways. "Interrobang" is a work that allows space for surprise, honesty and subtle comedy. This work dives into a space of evolution, rigor, power and sincerity. It is constantly morphing from one state or character to another. My hope for this piece is that it allows the brain to giggle, to do work, to be uncomfortable, to be pleasantly unsure of what comes next and to have moments that emerge with surprising beauty.
Nirmala Seshadri is a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, movement educator, researcher and writer.
She is the recipient of various awards including the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award (Singapore), Singar Mani (Mumbai) and Balasaraswati Endowment Award (Chennai). Nirmala has also served on the Board of the National Arts Council, Arts Resource Panel, and Arts and Culture Strategic Review Committee in Singapore.
She is the recipient of various awards including the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award (Singapore), Singar Mani (Mumbai) and Balasaraswati Endowment Award (Chennai). Nirmala has also served on the Board of the National Arts Council, Arts Resource Panel, and Arts and Culture Strategic Review Committee in Singapore. She has also been the Chairperson for Singapore Dance Week 2010 & 2011 organized by the World Dance Alliance Singapore. In 2014, Nirmala conceived and curated the International Conference on Bharatanatyam in Singapore. She is the founder & artistic director of N Dance & Yoga.
Nirmala graduated with a Masters degree in Dance Anthropology (with distinction) from the University of Roehampton, London.
After 20 years of training and practice in Yoga, she devised a wellness and creativity-focused mind-body technique - ANTARIKA which she now imparts in the sphere of education. She presents workshops regularly at schools in Singapore and at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, where she conducts a range of modules on Bharatanatyam, Contemporary Asian choreography and Asian Mind-Body Practice.
PENI CANDRA RINI is an Indonesian composer, song writer and singer (traditional & contemporary). She is also a lecturer in the department of Karawitan at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia – ISI ) in Surakarta, Central Java. This young singer has rare talent as a “sindhen” (a female solo singer who sings with a Gamelan). She received the best young sindhen in Surakarta at the event “Seleksi Pesindhen Remaja Se Karisidenan Surakarta” in March 2005 in Pendapi gedhe Balaikota Surakarta, she received the silver medal for the best vocal performance at the Spring Friendship Art Festival in Pyong Yang North Korea.
Peni leads by example and inspires the youth to keep their rich heritage alive by showcasing it at various festivals. She has participated in many festivals and collaborated with different artists from all over the world.
PENI CANDRA RINI is an Indonesian composer, song writer and singer (traditional & contemporary). She is also a lecturer in the department of Karawitan at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia – ISI ) in Surakarta, Central Java. This talented young singer has very rare talent as a “sindhen” (a female solo singer who sing with a Gamelan). Peni keeps showings, especially to the youth that it’s very important to keep the inheritance of our nation by performing from one festival to another festival. Peni received the best young sindhen in Surakarta in the event “Seleksi Pesindhen Remaja Se Karisidenan Surakarta” 19-20 March 2005 in Pendapi gedhe Balaikota Surakarta, She received the silver medal for the best vocal performance at the Spring Friendship Art Festival in Pyong Yang North Korea. Peni has participated in many festivals and collaborated with different artists from all over the world.
She has recorded four albums: Bramara (2010), Sekar (2012), Bhumi (2015) and Daughter of the Ocean (2016), As a vocalist on the album "Anane Ono" and "Opera Jawa" by Rahayu Supanggah. She is currently involved in the silent film with gamelan, Setan Jawa.
Her compositions has been performed at the World Gamelan Festival Terengganu 2010, HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) Africa 2011 and 2012, Collaboration with Los Angeles Electric 8 for the World Festival of Sacred Music Los Angeles 2011, Lincoln Center White Light Festival 2011, Cornish music Series 2011, Jeonju International Sori Festival 2012 Korea. ASEAN Enchanting Puppets Festival 2013 Chiangmai Thailand. Music Director, "Ontosoroh" collaborate with Ade Suharto (Australian choreographer) at the OzAsia Festival 2013 in Adelaide, the Australian Performing Arts Market 2014 in Brisbane, WOMADelaide festival 2014 in Adelaide. Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (2014), Cinnars Biennale (2014) Montreal Canada, Makassar International Writers Festival (2016). Pekan Komponis Indonesia 2013, Among Rasa Music Concert Bentara Budaya Jakarta 2014, the 50th Asian Cultural Council Anniversary in New York City 2014, Bhumi Giri Bahari 2015 in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, “Sing With Your Body and Dance With Your Voice” at the Ringling International Arts Festival in Florida USA 2015, Jazz Gunung 2016, SIPA Solo International Performing Arts 2016, “Sesaji Segoro” - Daughter of the Ocean in Setouchi Triennial Japan in 2016. Europalia 2017.
She has worked with: Rahayu Supanggah & Iain Grandage (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) for Setan Jawa Movie director by Garin Nugroho (Asia Topa 2017, ArtJog 2017, Holland Festival 2017, Esplanade July 2017), I Lagaligo - Robert Wilson, Opera Jawa - Garin Nugroho, Megalithic Quantum, Spoleto Festival Dei Duo Mondi, World Gamelan Festival Terengganu. Collaboration with Idud Sentana Art, Meredith Monk, Suzanne Teng, Roman Stolyar, Kit Young, Albert Zimedza, Dwiki Dharmawan, I Wayan Sadra, AL Suwardi, Jarad Powel, Jessika Kenney, Flower Cotton - Ronnarong Khampha, Ontosoroh - Ade Suharto, Eko Supriyanto , Miroto, Gondrong Gunarto, Bee - Boby Budi Santosa, Dedek Wahyudi, Mugiono Kasido, Midiyanto, I.M Harjito, Barry Drummond, Pandji Vasco Da Gama, Leslie K Gray, Mindy Johnson, Chris Miller, Philip Grauthy Los Angeles Electric 8, “Ratu Kalinyamat, Ziarah Bulan Purnama” - Sardono W.Kusuma 2013, “After Dream” - Jen Shyu, OneBeat Fellows 2014, Elena Moon Park, Found Sound Nation New York, “Persahabatan Project” - Gilles Saisi, Making music movie "Lingkaran Kekerasan - Circle of violence" director Nur Hidayat. Jingle Immigration Pemalang, Cirebon, Jakarta Timur, and Jingle SIPA (Solo International Performing Arts) in 2016. Shadow Ballads Project 2016 - Andy McGraw, Anna Robert G & Elizabeth Prielle, Kroncong Rumput Virginia, Danis Sugianto, Gusti Sudharta, Lion and the Moon Lady 2016 - Neil Chua, Mahabharata III 2016 - Hiroshi Koike.
Known to many as the Fiddler for Peace, Kailin believes firmly in the power of music and love to affect profound and positive changes in the world. He was trained in Austria at the Musikhochschule Wien and was the recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin in 2004 for his efforts in building cultural bridges through music.
In 2013, Kailin returned to Singapore after spending twenty years living, traveling and playing in Europe and America. Since then, he has been actively sharing his gift as a music director and composer with theatre and dance groups like Checkpoint Theatre, Flamenco Sin Fronteras, Maya Dance Theatre and In Source Theatre, just to name a few. He is also the founding member of several pan-cultural musical groups including the Kailin Yong Peace Project, NuMundo, Y Quartet, the Lost Tribe of Pulau Gypsy, the Qilin Group and the PLUS Trio.
Kailin Yong is a musician/teacher/actor and most of all, a global citizen and a tireless advocate for using the arts to promote peace. He co-founded AR4CO (Arts Reaching Four Corners) with Noella Yan, his duo partner of Ella & Kai to provide disadvantaged children around the world with free art and music education.
Known to many as the “fiddler for peace”, he was the recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin in 2004 for his efforts in building cultural bridges through music. Kailin trained at the Vienna Academy Of Music and spent 20 years “living, growing and traveling” in the US and Europe.
In 2013, Kailin returned to Singapore after spending twenty years living, traveling and playing in Europe and America. Since then, he has been actively sharing his gift as a music director and composer with theatre and dance groups like Checkpoint Theatre, Flamenco Sin Fronteras, Maya Dance Theatre and In Source Theatre, just to name a few. He is also the founding member of several pan-cultural musical groups including the Kailin Yong Peace Project, NuMundo, Y Quartet, the Lost Tribe of Pulau Gypsy, the Qilin Group and the PLUS Trio.
Kailin currently teaches at Lasalle College Of The Arts, School Of The Arts (SOTA) and Dulwich College.
Muhammad Izdi (b.1986) is a visual artist with an ever-evolving practice. A graphic designer by training, he graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in 2007, and cut his teeth as the lead designer for contemporary art institution, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). From 2010 to 2013, as SAM’s Senior Designer, he conceptualized and executed its visual communications across the gamut of branding, marketing and advertising. He oversaw the design of exhibition brochures, catalogues and advertisements, amongst other collaterals, as well as larger- scale onsite exhibition graphics for the Museum’s galleries and external venues.
Together with two other independent artists, Izdi founded Knuckles & Notch, a Risograph press in Singapore. In his capacity as the company’s business director, he pushes for the exploration and development of Risograph practice, intending to revive it from an outmoded form of printing into a new, exciting visual language for creatives. Knuckles & Notch has worked with both local and international artists such as Kristal Melson (Singapore), Tell Your Children (Singapore), GIFriends (New York) and Jane Stephanny (New York/Malaysia) and institutions such as SP Design School, Singapore Polytechnic and LASALLE College of the Arts. Knuckles & Notch also participated in various art book fairs such as Singapore Art Book Fair, Basel Art Book Fair, New York Art Book and Tokyo Art Book Fair.
2014 marked an important period for Izdi as he decided to pursue his interest in art. In his efforts to evolve from a designer to an artist, Izdi has taken part in two international exhibitions as part of the Singapour en France - le Festival; Art Garden (2015) at Gare Saint Sauveur, Lille and Open Sea (2015) at Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon. Izdi has also participated in the Dena Foundation Artist Residency Program in Paris where he stayed for three months.
The Brown Dabble is Izdi’s first solo exhibition and features artworks ranging from animation, sculpture and prints. Referencing traditional legends placed in context of current capitalist tendencies, Izdi composed tableaus centered on the exploits of a dominant bogeyman figure. Far from being fabled ghosts of urban legends, this central figure epitomizes the ‘hidden hand’ that maneuvers in blind-side, using sophisticated tools to misdirect and profit from the insatiable greed of mankind. As the title alludes, The Brown Dabble is the murkiness we are engulfed in as a result of human interferences to natural order. We are surrounded by ‘ghosts’ dabbling with untruths, trampling the fate of generations of humankind solely for the benefit of their own cliques.
The Brown Dabble Selected Artwork Images
Bernice is a key creative member at Maya Dance Theatre. She has been deeply involved in developing distinctive Asian contemporary dance, touring and performing internationally.Previously Bernice was a company artist at Frontier Danceland (2012-2014). Between 2014 and 2016, she created a series of works titled ‘Considering selfhood’. Supported by National Arts Council, Bernice graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance from The Ohio State University (2010).
Shahrin is a founding member, assistant choreographer and principal dancer at Maya Dance Theatre (MDT). He graduated with BA (Hons) in dance from LA SALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, in 2012. In 2015, he was crowned Singapore's Dancing Star on Zee TV's Dance Singapore Dance and he went on to produce his full-length work "KA" in collaboration with Maya Dance Theatre and National Arts Council using his prize money.
Eva, originally from Malaysia, graduated with a First-Class Honors (BA) Degree in dance from LA SALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, in 2014. She became a part of Maya Dance Theatre in January 2015 and has featured prominently in the company productions besides performing extensively at international festivals.
Peni is one of the main composers and musicians of this production. She embodies the character of Fire in this production. As sought after musician, she has performed as part of the musical ensemble for Opera Jawa and Setan Jawa.
| Ticket Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Early Bird Discount | $ 27.20 |
| Standard | $ 32.00 |
| NSF | $ 25.00 |
| Students | $ 25.00 |
| Senior Citizens | $ 25.00 |
| Group of 5 or more | $ 25.00 |
Tickets and other discounts available from pancha2017.peatix.com
Buy TicketsDate: 1-2 June 2017
Time: 7:30pm and 9:15pm (2 shows per day)
Venue: Emily Hill, 11 Upper Wilkie Road, Singapore 228120
Venue Website: http://emilyhill.org