Review & Feedbacks of Tapang Tree 2019
Heart-wrenching tale from dance
Published on: Monday, July 15, 2019
By: Edwin Liew
https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/137826/heart-wrenching-tale-from-dance/
KOTA KINABALU: A group of professional local dancers recently performed a dance that told a heart-wrenching story of an 82-year-old Malaysian woman who had survived the ordeal of being locked up in a box for months during the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation in the 60s.
The survivor, Ong Mei Luan, had suppressed the nightmare she endured for more than 50 years until recently, when she broke her silence to a former University Malaysia Sabah lecturer Tang Sook Kuan, who was so touched by her story that she decided to choreograph the dance.She herself performed the character of Ong in the dance which in the process, has helped her to deal with some issues in her own life.
"By listening to her story, she gave me strength in experimenting and pursuing my career last year since I left Sabah in October 2016.
"After a heart-breaking event that happened in my life, I became lost and had no idea what to do with myself. Ong's story has taught me to be strong," shared Tang, who is from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
She met Ong in 2018 when the latter was under intensive care treatment in a hospital in Kuching, Sarawak. Thinking she was nearing her death, Ong decided to tell the story for the first time to her family.
"During the 100 days in ICU, Ong thought she was about to pass on. So, she revealed a past she had never been told her family members," she said.Ong's husband was a guerrilla commander by the name of Yong Zhu Zhong who fought against the Indonesians at the time of the three-year violent conflict that stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of Malaysia.
After Yong was killed, Ong was captured by Indonesian troops and was locked inside a box for six months."She suffered so much grief during the captivity, especially the loss of her husbands and people she knew," said Tang. Through the dance, Tang tried to send a message about the triumph of the human spirit in the midst of a violent conflict.
"We wanted to tell a story about kinship, friendship, love and mercy," said Tang, whose dance theatre was called "Tapang tree" to symbolise strength that Ong had to draw amid the trying times.
She said another message from the dance was about a motherly love.The dancers who performed at the theatre were Redzahuddin Duman, Alfon Ted, Izzah P. Jaidun, Toh Min Min, Susana Francis, Ratnaa Fazlina, Wester Maljos, Hannah Moujing and Devi Kusardy."The dancers are my good friends in Sabah when I was lecturing in UMS. Some were my students," she said, expressing gratitude for their commitment to making the dance project a success.
"One of the dancers, 46-year-old Devi, had knee a problem. I really appreciate her time and effort. And so to everyone in the dance team. Two dancers even came Kuching and Labuan," she added.
Another dancer, Hannah Moujing, 25, said she could not help but feel emotional when playing the character of Ong's friend, Chen Yee Sa, who had shared to her what she went through at the time, especially about one incident where she got shot."It is hard for me to not to cry when I was doing the solo part. When Chen showed me the bullet scar, I could almost feel her pain and that helped me to play her character. But it was emotional," she said.
Meanwhile, fellow dancer, Susana Francis, 32, said to make the dance come alive, she had to feel what Ong must have felt at the time of the confrontation.
Feedbacks
Jennifer Thompson
"…A moving, emotional dance theatre inspired by a true Malaysian story. Glad to have caught this heartfelt performance that really showcased the powerful expression of dance and pure honesty in delivery which really moved me."
Purmaculture (Daphene & Kenneth) "….whether one is aware of what the story was, the production was nothing short of powerful. The mainly Sabahan group of dancers of this production were led by principal dancer, Tang Sook Kuan, of Tang Dance Projects, who herself is a powerful storyteller through dance and acting. I guess I did come here thinking I'd be entertained at the most but I got more than that. My heart was moved, my emotions were evoked and I was educated about a small part of our country's history that is hardly/never talked about.
With little or no props throughout most of the 1.5 hour production, the dancers navigated our hearts through mother-daughter relationships, friendship, love and loss by stimulating treacherous jungle trekking, river crossing and dodging bullets. The choreography was raw, and you had nothing to distract you from the hardship of fighting for what you believe in and the realities of war.
My personal favorite part of the show, and perhaps the most confronting, was MissTang's solo when she portrayed Madam Ong's time in prison, dancing without props whatsoever except the black black wall of the theatre, showing us the strict horrible confinement Madam Ong was in, without using any physical prison bars as props. At the end of the choreography, Miss tang, had to take moment to come to terms with the brutality of the experience that the production's inspiration had lived through…"
Ryan Ong
" I've known Sook Kuan from a documentary project that I participated in. She was our subject as well as a partner at the same time. Hence I had the privilege to be in a front row seat to witness how this performance was created. Dedication and passion in purest form were all it takes. Countless weekends were sacrificed, the team came together from different places, some by ferry and some even by plane. Week by week, for more than half a year.
I'm not a dance person, not in a slightest bit. The performance still moved me nevertheless. Because it is almost impossible for one not to be moved by a sincere and honest performance. Tapang Tree is a piece of love made with love. Go watch it."
Nelsontsc
"Tapang Tree dance theatre has opened the audience's eye wide as well as their hearts, this dance theatre is certainly like no other, certainly not to be missed.Thank you everyone and I felt grateful to watching this. We all feel so privileged to have experience that. Such a beautiful, energetic performance and incredible production!
Congratulations to all the performers!!"
Bryan Tan
"謝謝你們把這麼完美的故事和感受帶給我們，向每一位舞者致敬！從頭感動到尾，眼淚一直撐著
Thank you all for bringing us such a perfect storytelling and feelings, great respect to every dancer! From the beginning to the end, the tears have been holding."
Kathlyn Yew
"。。。恭喜您們！您们做到了！演出非常成功！每一位表演者们都非常的到位！让我们都"品味"那"到位"的肢体语言。看到了您们的真诚和用心！从开始到结束都非常感动！因为活生生的非常真实！非常有影响力！您们所有的肢体动作内都隐藏着非常丰满的精神内涵！整个情绪都紧跟着舞剧起伏......没有一刻愿意松懈！
我认为今晚的舞剧可称为艺术佳作了，而且还是高水准的"有生命的艺术作品"，因为艺术有昂扬向上的生命力，如此才能承前启后、继往开来以源源不竭之动力。。。
Congratulations! You all did it! The show was very successful! Every performer is equally great! Bringing us to experience the powerful body language. Witnessed your sincerity and dedication! I was moved from the beginning until the end! The performance was real and authentic! Very captivating! The performing body and movements are contained and full of spiritual connotation. I was emotionally engaged through the ups and downs of the dance theatre… didn't want to miss out any moment!
I think this is a great art work, a high-quality "living art work", it was due to the high-spirited vitality of the art, hence the continuity of the flow and the exposition of the story was immensely powerful . . .
Looking forward to your next performance! congratulations! The show was a great success!"
Sanen Marshall
"The dance theatre performance itself was truly remarkable for its combination of superbly choreographed acting, dances, lighting, soundscape and in one memorable instance also involving the audience as impromptu supplementary actors!….The end effect was the drawing-in of the audience into the early independence struggles of the communist revolution in the fledgling, soon-to-be Malaysian state of Sarawak."