Kuik Swee Boon

Reconsidering the inter-discipline subject of performance

By Kuik Swee Boon (Singapore)

Theatre performances that involve inter-discipline elements have become very common in today’s performing arts with numerous performing arts groups specialising in creating inter-disciplinary works.

In the two years of setting up T.H.E Dance Company, the company has had three opportunities to do inter-discipline works. This came in the form of incorporating multimedia using video art and film projection together with live dance. Guest choreographer Zhang Xiao-Xiong’s (Taiwan) choreographed a dance titled Where The Wind Blows for the company in February 2009, Indonesia choreographer also used video art and film in his work Void in October 2009. More recently, I re-staged O Sounds, T.H.E Dance Company’s first work in Jakarta at the Salihara theatre and also at the Singapore Arts Festival in May 2010. I shall now use O Sounds as an example to elaborate on my experience with working with video art and film.

I was a dancer for about 20 years before I set up T.H.E Dance Company. As a dancer, most of the works I performed were dance in the conventional sense, where physical skill, precision and expression through movement were the emphases. When I  established T.H.E Dance Company in September 2008, I wanted to explore how I could also include other elements in a dance work to broaden the artistic experience of my works. I therefore decided to choreograph the first version of O Sounds in 2008, incorporating video art and film as a major part of the work. By doing so, I wanted to find the different ways and possibilities of combining dance and multimedia art. Upon completing and premiering the first version of O Sounds in September 2008, the results were mixed. In some instances, it was successful while in others it was not.

Through working with video art and film, I realised that I had to also manage the unique complexities presented by these art forms. At times, the difference between them and dance was very different and because of these differences, some parts of O Sounds did not come across well. The times when it succeeded was when the video art and film supported the dance. By doing so, it enhanced the dance, highlighting the movement concepts clearer. The times when it failed was when the video art, film and dance seemed to compete and overwhelm one another; when there was too much happening on stage. In such instances, I realised that the audience was usually confused and did not know what to pay attention to due to the lack of focus on stage.

The result of the first version was exactly why I had to re-stage O Sounds a second time this year. I realised that there were too many elements in the first version. O Sounds had to be simplified. I knew that for the second version, I wanted to make stronger the emphasis on dance. Therefore I refined the choreography by adding new sections. I also took away some parts of the video art and film that I felt took too much attention away from the dance. By doing so, I hope audiences could now focus on the most important aspects and that is the movement and what they had to say. The result was a second version that was simpler and more to the point. I am happy to say that even though this second version is still not perfect, the partnership between video art, film and dance is more harmonious and complementary.

Inter-discipline performances are great because they create more dimensions and layers in a performance. They also reflect current artistic and social trends that promote cross learning and partnership. However, the concepts of inter-discipline performance should not be abused. One should only use it when the artist feels strongly that a work will be incomplete without the use of other art disciplines. One should also realise that when introducing another art form, he or she has to understand that this other art form being introduced has its own dynamics, methods and rules. One must pay attention to incorporating these with those of the existing art form. A good example would be the first version of O Sounds. I did not manage the partnership of video art, film and dance properly. This resulted in a lack of focus in the dance.

Ultimately, as a dancer and choreographer, I am interested in the body and its potential to express through movement; the relationship between the spirit, emotion and the body. Using any inter-discipline elements should serve to enhance or highlight this interest of mine and not take away from it. Dance, in the end, has to utilize the body to express above all else.