KL Dance Watch

“I don’t understand it.”

This is the most common reaction to dance, especially contemporary dance. Dance is a nonverbal form of expression, but people feel the need to ascribe verbal explanations to it, and often find that they lack the skill to do so.

I often ‘don’t understand’ dance, in the sense that I can’t explain why a choreographer or director chooses certain elements over others. But I have spent years watching and enjoying many different types of dance, and I can describe what I like and why. For me, dance demands appreciation, more than understanding. This blog is an attempt to describe my experiences of being an audience member, which other audience members may find useful to help them focus their own thoughts and interpretations.

I am a fan, not an expert. These reviews are not meant to be comprehensive — there are many good dance events in KL which I do not attend, and there are many aspects of particular performances which I do not mention, though they are worthy of discussion. Dance practitioners in Malaysia are doing a fine job in an often difficult environment, and I do not intend my comments to be taken as criticism. I hope that dance practitioners will be heartened by the fact that someone is thinking and writing about their work — I look forward to hearing their, and your, responses.