Achmed

In case you haven't yet seen this, you should!

I love the artistic direction in these music videos!

Switchfoot's "We are one tonight"

All American Rejects' "Move Along"

Or maybe you'll remember this classic one!

Whirling Dervishes by Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble

The World of the Whirling Dervishes

What a total waste of time.

Telophaza: By Batsheva Dance Company

"Joy, beauty, passion, unity, humour, tenderness, agony and
forgiveness...Telophaza celebrates these and more in an exhilirating,
multidimensional outburst of colour, music and movement, at once vibrantly
spectacular, yet surprisingly intimate." - Batsheva Dance Company.

Telophaza first premiered in the US in 2005, and has come a long way into Esplanade's Da:ns Festival after a stop at the Sydney Festival this same year. Although it ran for only 70 minutes, the piece was packed with movement and high energy, thus making it seem much longer. The large number of uniformly strong, athletic dancers onstage almost all the time coupled with the state-of-the-art video technology placed this piece in the realm of the spectacular.

In the opening set, the full cast executed one repetitive movement en masse, such as a bent-over shaking motif, while in the later set, a pendulating knee series allowed the dancers sitting on the floor to methodically inch their way downstage, all of which served to demonstrate sections done in unison separated by overlapping episodic sequences. Yet, the audience is given the freedom to choose between variety and uniformity amidst a wider girth. The continuous swift pacing and the propulsion of energy of dancers making their way on, off, and across the stage to the brief, but pulsating contemporary musical selections, all reintroduced a sense of spectacular closure.

Four video screens with live feed, set up at the back, introduce us to company members' close-up faces; they're scrutinizing the scene. As, one by one, they leave the camera stations and feed into an ongoing dance that director Ohad Naharin has begun, others enter via openings at the rear and replace them. This sequence was patterned and methodical as dancer by dancer stopped to look into the camera, and then moved on. We became aware of the underlying sequence well before this section ended. But these magnified faces were not there to reveal themselves in any intimate way. Their effect was more like photographic hyper-reality portraiture than the fleeting vulnerability nascent only in live performance. Whether we were looking at 20 dancers moving in unison, or a single face in a highly magnified close-up, the effect was the same: the persistent attention to surfaces that was distancing.

This sense of distance and control was accentuated in different terms by the amplified voice of “Rachel” the same voice that had asked the audience to turn off their cell phones before the show started. “Rachel” returned as a disembodied protagonist, or perhaps an audible master of ceremonies. She asked the audience to do simple tasks and they complied. They were taught to exult in the simple rotation of the wrist, punctuated by the forming of a fist. Apart from those shy ones, most of the house was engaged with "Rachel" and the pseudo-hypnosis.

Toward the end of the piece, the 20 company members sit facing us on chairs, and, again guided by one dancer (accompanied by "Rachel's" voice still in the background), we're invited to touch parts of our bodies while pondering certain questions, like "Touch your chin and think that you're enjoying yourself." Her final command, “Let’s dance,” appeared to give the audience full license to become dancers, though they had nowhere to move. When she gets us on our feet to dance, the 20 performers rise and walk away while the audience—although studded with the shy and the squeamish—cuts loose.

The dancers are remarkable, whether they're marching shoulder to shoulder, gesturing in unison, or exploding into a pointillist sea of squiggles (which was my favourite piece since the dancers were all smiley and demonstrated how a simple, repetitive motion executed in sync is beautiful all the same). Their steps dig into the ground, and expand over space. They can shoot into the air, fall, and rise without apparent effort. Their legs twist and fling so freely that their hip joints look oiled. In one interlude, we get to see just how individually marvelous they can be. The cameras are set in a circle framed by a pool of light. While performers walk the perimeter, various ones spell each other in the center. Taking turns for the spotlight, literally and figuratively speaking, the dancers and their exuberance was no less enthralling.

With Telophaza gone, I look forward to Batsheva's next show, and hopefully it won't take long.

"Batsheva's artistic integrity and innovation have earned the
company its reputation as one of the most inspirational and sought-after
companies - a true champion on the global map of performing arts, known for
artistic innovation, intense energy and cultural diversity. With 40 dancers and
250 annual performances in Israel and around the world, they are considered
Israel's leading cultural ambassador."

Whatever!

You gotta admit this "cute" works only if you're an adorable baby. Look at her eyes!!!

It's either Singapore's small, or my network's big.

From having no Friday plans/dates to a last minute arrangment, I think I probably met the most number of friends by chance tonight. Getting off at City Hall, I first met SueA at the platform where she spared a minute to explain why she had to rush off to church on a work-less Friday. In Citilink Mall, I met Beat (and Na) to present a belated birthday gift to her, and on our way back towards Raffles City, bumped into Ah Kiat (and Sheena). Inside Raffles City, I bumped into the tennis Vivian, whom I last saw in JC, and exchanged a few words before she had to leave.

When my friday date finally arrived, I left Beat and Na (who were engrossed in shopping for cosmetics) and headed to Timbre, hoping to catch Timmy as usual. Instead, it was only after opening a bottle of red (complete with a complimentary thin crust pizza) and stuffing ourselves silly with Timbre wings and Louisana Fries that we saw a different band take centre stage.

*Insert surprise and disappointment at the same time*

Before the 1st set began, I was on my way to the toilet when I saw a familiar face queueing painfully outside - Ah Bing, who lacked the patience to wait a few hours before they could get a seat, and thus left after 30mins of waiting in vain. When I returned to our table and sat down, some guy came in front of me to request if he could borrow our available chairs. We both gave a surprised look to each other immediately when I realised it was Ah Lim, and shouted across the table in respect of the loud music playing beside us! Since he and CJ couldn't comfortably join his friends at their table, we shared ours with them.

I shared with him how often I visited Timbre, expecting to hear Timmy again, but was rather sorely disappointed seeing a different band tonight. So I asked if he knew who the band was, who, to my surprise/embarrasment, was actually Reverie (the KR band, and whom Ah Lim is one of the 2 drummers). I apologized for my infamiliarity with Reverie, but was quickly consoled by CJ who assured me they got that all the time. Ah Lim was only going to play at the 3rd set when his fellow bassist arrived, though I wasn't going to stay that long.

Halfway through the first set, I got a call from David the S1, who said he saw me sitting near the stage. As I turned around to scout for him, Jinshun appeared, along with David and Benny the GPO who walked up to suan me as usual. As if seeing Ah Kiat and Ah Bing wasn't enough, here came another 3 friends that made today seem like a 20SA reunion. Before leaving Timbre I also bumped into Joe from Eusoff/ME. Was Timbre getting overcrowded? Most certainly.

Then on the bus ride home, I received a surprised call from Tan Wee and Clifton, congratulating me on my new job. Along with Clif's girlfriend Hui Hui and his friends, Tan Wee shared with me the reason they were out celebrating at Dempsey, for our dear council president just earned his new Captain rank! We should expect our treat sometime next week right? Let's hope they don't forget.