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ia why momentous well for one thing it was to showcase the results of a whole year of sweat and tears perhaps even a few drops of blood endured by nell ng s guinea pig class of adult ballet students which began with an enrolment of 20 and ended up with only 11 who managed to stay the grueling course among them were some of the most scintillating divas and goddesses in local showbiz like carmen soo nikki palikat ida mariana janet lee elvira raul bihzhu and here i ll include alia kearney because she s getting there in quite a hurry a few of them probably attended ballet classes as youngsters but they had all gone on to become actresses models singers mothers entrepreneurs accountants lawyers housewives as principal of the royal durian academy nell ng was formally trained in classical ballet early in her life but has since carved a prominent niche for herself as actress director choreographer scriptwriter radio host emcee producer and co founder and artistic director of pan productions why royal durian well nell is passionate about this thorny pungent king of fruits and i suppose the durian aptly symbolizes what this project is about the outer skin is tough and prickly like beginner s ballet classes but once the breakthrough is achieved the rewards are orgasmically sweet in between performance pieces each dancer was given the stage to share a bit of personal experience and everyone testified that surviving a whole year of beginner s ballet under nell ng in dominatrix mode had totally changed their lives for the better for a start getting to monday morning classes on time week after week had made them all far more disciplined nell ng reportedly has an extremely low tolerance for any student who says sorry i m late this inspired a frenetic and fast moving number titled i m late set to a staccato con prestissimo jazz piano piece by eliane elias which yielded some extremely funny moments as to be expected there was a generous dose of kinetic humor added to the choreography nell ng has the uncanny knack of infusing even the most serious moments with inspired wit and this quality was most evident in aaron teoh s engaging performance wherein he utilized his diminutive form to hilarious comedic effect aaron brought the house down with his description of some of nell s extreme training methods the students would be made to lie flat on their backs with their legs raised perpendicular to their torsos while nell would go around leaning hard against their feet reminding everyone to point their toes point point point she would yell till you can feel my tits that marked the moment aaron teoh understood the real meaning of adult ballet interior designer and budding actor adrien ritzal joined the royal durian academy only a few months ago as a junior member his natural charm and aptitude for dance swiftly won the crowd over as he confessed to a growing fondness for prancing around in sexy tights cassie frankenstein wong that s her facebook name quit the corporate matrix to pursue her passions and has blossomed into a superb artist experimenting with painting and pottery photography and now ballet she helped with costume design on this production and also managed to sell 10 miniature watercolors of ballerinas to members of the audience supportive of her bold leap into authentic creativity and resourcefulness her poise as a dancer was clear evidence that the spirit once freed of drudgery and mechanical routine is capable of achieving just about anything the hall lights came on as ushers dressed as durians on legs assisted by members of the troupe went up and down the aisles collecting cash donations to help bella rahim continue her performing arts studies in france her colleagues in theater are determined to fill the enormous vacuum in funding for deserving artists painfully evident in corruption rife and politically retarded malaysia bella rahim and seasoned torch singer elvira arul also known as elfie raul offered poignant testimony of their personal struggles with body image and self esteem growing up xl in a culture that idealizes sizes s and m joining the royal durian academy of ballet was an act of courage and defiance that helped them reclaim their pride in being themselves fashion magazine norms be damned glad to say both performed every bit as beautifully and gracefully as the rest ida mariana reclaiming self confidence self esteem and realizing the body beautiful are integral to nell s adult ballet curriculum actress and singer ida mariana confessed that despite her powerful passion for dance she opted to concentrate on singing instead because she believed for most of her life that she didn t have the perfect dancer s body attending the royal durian academy had effectively dispelled her anxieties allowing her to wholeheartedly embrace the beauty and truth of her cosmic dancer soul towards the end of the show certificates were presented to each dancer including the results of a mock exam they had taken days earlier ida mariana was one of two who earned full marks the other being cassie wong another inspiring case study in fearlessly pursuing one s passion was janet lee fast becoming a well known diva in town and now working on her second album of jazz flavored songs when i first met janet many years ago she was working in computer sales i recall that every time i rode in her car she would put on an opera cassette and uninhibitedly burst into song i told her she had it in her to go pro and true enough she actually did after many years of dedicated effort and perseverance it was uplifting to see janet apply the same determination and focus to her desire to conquer the domain of dance her energy and vivacity are indeed infectious perhaps a positive spin off of having worked and played for years alongside a natural born goddess trainer like nell ng indeed there was no member of the royal durian academy troupe who wasn t radiant with confidence exuberance joy and laughter nell s ability to instill discipline and bring out the best in her performers echoes the work of classical indian dance master ramli ibrahim who has nurtured several generations of outstanding dancers as a consummate director with an eye for detail and a nose for perfection nell ng strikes me as malaysia s answer to mad genius tim burton in her penchant for creative quirkiness and a preference for working with a trusted and reliable ensemble of performers nikki palikat the celestially talented nikki palikat and ida mariana along with peter ong and alizakri alias nell s partners in pan productions are among her regular stars whenever she stages one of her typically ambitious but always artistically and commercially successful musicals i have witnessed over the years how everyone in goddess nell s orbit seems to shine brighter and more joyfully as they claim their place in the firmament of showbiz luminaries i suspect nell ng is really an alchemist who has mastered the art of transmuting lead to gold lumps of charcoal into sparkling diamonds at the maiden performance of the royal durian academy of ballet the entire theater seemed aglitter with stars on stage as well as in the audience even the durian impersonating ushers and a handsome half naked young hunk who came on stage to help with the lucky draws looked like celebrities and as it turned out the handsome lad was none other than joseph lee actor model martial artist athlete and 21st century version of the legendary bruce i don t listen to radio or watch tv so i didn t recognize the dazzlingly elegant emcee who turned out to be ashley chan a popular young personality on the airwaves whose career as a dancer was cut short by a meniscus injury sustained during intense rehearsals she was totally impressive stunning in fact just like the rest of the show which is why i unhesitatingly rose to my feet and applauded as the performers took a bow and i was elated to see the full house follow suit 7 october 2016 first published in eksentrika 7 october 2016 share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading leave a comment posted in dance malaysian arts culture malaysian theatre and tagged alia kearney ashley chan bella rahim carmen soo cassie wong elvira arul ida mariana janet lee nell ng nikki palikat royal durian academy of ballet bookmark the permalink tribal totems taboos and how to break free of them posted on november 8 2017 by antares maitreya antares catches kee thuan chye s epic swordfish concubine writer producer director kee thuan chye as long as i ve known journalist turned actor playwright author director kee thuan chye and our friendship dates back more than three decades including almost a decade when he unfriended me for bashing his 1992 staging of that infamous scottish play he has struck me as a clear headed straight talking sharpshooter who enjoys taking aim at all that s mediocre unjust and tyrannical whether through the written spoken or dramatized word kee rarely beats about the bush this makes his voice as a public intellectual good medicine for the national soul even if subtlety is often sacrificed for accessibility this was once again evident in his latest theatrical production swordfish concubine which marks kee s dramatic comeback after a long hiatus swordfish is an energetic eclectic and electric take on an instructive tale recorded in sejarah melayu the malay annals wherein a precocious and perspicacious lad is deemed a potential threat to the mediocre powers that be and summarily executed when i first came upon this fascinating folktale a long time ago i saw it as a perfect metaphor for the intellectual and moral stagnation characteristic of feudal despotisms wherein tribal totems and taboos conveniently serve to dumb down the populace and keep them docile servile and blindly loyal to debauched and decadent overlords kee in his producer s notes states that he has been shaping and reshaping this punchy parable for a good twenty years its first theatrical expression was in 2008 when ivan heng of wild rice staged it at the ocbc singapore theater festival three years later a revised version directed by jonathan lim was staged at singapore s drama center black box and less than a year ago swordfish was staged in mandarin by loh kok man at pentas 2 klpac so much effort has been channeled into molding this work because it s a play that lends itself lego like to a variety of dramaturgic interpretations a bit of brecht a dash of shakespeare a whiff of ionesco throw in some bangsawan and wayang kulit elements insert some hip hop and the result is an engaging mix of pungent satire socio political commentary polemical theater and tragicomedy with a distinctly malaysian flavor even if the setting happens to be singapura an island off the malayan peninsula once known as temasek with a dynamic cohesive ensemble cast of 12 a strong blend of experience and youth and no prima donna roles the action is a liquid continuous flow with dead bodies resurrecting themselves to reappear moments later in a different scene and costume changes occurring as if by magic it wasn t easy to keep track of the parade of personalities as each performer played two or more characters they had to act sing dance fight and move props around as each scene merged into the next but it was undoubtedly an enthusiastic disciplined focused and poignant ensemble performance veering from commedia dell arte style hijinks provided by ris kaw and logod the clownish greek chorus adroitly played by iefiz alaudin and bella rahim to dark dire and distressing theater noir the public impalement of the sultan s concubine nurhalisa gut wrenchingly portrayed by hana nadira as hang nadim the young genius who suggested building a palisade of banana stems against the swarms of killer swordfish joel timothy low won the audience over from the outset so that his cruel and unjust murder elicited vicarious outrage veteran actors sandra sodhy na a murad and lam ghooi ket lent professional gravitas to each character they played while the younger ones alfred loh arief hamizan amanda ang qahar adilah and gregory sze gave vigor and vitality to the proceedings as sultan iskandar syah gregory sze was marvelously narcissistic vulnerable and schizoid sentencing the woman he loved to death by impalement just so he wouldn t be seen as a weak ruler alfred loh s portrayal of the inquisitorial trial judge was blood curdlingly convincing and amanda ang s tun dara sultan iskandar s love deprived official consort was sensitive and poignant rhythm in bronze jillian ooi in the middle pic courtesy of bella rahim a crucial dramatic element was the mesmerizing live soundtrack provided by the celebrated contemporary gamelan ensemble rhythm in bronze under the masterful musical direction of jillian ooi and teuku umar ilany featuring guest percussionist thong yoong how indeed almost everyone will agree that just listening to rhythm in bronze in action alone was worth the price of admission they are that captivating choreographer faillul adam costume designer dominique devorsine and lighting set designer loh kok man deserve mention and a hearty round of applause for their excellent work on swordfish concubine the political dimensions of kee s play are of course worthy of an academic treatise and everyone in the audience was electrified by the cogency and relevancy of his numerous allusions to the rotten state of affairs at least in old singapura where the action takes place all too familiar to us were the complacent self serving sycophantic palace officials and ministers and their cunning machinations just to maintain their privileged positions and the corrupt status quo the deification of royalty and the sanctification of the covenant a mythical social contract handed down from generations long gone serve as tools of mass mind control leading to cultural stagnation abuse of the law political paralysis allowing criminals in public office unchallengeable impunity setting up a sovereign fund and milking it for all its worth to support lavish lifestyles the usual shenanigans that go unreported and unremarked in the muzzled media arresting citizens for gathering without a permit in public places charging them with sedition in the spurious name of stability and security a secret police network payrolled by authoritarian paranoia the very ingredients of a failed state once known as temasek now fallen into the hands of invaders but swordfish concubine closes on an upbeat optimistic note it s time to rock yo and move to your own beat as the citizens begin to awake and embrace the possibility of nay the necessity for radical liberating change a complete break from stultifying toxic tradition 4 november 2017 first published in eksentrika 4 november 2017 production images courtesy of pam lim share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading leave a comment posted 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