Born and raised in Penang, choreographer Jet Leang has returned after years of studying and working in Singapore and the Netherlands, with a burning desire to run a professional dance company with full-time dancers here. His mission is to put on his stage his own creations but also to introduce the work of other contemporary dancers to Penang through a series of dance workshops that he has been organising on a monthly basis since he founded the Jet Leang Dance Theatre (JLDT) in December 2017.
The JLDT debut performance will take place on June 15th and 16th 2018 at 8pm at penangpac. It is a full-length (1 hour 15 minutes) original production, choreographed by Jet and Mathilde Pailley, a guest choreographer from Europe, who together with Jet and three other dancers will also perform in the show. Original music has been composed by Eile Veyssiere, and visual arts by Alvin Chow.
Obscurely entitled “22am-65pm?”, the dance is inspired by the frustrations felt by many people doing tedious 9am-5pm jobs, from the age of 22 until 65. The choreographers use the first section “Exhausted” to portray the repetitive tasks workers have to do and the need to continue with them despite physical and mental exhaustion. Part two, “Falling” illustrates the end result of being trapped in the daily grind with no end in sight, and is where Alvin’s video will be incorporated. Part three, “Answering”, encourages the asking of questions and re-evaluating of assumptions needed to challenge the feeling of being trapped, and Part four, “Making Decisions”, will leave the audience with a sense of hope for the future.
The choreography is dynamic, energetic and fast-paced, performed by talented dancers that have the bodies of athletes that they need to dance this way. You can see a clip of the production here: https://www.jetldt.com/upcoming
Tickets, priced at RM 38 and RM 28 for concessions can be purchased at the box office at penangpac, Straits Quay, or via this link: https://www.ticketpro.com.my/theatre/dance/2303420-penangpac-22am-65pm.html
More information about the theatre company and the performance can be found at the JLDT facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JETLDT/