Last week, we featured an insightful piece on the Malaysian cheerleading industry to kick off the KDU Sports Carnival with a bang! In light of the event's closing ceremony just yesterday, The Local Scene will be exploring another physical activity, this time softer and more steeped with emotion – dance.
People always say dance is a sport, and it honestly is. As a dancer myself, I can tell you as much, but I can also tell you that isn't all. Dance isn't simple enough to describe in one word. Have you ever heard people say "the art of dance"? Well, that's because dance is a form of art. Dance is a way of life.
Tons of good dancers around the world contribute not only to the entertainment industry, but also generally in the field of art itself. Everyone knows dance; how well, though, do Malaysians know about locally-trained dancers and the hard work they put into their craft?
The history of dance goes way back, and through the decades, hundreds of dance styles have evolved all over the globe. Traditional dance, of course, is still very prominent in culture-based countries like ours, but modern dance like ballet, salsa and hip-hop also have huge local followings.
The local response for hip-hop, in particular, has all but shot through the roof! Every year, huge hip-hop events take place in Malaysia, where its champions would go on to represent the country in following stages internationally. It's very much a competition of passion as it is art, a balance between hard-hitting moves and soft fluidity.
 |
| Handstands: one of the most used, staple moves in hip-hop. (Shah Productions Sdn. Bhd., 2011) |
Take, for instance, R16 – one of the biggest dance competitions in the world. While the tournament itself was originally organised by the Korea Tourism Organisation, its participants come from all over the world, including but not limited to South East Asia, East Asia and Europe. Hundreds of teams come together in each of these countries to battle it out against each other, and the winner will go on to represent their country at the international finals. This is where Famous Crew, one of the top b-boy crews in Malaysia, made a name for themselves by snagging the title of national champions!
 |
| The solo finals of R16 Malaysia, a showdown between b-boys Khenobu and Joe. (R16 Malaysia, 2013) |
Fellow street dance crew Elecoldxhot also made waves internationally in 2014 when they represented our country at the Hip-Hop International Championship Finals and World of Dance in the United States.
 |
| Elecoldxhot's promotional poster for their showcase at World of Dance (WOD) 2014. (World of Dance, 2014) |
Dance is often seen as just another hobby or interest, but it could be a lifelong career for some. Years of training can go into mastering just its foundations! Just like any other form of learning, no one can ever finish mastering dance completely, but that's part of the fun and experience, isn't it?
I'll be the first to admit that there will be a lot of blood, sweat and tears along the way. That's usually the reason why some parents won't allow their kids to take dance professionally; they think it's too dangerous. The toughest part of dance, though, isn't how physical it is, but how much mental strength you need to give when you commit to dance as a career.
Pushing through with your decision, though, opens up endless possibilities to create what I like to call miracles. It's a gamble, but who knows? We Malaysians could be the ones to end up changing the world of performing arts.
Next week, The Local Scene will be taking a short break to recharge after our featurettes on cheer and dance, which were both very demanding activities (whew!). When we come back, we'll bring you on a more relaxing, but no less exciting adventure!
Bibliography
R16 Malaysia. (2013). The solo finals of R16 Malaysia, a showdown between b-boys Khenobu and Joe. [Online image]. Retrieved 9 October 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rum-tDRNzc
Shah Production Sdn. Bhd. (2011). Handstands: one of the most used, staple moves in hip-hop. [Online image]. Retrieved 9 October 2015 from http://sp-entertainment.net/dancers.html
World of Dance. (2014). Elecoldxhot's promotional poster for their showcase at World of Dance (WOD) 2014. [Online image]. Retrieved 5 October, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxI_P6haANw
0 comments:
Post a Comment