Deep Dive - ‘In Other Worlds’

Over the weekend during the September school holidays (9 & 10th September 2023), MUGEN by Nagi Contemporary Dance Corps had wrapped up its debut showcase at Art:Dis, featuring three distinct choreographies by three choreographers - ‘Surface in Relief’ by Zoe Jumabhoy, MUGEN by Xenres Kirishima & ‘In Other Worlds’ by me (Maybelle Lek). Even though the entire duration of MUGEN was 140 minutes (as it included a mixture of films and documentarian-styled interviews), it was generally a well-received production, where a large majority of the audiences were non-dance goers.

MUGEN would not have been possible without the generous support of Art:Dis, especially Peter (Head of Performance at Art:Dis). For that, I am very grateful. Photos captured in this post were shot by Gerald Koh, Kuang JingKai & Taufiq. Thank you.

I have received a bunch of questions and curiosities from the audiences, in terms of the inspiration and thought process behind ‘In Other Worlds’. In this post, I will be answering some of those questions, as well as nuggets/titbits that happened behind-the-scenes leading up to D-day.

Let’s crack on.

Why the title? ‘In Other Worlds’

This was one of those rare instances where the title actually came first before the creation of the movement and concepts. Typically, my title usually comes as an afterthought, or a summary to what is presented. (and I often struggle with titles!) However, as I was scribbling in my notebook to draw for inspiration, this title surfaced immediately and it spoke to me. So I ran ahead with it!

What was the starting point behind the creation of ‘In Other Worlds’?

In Other Worlds draws a eerily close parallel between what’s happening currently in my own life (a relocation to Portugal with my husband at the end of the year, letting go of commitments, in my Kapha phase of reflection and rest…timeline unknown), as well as the exploration of the five senses - particularly touch.

‘In Other Worlds’ is my attempt at carving out fragments that I can nestle into a fond, nostalgic feeling through my dancers - with Lenzo’s singing of 童话 (Tong Hua), the Pandan ASMR and the cascade of events exploring the sense of touch through the physicality of the body. The second half that took place inside the black box sort-of represents the limbo state of how I am moving through life, and that even though the future is uncertain, I remain present and flowing with what the Universe has for me.

Choreographically, what were your starting points?

I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of the ‘4th wall’ - how dance performances are breaking away from the traditional arc of watching a performance unfold in a dark, enclosed area to taking it somewhere else. That somewhere else can be anywhere - museums, streets, your own room etc. As part of my dissertation during my 3rd year at Rambert School, I wrote about the “5 Rules of Successful Audience Participation” which includes consent, freedom of choice, active listening & the importance of good planning/choreography.

A huge inspiration behind this work is my very first unconventional performance that I attended when I was still a student - ‘In The Palm Of Your Hand’ by Vera Tussing. This site-specific performance took place in a museum (somewhere in London). It is an “active and engaging tactile negotiation between performer and audience member”, where both parties are shaping the journey of how the piece unfolds. I was captivated by 1. how simple the concept is - like only literally exploring touch?! & 2. how far can one stretch an idea to have multiple variations and possibilities?

As I gained more life and dance experiences, I’ve developed an appreciation for spontaneous, raw, unfiltered moments that not only celebrates togetherness between dancers, but also amongst the audiences. My ethos, as a choreographer, is to carve safe spaces where we can see how far can we stretch an idea, but to also create experiences that you’ll hopefully think about randomly (like a fleeting thought).

Could you take us through the different sections and what they mean to you? It seemed like the entire space of Art:Dis was used.

I knew immediately that I wanted to create a site-specific performance after a site recce at Art:Dis. I wanted to play around with the architecture of the building, explore, play and draw out the “moods” or “vibes” that each room carried. I would say the title was driving the direction in where this piece was going, and I just sat in the passenger’s seat to go along with the ride!

I wanted each room to carry a specific mood or feeling through either projection, or tasks, and leave room for the dancers to explore and interpret from their own perspective. So the “submarine room” (in the picture above) was interpreted by Pao where it felt like we were underwater, or the “calm room” (in the picture below) interpreted by Crystal to interact with the audiences/change of lights if it compelled her to do so.

“Calm Room”, interpreted by Crystal

playing with a feather in the calm room, where the walls are padded to protect in the event of a fit.

lights can also change in colour to evoke different moods - red, purple, pink, orange etc.

What were some hidden Easter Eggs that the audiences may have missed?

1. The ASMR track that was played after Lenzo’s singing is actually a Pandan Cake Making ASMR, where I wanted to use natural sounds to create a soundscape for the dancers to improvise. As an audience member, you couldn’t have known this! But what’s even funnier is that in the last show, there were small cubes of Pandan cake placed on the serving table by the main entrance. The idea was to evoke your taste buds whilst you were observing the dancers responding to the ASMR sounds. Pandan ASMR, Pandan Cake, Pandan-ception! I hope it was delicious!

2. The 8pm evening show on the 9th September (Saturday) were the dancers’ first attempt at navigating the 1st part with an ACTUAL AUDIENCE. Due to time constraints, there wasn’t much opportunities (if not at all) for the dancers to rehearse with audiences. Huge kudos to them for their adaptability!

What’s next for “In Other Worlds”?

Real Talk: who knows? But I really would like to take this experiment and run it in different cities with different types of audiences and possibly dancers. What if it was held within a museum, or in a park, or in a town square? The possibilities are endless, and I am excited to find pockets of opportunities that “In Other Worlds” might be able to be birthed. Perhaps this edition is the “In Other Worlds: Singapore” edition!

If you got to the end, thank you for reading and I hope that it brought about some insights for you.

A huge thank you to my dancers - Pao, Sakda, Lenzo, Crystal and YooYoung for bringing life and being so open and curious with what I’ve thrown at them.