DANCE CELEBRATION


Bangkok's Benjasiri Park will be turned into an art territory during the "International Dance Day Festival 2007" which will be running from 7:30pm onwards on April 27 and from 4:30pm on April 28-29.
Organised by the Friends-of-the-Arts Foundation and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the 3-day event will feature various kinds of dance performances by both international and local dance companies, a dozen workshops and art exhibitions.
The highlights of the festival are some world class performances such as Memories of an Island by Company Nuova Danza of Palermo from Italy, Manuela by Yael Orni from Israel accompanied by dancers from Thailand's The Company of Performing Artists, and Klytaimnistra Invisible by Ioanna Kampylafka from Greece - who will be teaming up with renowned Thai opera singer Sophie Tanapura.
Memories of an Island is a contemporary dance based on the choreography of Cinzia Cona with music by Toti Basso and video installations by Marco Cona. The performance represents different stages in Sicilian history, from the arrival of the Moors in the Middle Ages to the period of mass migration to America in the late 19th century.
These historical events are portrayed through the intense emotions of Sicilian women - as represented by five beautiful dancers - who are both the interpreters and the victims of these important social changes.
The show depicts traditional elements of Sicilian culture, which are reflected through the rhythmic movements and dramatic gestures of the dance, as well as the typical sounds of Sicilian music.
Manuela is a highly-appraised dance piece by Yael Orni, a well-established Israeli modern dancer and choreographer. In this show, Yael employs the trend for audience participation in which she pans a live camera on the audience and turns London Underground into a muse to create an original dance work.
Fusing unusual film shots, sound, text and dance, this intercultural dialogue inverts the familiar, pedestrian world of routine travel into an intelligent reflection of contemporary life.
The show reflects how Yael probes beyond the everyday facade of the everyday world to capture the essential meaning of the way of the world.
The festival also features for the first time in Thailand the "Young Choreographer Showcase", a platform for the new generation of artists and directors to show off their creativity and talents. This is also a chance to witness dancing development by Thai talents such as Rangsima Boonsinsukh, Sirilak Songlib and Fasai Sapnirund.
For both beginners and experienced dancers, there are a dozen workshops on Polynesian dance, tap dance, free style dance, hip hop, Taiji, contemporary dance, salsa, Latin, samba and street dance - all conducted by professional teachers.
Also on exhibition and sale are numerous paintings, art objects, sculptures and photographs by artists from Art Market and veteran Finnish photographer Stephan Funke. Admission to the "International Dance Day Festival 2007" is free of charge. The park is located next to The Emporium shopping complex. For more information, call 02-259-8861, 02-258-9227 or visit http://www.friends-of-the-arts.info/