'Strange times': Dance festival M1 Contact reckons with Covid uncertainty

SINGAPORE - Live shows at the M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival will finally see the light of day, after they were cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

If - and this is a big "if" - the recent spike in Covid-19 cases does not scupper these plans again, that is.

The annual festival by T.H.E Dance Company runs from June 5 to July 4, starting with classes and workshops before mounting performances from June 18 onwards.

At the moment, audience numbers at live performances are capped at 100 - or 50, if there is no pre-event testing. This will be in force till June 13, but it is hard to predict how the rules will change.

"Having to keep dealing with so many drastic changes has been quite frustrating," admits the company's artistic director Kuik Swee Boon, 48.

"But what I have learnt from last year is to keep calm, take it slowly and make sure the team is not overworked or under too much stress. These are strange times. While we may doubt ourselves, we can also rebuild our vision and try new ideas."

One of the highlights of the festival is InterBeing, a ticketed double-bill of shows that were choreographed entirely over Zoom - Contactless by Belgium-based choreographer Jos Baker and Desidium by Dimo Kirilov Milev, who is in the Netherlands.

Both will be performed at the Esplanade Theatre Studio by members of T.H.E Dance Company and live-streamed on Sistic.

"It's like you are creating two versions of each production," Kuik says, referring to the extra work and expense of having these performances professionally filmed and live-streamed.

Last year, T.H.E Dance Company live-streamed six productions, which was good practice for them, he adds.

Another festival highlight, Co.Lab.Asians, features collaborations between independent artists from different disciplines.

South Korean dancer Kwon Hyuk and local dance artist Adele Goh will present a new performance at the Esplanade Annexe Studio exploring the idea of isolation amid the pandemic - with Kwon video-projected and Goh appearing in person.

After being "match-made" by two festivals - M1 Contact and the Seoul International Dance Festival - they have been in regular contact via WhatsApp and Zoom.

"It feels very, very different seeing each other's (dance) videos and collaborating with them and dancing with them," says dancer-choreographer Kwon, 33, via an interpreter, comparing this with being physically present together.

"I am still thinking, is it good or bad? There is no definite answer, and I am still asking myself this question."

The festival will also feature M1 Open Stage, which shines the spotlight on local independent artists.

One of them is Hasyimah Harith, 31, who will perform her ongoing work Nak Dara (Malay for "virgin" or "wanting a virgin"), two months after the birth of her first child.

The batik cloth features heavily in her performance, which attempts to reclaim nafsu ("desire for pleasure") and confront the question of a body's ownership.

"'Nak dara' is a label given to a sensuous, tempting, almost perfect and young-looking body," says Hasyimah, co-founder of contemporary dance company P7:1SMA.

"But if I'm a mother, can I still have that sexual temptation? Can I still have that autonomy to decide I can be sexually active?"

She wants to confront assumptions of the ideal performer's body. "There's fear that with a changing body, it will be challenging to keep up with the desired beauty and physicality.

"So this becomes a milestone for me - I will consider how to soothe, pleasure and adapt to my different body. I'm not just asking a difficult question. I'm also living through it."

Another Co.Lab.Asians piece is Terbalek, which delves into mental health struggles and is a collaboration among dancer Ruby Jayaseelan, sound artist Bani Haykal and production designer Irfan Kasban.

It will feature "psychosomatic experimental movement", says Jayaseelan, 32, who has grappled with mental health issues related to anxiety and depression.

She adds that while there is a stigma attached to mental illness, "the spectrum is so huge - every one of us can relate, in a way, to mental illness".

Right now, the festival organisers are grappling with plenty of uncertainty and the possibility that everything might have to go online if the outbreak in Singapore does not improve. They will lose more income if this happens, Kuik says.

"We understand safety is the first consideration now, but dancing is also our full-time job. We are struggling and are working hard to try to keep people's jobs - including freelancer artists, designers and production crew. But I believe our passion and creativity will overcome the difficulties eventually."

The festival needs more support than ever, not least because the current edition marks the end of telco M1's eight years as title donor.

"We have come a long way, and my heart is filled with gratitude towards M1 for their unwavering support in standing by the festival, as well as to everyone who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes," Kuik says.

He adds that the festival will go on and future editions will nurture more up-and-coming local artists, as well as emphasise "cross-border and cross-ethnicity collaborations".

"I look forward to welcoming any individual, organisation or corporation that identifies with our ethos to come on board and join us as next year's title donor."

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