KUALA LUMPUR (April 21): Ahead of International Dance Day on April 29, dance doyen Datuk Ramli Ibrahim takes a rare look back on his illustrious career, revealing the person behind the performer, and engages in discourse about the good, bad and a possible silver lining for our country’s arts and culture heritage.
He is candid about the sustainability of the dance scene. “Can they survive as is? No. They are just not available!” says the living legend about local dancers, who are trying to make a living as there is hardly any funding for full-time practitioners. “We often have invitations to perform overseas, but we cannot go because we don’t have the money to bring even five people.”
The mindset of the young, who often demand instant gratification, also needs to change in order for the industry to flourish. “There’s something about the inner landscape of an artist that comes out when it is explored, be it visual artists or a dancer. You have to nurture your spiritual self for a holistic development,” advises Ramli in our cover story.
It is a buzzing week for Kuala Lumpur this week. Within the walls of the Two Tales exhibition at Rissim Contemporary in Bangsar, visitors are invited to embark on a profound journey through the corridors of memory, where the echoes of childhood resonate with poignant clarity. Ono Kang’s solo show Forged by Time, which displays abandoned items that were given second life through art, opens on Apr 24 and runs daily at Fahrenheit88, Bukit Bintang.
Plus, the city gets set to host its first-ever cocktail week, taking place from April 24 to 30 across five distinct zones — Bangsar, Petaling Jaya/Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara Heights, Chinatown and the KL city centre — with each organising its own series of unique events leading up to what is termed as the Festival Village extravaganza at APW Bangsar on April 27.
Read about these and more in our April 22, 2023 issue of Options, out with The Edge Malaysia weekly.
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