One of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a while in Bangkok, La Fete is the annual French Cultural Festival in the City of Angels. The two performances I’ve seen so far have not been disappointing. Although there are usually hits and misses in any festival, the dance performances have mostly been surprisingly good. Hip Hop is growing in Asia and the focus of Hip Hop at the Patravadi Theatre is a reflection of its increasing popularity. The two shows I saw at the Theatre were slow at times, but the dedication that the dancers showed to the Hip Hop genre definitely made up for the slow bits…
Aduna, Land of Adventure was made up of 7 guys from France who danced to music from France, Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. As the La Fete website explains,
The performance “Aduna, Land of Adventure” is the story of some men engaged in the search for a virgin, sacred and dreamlike piece of land, source of revelations. “Aduna, Land of Adventure” is an affirmation of an aesthetic dance, where the performance and the gestures of the dancers are serving the building of a work of art, in an orginal staging, mingling African dances, Capoeira and Hip-hop.
There was this one white dude, the smallest in the group, who was tearing up the stage with his solos that made him seem to float in the air. The highlight of their 50-minute performance was a friendly “battle” between the performers to show their appreciation to the audience.
The second show I saw was one that combined Southeast Asian flavors with Hip Hop dancing. Personally, I think Hip Hop in Asia, especially the dancing, needs a long way to go before it can compare with dance from Europe and North America. But there were some amazing performances… the one I liked the most was Kham…
“Kham” is the climax of researches influenced by tradional Thai and Laotian dances. A solo imagined by a return to his country of origin and by the encounter of great masters. “Kham” reflects the identity search of a man who left his country during his childhood, came back as adult and who is confronted to a culture, both his culture and a new one.
It is performed by a Laotian guy who’s lived in France most of his life. From doing fast-paced leg-spinning aerial moves, to slow-motion robot-like movements, the way this guy could control his body was amazing. With more dances like Olé Khamchanla, I think Asian Hip Hop might have a future.