ISKL DANCE RECAP

Flying all the way from the booming urban metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, the ISKL dance troupe presented to the IASAS Cultural Convention of Drama, Dance, Art, and Tech a taste of “Affliction”. This performance evoked mystery and piqued the interest of the captivated audience. A caption stating “Wrong place, Wrong time” perfectly set the mood of the dance, exhibiting a constant change in pace of dancing. The eight-strong dance company narrated a tale laced with distress and desperation of a mental illness, communicated by the dancers’ raw physicality and strong choreography. Throughout it all, the presentation of this dance reflected the sheer passion each individual carried.

Highlights included the opening the dance where the ISKL dance troupe used white powder to hook the audience into a multitude of emotions that were portrayed. The clouds of white powder created beautiful silhouettes and furthered the creation of mystery and chaos. Other highlights included the synchronised pack dances, culminating in dancers being hoisted into the air in gravity defying flips- balancing raw strength with elegance and beauty. Furthermore, an effective method of isolating particular dancers was used through an array of spotlights to highlight individual exemplary dancing while transitioning into chaos when all the lights were turned on. Not long after the chaos, each dancer dropped to the floor, frozen, and a high pitched ringing noise fell across the theater, making the audience feel emotions of uncomfort, alluding to their main idea of a mental illness.

However, this performance had more than just astonishing dancing. As the dance tampered with the confinement and restrictions of a mental illness, the entire dance is concluded when the girls are dancing with one another in a red lit backdrop. This scene indicated the illness dancing with demons and illustrated how society fails to recognize the extent of mental illnesses and how it should be addressed. In the end of the day, the ISKL dance troupe nailed the portrayal of their message and could not have a better job of presenting “Affliction”.

Article by Jaime Chuidian