One of the most anticipated art events of the year is finally here. The second edition of the Damansara Performing Arts Centre Arts Festival offers a week of collaborative programmes that showcase the very best of the local art scene, covering visual, music, dance, theatre, as well as performance workshops and busking acts. With such a diverse lineup, the festival seeks to enrich and delight audiences through the magic and beauty of the arts.
Shakespeare In Song
Watch Malaysia’s first ‘art song’ vocal ensemble, The Song Weavers, perform beautifully composed works that pay tribute to The Bard, along with new piece ‘A Shakespeare’s Folio’, specially commissioned for the concert programme. The show also features guest appearances by ballet dancers from Dance Space.
Opium
This thrilling mix of drumming, calligraphy, dance, fashion design and visual art features three site-specific performances by Hands Percussion, French and Malaysian artists happening at three different locations. The enigmatic story revolves around our perception of memories and how we use them to shape our present and future.
Designed to be highly interactive, audiences are expected to walk from one performance to the next, before reaching the grand finale held outdoors.
DUA Creations
Created in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Malaysia, this contemporary dance focuses on the universal language of laughing and its infectious nature. Incorporating masks, dancers will use their bodies as a method of communication, alternatively covering and uncovering their faces to convey messages through choreography.
Titus Andronicus
Enjoy one of Shakespeare’s finest (and bloodiest) works, rarely presented on stage today. The play centres on the title character, Titus, a great Roman general who returns home from a 10-year war with his dead sons and spoils of war.
It is a tale of revenge and violent consequences, as Titus’s thirst for vengeance ultimately leads to the downfall of his empire.
Travel With Mom
Inspired by a true story, this unforgettable tale of familial piety follows a man who takes his elderly mother on an incredible journey across China that spans over 30,000km in 900 days, using only a rickety tricycle.
Accompanied by live folk music, this heart-warming tale will be performed in Cantonese with English and Chinese subtitles, teaching audiences that family is the most precious gift of all.
Music in Fusion
Goh Lee Kwang is an award-winning sound artist and composer who will host a three-day workshop, ultimately leading up to a two-day performance. The first part consists of a six-hour lecture on the development of 21st century experimental music, covering field recording, electronic music and improvisation. After the workshop, participants must create a performance using whatever art forms (dance, video, music or monologue) they desire.
Dancing In Place
Taking a performance outside of the traditional theatre setting, Dancing in Place explores the conversation between dance and the environment. Both international and local artists will present short works, responding to a particular architectural site, from an industrial walkway to a decorative staircase.
Futurama
This exhibition presents a collection of artworks by Dasein Academy of Art’s recent graduates and existing students, covering a wide range of media such as painting, sculpture, installation and time-based works. Get a sneak peek at how the next generation of artists are making waves in the local art scene, setting the foundation for the future of Malaysia’s contemporary arts.
DPAC Arts Festival 2016
WHERE Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC), Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana
WHEN 25-31 July
ADMISSION Check website for more details
TEL 03 4065 0001 or 03 4065 0002
dpac.com.my