A story told in dance

LEADING Japanese choreographer Un Yamada is no stranger to the local dance scene, having performed and held dance workshops here for over 20 years.
Recently, she presented her latest theatrical dance project, People without Seasons, at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac).
The performance, which coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Japan, ­featured five Japanese dancers from Yamada's Co. Un Yamada troupe, and 10 Malaysian dancers.
People without Seasons was adapted from Yamada's original piece, ­A City ­without Seasons, first ­performed in 2012.
That piece was in turn inspired by the late Shugoro Yamamoto's novel, A Town ­without Seasons, as well as a movie adaptation by Akira Kurosawa called Dodes'ka-den.
But the story of People without Seasons began in March this year.
It was the 50th anniversary of Yamamoto's death, and dancer Jabar Laura was one of two Malaysians who joined Yamada to perform A City without Seasons in Japan.
There, the Sabah ­native shared ­stories about growing up in ­Kampung Pituru in ­Kinarut.
Realising the ­similarities between Jabar's ­hometown and the setting of the original play, the dance project team visited Kampung Pituru in August.
They then decided to adapt A City ­without Seasons by including ­Malaysian elements, resulting in ­People without Seasons.
"It is a story about people," said Yamada in an interview before the show at klpac. "The story is told ­completely in dance, with [just] background music and almost no dialogue."
She explained that the dance uses the human body in movement with minimum props to convey ­emotions and stories of everyday life and events.
Her choreography depicted movements from everyday life, and gestures that are common across cultures to tell the story.
People ­without ­Seasons begins with the birth of a village and its progress, through ­hardship and effort, to how it is today.
Jabar said: "In [A City ­without Seasons], the story was set in ­Japan before World War II, [and] look at Japan now.
"­People without ­Seasons is set in a village in ­Malaysia in the present time, but [the themes] are the same."
In People ­without ­Seasons, the stage ­bustled with ­activity, as each ­dancer told a story in ­movement to the music of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
Like most forms of art, the meaning of the dance was all in the eye of the beholder.
The performance tested the ­audience's powers of ­observation, as focusing on a single individual or group meant missing out on other stories being told ­concurrently.
The unique set for the production was the ­brainchild of set designer and artist Hiroshi Fuji, who used items and photos taken during their visit to Kampung Pituru as props to decorate and drape over the set, comprising mostly of scaffolding.
Jabar proudly pointed out some of the photos.

"You see this cat? I know the owner," he exclaimed with a smile. "These chickens? I know the owner, too. The picture of the child on all the ­posters, she's [from my] family."
High above the set were two colourful streamers that spanned from the back of the hall to the stage.
Fuji said there's a story behind the streamers, which he used to "express the ­passage of time".
"Some 20 years ago, we started a tradition in our family. ­Whenever we opened a bag of potato chips, we would carefully cut off the top and the bottom seams.
"[After 20 years], I took those seams and sewed them together. It took me a long time."
This concept was also ­translated into the set itself, as two of the largest ­structures can be moved across the stage ­during the performance to show that time has passed.
Even the costumes, ­designed by Ryota ­Murakami, ­featured the ­faces of ­ordinary ­Malaysians.
Having performed in both Yamada's original A City without Seasons as well as the current version, Jabar reflected that ­performing with the ­Japanese dancers has been an eye-opening ­experience.
"They are so dedicated ... while we are used to a more laid-back pace, they push themselves to the limit," he said.
And while the dance conveyed different meanings to different people, what is certain is that this collaboration created an experience that benefited all those who were a part of it.