Pending

Following January Low as a solo performer whose role has evolved from dancer to mother, this work asks what it means to be a contemporary female practitioner of Indian classical dance today. It challenges both Low’s and the audience’s perceptions of the Indian classical dancer by foregrounding the unseen physical discipline required to sustain an art form without the certainty of the stage. Pending also examines how Odissi adapts in the digital age, where learning is slowed, guidance is virtual, and feedback unfolds over weeks rather than moments.

About the artist:
January Low is a Malaysian mid-career dance artist who specialises in Odissi and has been practising for close to 30 years. She spent her formative training in Sutra Dance Theatre and toured extensively with the company for over a decade. Her departure from Sutra in 2009 initiated a process of deep self-inquiry affecting how she chooses to share Odissi with her audience today.

Over the years Low has been gently observing the rhythm between dance and life and how Odissi continues to exist in her daily South-East Asian female body. As a mother of three, she continues to challenge themes of agency, objectification and commodification of the Indian Classical Dancer.

Credits:
Concept, Direction & Performance: January Low
Lighting & Multimedia: Bryan Chang
Choreography: Bijayini Satpathy
Music Composition: Pt Raghunath Panigrahi
Images: Magen Subramaniam, Ravi Shankar

💡Disclaimer & Accessibility Notes

1.The programme will take place in an ancestral hall. Kindly note that the event and its contents are not affiliated with any religious activities.

2. Seating is on a free-seating basis. Chair seating is limited, and floor seating will be available as part of the arrangement.

3. If you are a wheelchair user or a senior citizen with limited mobility, please indicate this when booking so we can make the necessary arrangements to welcome you more comfortably.

Dalam mengikuti evolusi seni January Low sebagai penari yang kini bergelar seorang ibu, persembahan beliau menilai semula kedudukan seorang seniwati tarian tradisional India pada dewasa ini. Tanggapan para penonton dan Low sendiri tentang penari tradisional India dibincangkan semula dengan mempamerkan disiplin jasmani yang dituntut bagi mempersembahkan sebuah bidang seni tanpa kepastian lazim sebuah pentas. Pending meneliti bagaimana Odissi dapat disesuaikan dalam era digital yang menyaksikan sesi pembelajaran semakin perlahan, panduan dilakukan secara maya dan maklum balas diterima dalam jangka masa yang lama, bukan sekelip mata.

Tentang Artis:
January Low ialah seorang penari Malaysia separa-mapan, khusus dalam tarian Odissi selama hampir 30 tahun. Beliau bermula daripada Sutra Dance Theatre dan menjelajah bersama kumpulan tersebut selama lebih sedekad. Pada tahun 2009, Low meninggalkan Sutra bagi memulakan proses perenungan diri yang kelak mencerminkan bagaimana beliau memilih untuk berkongsi tarian Odissinya bersama para penonton. Saban tahun, Low memerhati secara halus rentak tarian dan kehidupan dan bagaimana tarian Odissi hadir sepanjang waktu dalam jiwa dan raga kewanitaan Asia Tenggara beliau. Selain menjadi ibu kepada tiga orang anak, Low terus mencabar batas sekitar kuasa, pengobjektifan dan pengkomodifikasian para penari tradisional India.

Penghargaan:
Konsep, Haluan & Persembahan: January Low
Pencahayaan & Multimedia: Bryan Chang
Koreografi: Bijayini Satpathy
Gubahan Muzik: Pt Raghunath Panigrahi
Imej: Magen Subramaniam, Ravi Shankar