[Kuala Lumpur] Switchblade Op: A World in the City

A World in the City    

What does the city mean to you?

                               Most of us live and spend our entire life as urban dwellers, 
                  but we don’t usually think much about our relationship with the city,
          the place we call home, and our relationship with people. 

About the Choreography
60min without intermission

Synopsis:
某一天，我从城里某条街上突然醒来......
发现自己正在追逐一辆公共汽车。总是在类似的交通灯前迷路，同一条路程总有人想要扒头，每天对自己的交代是一只疲劳过度的鞋，总不敢让自己有太丰富的想像。
走路尽量似模似样。其实，当所有潜意识无处容身时，一切都会来到集体发作的一天。
(文：陈伟光, 1994)

[The pressures of city life] made man voiceless and incapable of controlling his own destiny. He lives in a world where his body and mind are made to obey and follow. A world where he shares no emotions and feelings, caring only for his own survival. A world where dreams never come true. Longing for a change, man realises that this world he has created is a reality he can never avoid.                                     
(Text: Fay Khoo, 1994)

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Reviews
“The production endorsed my own conviction of the timelessness of good dance theatre and the reaffirmation that we were making some really creative and original stuff back in the ’90s and early 2000s.”
 — Ramli Ibrahim on The Vibes, 2023

"If I had the chance, I would watch this performance all four times!”
 — Hui Min DamienVincenzo Leow, 2023

“I found them riveting, and made me questioning human relationships and what it means to “thrive”
 — Serima, 2023

“... focused on man today where selfishness and soullessness triumph in a materialistic world.”
— The Star, 19 Jul 1996

“繁忙城市的白领阶级们，他们每天朝九晚五的生活于聚凑、分秒必争的渡过一天有一天， 这造成了多大的压力。舞者跳出了他们的情绪，他们所要发泄的不满。”
— 光华日报，1996年6月4日

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About Loke Soh Kim
Choreographer & Lighting Designer
Kim started dancing in 1982 with the renowned Tan Wei Ping. She is a former dancer of the Singapore People’s Association Dance Company (1987) and the Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company (1990-1992). In 1992, Kim returned to Malaysia and co-founded Penang Dance Station. She is a guest choreographer with Singapore’s Frontier Danceland (1997-2008 and 2022). She also lectured in dance at ASWARA (1999-2007). She has received several BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in the dance category as a choreographer (2002, 2018 and 2023) and lighting designer (2002, 2004 and 2019). In 2018, Soh Kim founded Kongsi Petak, a member of Kongsi Kolab (2018-2021) in a warehouse-turned art-space, KongsiKL. She is also the producer of the “Seni Tiga” project, a multidisciplinary collaborative performance series (2019-2021).

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Dress Code
Performance venue is shoes off and fan only, audiences are encouraged to wear slippers and comfortable clothing.

Tickets Price
Early Bird RM85 (ends 31 May/ while stocks last)
Standard RM100
Group of 4 RM360 (while stocks last)
Patron RM168

Contact Us / Students Booking
For questions,  please Whatsapp us at +60182805232

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About Switchblade Operation
'Switchblade Operation' serves as a platform to reactivate and reinterpret Malaysia's pioneer contemporary dance archives, preserving history, showcasing artistic evolution, promoting cultural continuity, and inspiring innovation in the performing arts scene. The project's name also signifies Loke's ongoing commitment to the contemporary performing arts scene, akin to the momentum of a train continuing while switching tracks.

About Kongsi Petak 
started as one of the members of Kongsi Kolab (2018-2021) in KongsiKL artspace. Kongsi Petak believes in sharing and exchange, while maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the space they occupy. They foster interdisciplinary collaborations, nurture talents and promote knowledge exchange, through various platforms, ‘Petak Self Practice’ (Current: ARTies Potluck, 2018-), ‘Seni Tiga’ multidisciplinary project (2019-2022), contemporary dance ‘Petak Class’ (2019-2021), archive reactivation project ‘Switchblade Operation’ (2023-). 

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Team Credit

Choreographer/ Lighting designer | Loke Soh Kim

Costume designer | Ix Wong
Set designer | Liew Chee Heai
Performers | Anthony Lee Yee Han, Audrey Chua, Austin Goh, Chloe Tan, Eden Lim, Gabriel Wong, Hoi Cheng Sim, Isaac Lim, Liu Yong Sean, Rohini Shetty, Silver Yee, Wong Shan Tie

Presenter | Kongsi Petak
Producer | Low Pey Sien
Performer Coordinator | Hoi Cheng Sim
Rehearsal Master | Gabriel Wong
Stage Manager | Armanzaki Amirol Zakri
Lighting Assistant | Cheong Kwan Yong

Venue Sponsor | KongsiKL
Supported by | George Town Festival 2024