Joget, Abang, Joget (Dance, Darling, Dance) is a disturbing piece with contents of sexual abuse and violence,
directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim under M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2014. The work
also featured original music and songs by Angie Seah and Mohamad Riduan. The
cast members are Elizabeth De Roza, Yazid Jalil, Mish'aal Syed Nasar and Noor Effendy
Ibrahim. Lighting designer is Annuar Mohd.
It is not a piece that the audience can just relax and enjoy. However,
if to provoke the audience and transport the audience to a realm of
"otherness" is the aim of the performance, the creative team has
perhaps achieved its purpose.
The performance started with a loin-clothed performer (played by Yazid)
moving his body subtly with sounds of breath. It looked like a new life that
was emerging under the wash of red lights, signifying the birth of suffering
and violence in his life. After the first segment, a couple (played by
Elizabeth and Mish'aal) entered, and they took turns to manipulate Yazid’s
body. Throughout the piece, Yazid was like a puppet manipulated by the couple.
In a fragile state, he was being thrown around, carried, embraced and tortured
by the couple.
The ensemble work between the three actors was strong and there
was a high level of trust between the actors. Such trust was needed especially
in the violent scenes when the couple twisted, threw and pushed Yazid around
the space.While Yazid played the role of a victimized character that hardly
stood on his feet throughout the performance, his articulation of body
impulses, control of movement and acting were excellent. His expression changed
every moment in a subtle and living way that portrayed his complex inner stream--
of fear, desire, release, suffering and guilt. He sustained his expressions and
physicality well throughout the whole performance.
Lighting designer Anuar Mohd did a fantastic work on the lighting.
Playing with red wash, red lamps, blue lights and shadows, the design gave a
touch of discord to the psychological states of the characters. Themes of desires, fear,
longing, guilt and violence were enhanced by clever use of lights in bringing
forward the emotions of the piece. The red lamps that filled the ceiling added
an aesthetic feel, and yet gave the audience a surreal feeling of entrapment in
passion. It reminded me of film director Zhang Yimou's red lanterns in Raise
the Red Lantern. Another strong imagery of blood/passion/violence was the red
water that Elizabeth and Yazid bathed in.
The haunting singing of Angie Seah added a strong sense of longing
and sorrow to the piece. Different sounds in the performance that comprised
sounds of cutting, screaming, whipping, kissing coughing and breathing formed a
soundscape that was both poetic and disturbing. Moments of silence were
powerful in the performance too. They were like the interval of silence in music
score before the next bar of music is played.
Overall, the director Effendy has managed to push the boundaries of
theatre in terms of content exploration and production. His bold exploration
of excavating "inherent and latent memories within the body through abuse
on the flesh, and to understand concepts of guilt and desire as he negotiates
his faith and his constantly shifting identities in a society" translates
into a piece that provokes, evokes and invokes the thoughts and feelings of the
audiences with an energetic cast.
