HANDS PERCUSSION SDN BHD & ASKDANCE COMPAGNY
Its thirteen states grouped in a federation form one of the most geographically complex countries, as if the creator exhausted from making the world had let slip from his fingers the last pieces of land sown south of the China Sea. This observation probably helps to explain the extreme complexity of a country where everything is mixed and conjugated: races, colors, cultures and languages. Without this preventing him from living in relative serenity.
The federation of Malaysia has placed itself under the sign of the red hibiscus, symbol of its unity. Thus, it includes, between–other, the states of the Malacca Peninsula and those of the island of Borneo. Open to the Indian Ocean, a land of Islam covered with Buddhist, Hindu or Christian temples, it is experiencing one of the most extraordinary adventures of coexistence and miscegenation. Still influenced by the British style of the former colonizers, Malaysians keep their sultans but wear kilts, give themselves Arabic names but go to pray at the temple. They are as attentive to the samurai of Japanese trade as to the stinginess of Chinese grocers. Both are attracted by the richness of a federation where a modern state is built, step by step.
Hands Percussion SDN BHD and the ASKDANCE Company are renowned Malaysian percussion and dance artistic ensembles, each performance of which is an event on the performing arts scene in Kuala Lumpur because its shows are so innovative.
The performances of Hands Percussion SDN BHD are highly appreciated and admired, as they strive to preserve a cultural heritage while introducing new dimensions to theatrical percussion, by venturing into contemporary percussion music and exploring the music and instruments of different cultures. The ensemble has produced and performed many times on the art scene as well as at corporate events.
The company ASKDANCE is composed of dancers who have received numerous awards, including gold medals at the World Performing Arts Championship, the Selangor Young Talent Award, the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in the performance categories, choreography as well as international scholarships and other prestigious awards. The company’s philosophy is as follows: to stay alive, one must constantly learn and, therefore, not be afraid to ask relevant questions. Her dance productions serve as a platform for this dialogue, whether it concerns themes related to marginalization or the celebration of life.
Since the fifteenth century, Malaysia has seen navigators and prophets. From the tin roofs of Malacca, the oldest port in the country, to the temple of ten thousand Buddhas on the island of Penang, the show tells in ancient and meticulous gestures, in the flight of fine silks like butterfly wings, the whole story of one of the most mixed parts of the world.
Each undulation of the hands, each stroke on the drums, each arch of the bodies, each slipped step, bring closer a little more the luxuriance beauty of a nature where burst the red flowers of hibiscus. A perfect symbol of beauty and unity for a country with a delicate and enchanting charm.
