Street neon on stage

NO SOONER had the final notes of the royal anthem faded than rapturous cheers and applause broke out last weekend at the K-Bank Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre of Performing Arts as the audience enthusiastically welcomed 15 performers from Japan to the Thai stage.
Indeed the cheers and applause continued unabated throughout the 80-minute show “Beat Bumper”, one of the events in the Japan Foundation Bangkok’s yearlong celebration of the 130th anniversary of Thailand-Japan diplomatic relations last weekend. 
The performers – six from The Wrecking Crew Orchestra (WCO) and nine from its spin-off younger group El Squad – opened as one, with the spotlight occasionally shining downstage centre as member after member showed off his particular skills. It was clear right from the off that this show was as much about the whole ensemble’s unity as each individual’s talent. Also clear from the beginning was that lighting, not just dance movements, played a major role in “Beat Bumper”.

What followed were several short scenes in which smaller groups performed diverse styles of street dance to heavy beats and various lighting techniques, and some pre-recorded video clips. Some came with loosely wrought narratives and there were also two scenes of audience participation, a must for this crowd-pleasing kind of dance show. The highlight, which drew continuous loud cheers from the audience, was when the Japanese performers, whose costumes were lit with neon lights, moved to Justin Timberlake’s “Signorita”.
 Much credit was also due to WCO’s leader and director of “Beat Bumper” Yokoi who knew how to line up different scenes for a show that never looked nor sounded repetitive. However, I couldn’t help but wish that the troupe’s Bangkok producer had thought to add a special local element, like a Thai song for them to dance to exclusively for the audience here. As the idea of Thai performers sharing the stage briefly was a non-starter, a touch of Thainess would have added to the celebratory nature of the occasion. 
The auditorium, filled to 80-per-cent capacity by a mostly young audience, including both dancers and dance teachers, had an almost festive atmosphere, not unlike that of two years ago at M Theatre where Japan Foundation’s Asia Centre presented three Japanese street dance groups. Back then, Thai counterparts shared a stage in one memorable scene thanks to a schedule that allowed for workshops prior to the performance.
So what has happened to Thai street dance troupes in the past two years? Well, they’ve had more gigs, performing at special events or concerts, and dance studios are now offering more classes in this discipline to meet the demand. Yet there has never been a professionally staged and ticketed street dance performance in any of our theatres. Clearly, the problem, as it was two years ago, lies not only in the audience’s attitude towards street dance but also in the lack of choreographers and directors who, instead of watching many videos and creating works for specific events, might look to develop this art further. 
And that reminds me of an interview I had with a festival director who said that thanks to numerous dance performances his festival has presented here, the number of dance schools here has significantly grown. I was about to ask this question but then I nodded and smiled: “And how many professional dance companies do we have now in Thailand?”
 
- Japan Foundation Bangkok brings back, after seven years, the globetrotting company Chelfitsch Theatre who’ll perform Toshiki Okada’s “Super Premium Soft Double Vanilla Rich” from March 10 to 12, at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts.
- It’s in Japanese with Thai and English |surtitles. 
- For tickets, visit www.BangkokStudio41.com.