Butterworth Fringe Festival Picks

MIGUEL RUBIO AND NELLY AHMETOVA FIRE SHOW

Prepare to be mesmerised by Miguel and Nelly’s narrative-driven modern dance show, combining contemporary dancing and fire performance. The duo’s mastery with the play of fire and swanlike movements give a depiction of the spark that ignites and gives warmth to everything with some of the most skilful fire stick manipulation ever seen in a street show.

ANTHONY LIVINGSPACE STREET PERFORMER

See for yourself why Anthony is dubbed as “the street performer’s street performer” as you laugh your socks off to his incredible off-beat humour. This Australian has wowed many throughout his 30 year career on the street and the stage, pushing the boundaries of street theatre and is never shy of making a fool of himself for the entertainment of his audiences.

DYNAMIKE, THE UNICYCLIST AND JUGGLER

International award winning street performer, Michael Anthony ‘DynaMike’ Bonnici delivers an explosion of adrenaline-filled performance – witness him riding his 3-meter unicycle as he juggles with a powered and working chainsaw as well as sharp knives! Not only is he a charmer, but you’ll be left impressed with his knack in balancing and multitasking.

Q&A SESSION WITH JINNYBOY TV

Aspiring filmmakers and YouTube junkies must not miss the chance to meet, greet and listen to what Malaysia’s YouTube stars from JinnyBoyTV have to say about breaking into and making it as Youtubers.

KATA-KATA 2100

Rediscover Malaysia’s linguistic roots and the international influences it has absorbed throughout centuries of historical and cultural experiences. This one-of-a-kind interactive art and design project by creative studio, Something Meaningful, exhibits the evolution of what the Malay language is and could mature into in the next years to come. By using maps and threads, Kata-Kata 2100 explores the cultural and technological influences, both native and foreign, on the language.

MANORA OF KELANTAN DANCE PERFORMANCE

PUSAKA presents Manora of Kelantan, performed by Eh Chom Eh Kuan and his troupe, the Rombongan Manora Cahaya Bulan, the last remaining Manora performers in Kelantan. The Siamese-Malay ritual dance-drama form of slow rhythmic movements with Mak Yong’s grace is unique to the northeast region of Malaysia, reflecting the cross-cultural experience and tradition that embrace both Buddhist ritual and distinct Malay forms of storytelling and music-making.

‘JAGAT’ THE MOVIE SCREENING

Catch the screening of ‘Jagat’, a directorial debut by Sanjhey Kumar that was selected for screening at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival. Told through the eyes of a 12-year old boy, the film immerses us in the lives of the forgotten Indian community in 1991 post-estate Malaysia, impoverished and struggling to meet the day’s ends. Frustrated and desperate, many turn to violence and drugs for the easy way out.

POTEHI JOURNEYS: GLOVE PUPPET THEATRE

Once performed for temple deities, the traditional art of Potehi will be brought

to the modern stage by puppeteers and storytellers from Taiwan, Indonesia, and Penang. The Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company will present ‘The Sea of Puppets and Marco Polo’; Fu He An from Indonesia will play traditional Chinese stories such as ‘Sun Ngo Kong’ and ‘Sie Djien Kwee’ in Bahasa Indonesia; and Penang’s oldest Potehi troup, Beng Geok Hong will present ‘Fan Li Hua’, ‘Xue Ding Shan’ and ‘Fate in a Dream’ using Penang-styled glove puppets.