Transmission of the Invisible: transmission of an almost-lost tradition to the modern global world

Choreographer Peter Chin

What happens to the culture of a country that is subjected to civil war, genocide, poverty, corruption and foreign industrial domination? One thing is for certain, the people will lack time and energy to express themselves through art forms. Even if they find means to produce artistic expressions, the traditional skills required is gone with those who lost their lives in the war. As 10 percent of dance artists were killed in the Khmer Rouge genocide, a large part of the repertoire disappeared. That is why Peter Chin, musician, performance artist, artistic director, travelled to Cambodia in 2004, to study and research on classical Khmer dance and music before such traditional art further fades into history. Chin wishes to rediscover, salvage, and revive Cambodian dance because Cambodian identity lies within these cultural forms.

Transmission of the Invisible, a challenging project put together by two Cambodian and three Canadian artists, demonstrates a traditional dance form to a backdrop of images highlighting the aftermath of the civil war. The title is inspired by Chin’s learning experience in Cambodia, when other students called out, “We never used to do it like that!” or “Not that fast!” in the spirit of an ancestral teacher. Chin comments in an interview with NOW Magazine that “[t]here really is a transmission of the invisible through other realms of time and space.” Rooted in Cambodian culture is the concept of ancestral worship and respect and Buddhist ideologies, which is seen on the projected screens and heard in the music.

Chin feels that the current Cambodian dance expressions are a mix traditional and contemporary and he is in contact with both. Transmission of the Invisible bridges these two styles, “glocalizing” if you will, by reviving the essence of Khmer dance in the local Cambodian communities and showcasing Cambodian culture to the global world. Hans Belting claims that performance arts in theatre serve the purpose of remembrance as it is removed from its local setting. At times it is seen as inauthentic, but I believe in the case of the Khmer dance, sharing with the world will strengthen the continuation of the Cambodian culture.

Discover why Peter Chin is described as a “renaissance man” and “a genuine international and global character” by visiting Tribal Crackling Wind Dance Company.

Athena Wong

Related Posts: Dance, Global Art Database

Dancing with Matt Harding at the Internet as a way to find happiness and global reliability

In 2006, Matt Harding embarked on a 6 month trip through 39 countries to dance in front of famous landmarks. This was because after seeing his 2003 dancing video Stride Gum Sponsored Matt to do the trip again, but of course in more countries this time. However, in 2007 now quasi-famous Harding realized that his bad dancing was not that interesting and that his overflowing inbox proved that there were thousands of others that could dance just as badly as he could. That being the case, Stride sent him on another trip. The big difference on this trip was that Harding would invite the people from the cities that he visited to dance with him.

This viral video, that is one that has gained worldwide popularity, is an excellent example of how easy it can be to transcend cultural boundaries. From Canada, to the United States to the continent of Africa the people in his videos are not only dancing but they are happy. Dancing is one of the only forms of expression that seems to “transcend political boundaries that exist in nearly all human societies” [1]. Harding realized that he could capture something that would be meaningful to a lot of people – a way for us to bound and forget about our differences for a moment. His video allows the people of the world to shed their anger towards one another and dance for the sake of dancing – let everything go and be silly for a few minutes of your life. 

 

 

Not everyone has been impressed or moved by his video. In fact, there is a following claming that his videos were Photoshopped. In another video, Matt Harding responds to these vicious rumours by sarcastically claiming that, yes indeed, the videos are fake. I think the whole rumour thing is ridiculous. There will always be individuals and groups that will try and destroy something that is not trying to hurt anyone. That being said, I believe that there are far more people that know what is real and will try and make a difference because of Harding’s videos.

 

These videos are some of the simplest examples proving how globalized and interconnected we have become. Regardless of whether we agree or disagree on things, we do share distinct commonalities and we can bond over the simplest of emotions and expressions. I believe that through dancing, Harding has managed to bring every single person all over the world together. Happiness is contagious; can you watch the video without smiling?

Tara Turley-Dean

Related Posts: Dance, Cyberspace, Global Art Database