‘3 Days in Chow Kit Road’ brings old KL to life through dance

Imagine Chow Kit Road in the late 1970s – bustling markets, colourful nightclubs, crowded streets filled with people from all walks of life.

Amidst this hustle and bustle are countless stories of people working, struggling, falling in love and simply trying to find their place in the world.

It is this vibrant slice of old Kuala Lumpur that director, choreographer and producer Kenny Shim hopes to bring to the stage with “3 Days in Chow Kit Road”, an original Malaysian dance theatre production.

The show follows a group of colourful characters living and working in the area, from delivery boys and seamstresses to nightclub workers and gangsters.

Shim said he was drawn to Chow Kit because of its many contrasts and the different communities sharing the same space.

“It is colourful, chaotic, sometimes rough, but also incredibly human. You have people from completely different backgrounds living and working side by side. I thought that was a very interesting world to explore through dance,” he told FMT Lifestyle.

At the heart of the story are Owen, a delivery boy, and Jasmine, a young dressmaking apprentice whose relationship provides the thread connecting audiences to the narrative’s other characters.

As Shim developed the production, he realised there was a larger story he wanted to tell. “I kept returning to one question: what makes somewhere home? Is it the place itself, or is home really the people we choose to belong to?”

Dance, naturally, became the language through which Shim, founder and artistic director of the Kenny Shim Dance Collective (KSDC), chose to explore that question.

While contemporary dance forms the foundation of the show, audiences can also expect influences from ballet, jazz, social dance and movement inspired by Malaysian cultural forms.

“The style really depends on where we are in the story,” he explained. “A busy morning market should move very differently from a nightclub, a wedding, or an intimate moment between two people.”

As a work of dance theatre, he added, the production require its performers to do more than simply execute choreography. A major challenge lay in ensuring the characters’ movements and interactions also help advance the story.

“3 Days in Chow Kit Road” is no small undertaking: the production features more than 30 dancers, five live musicians and two singers, supported by an all-Malaysian creative team.

Amirah Redza takes the lead as Jasmine, alongside Chee Kar Hung as Owen, while other performers include Suhaili Micheline, Lim Sook Meng, Charlotte Phun, James Kan and Mohd Nuriqram.

Lee Han serves as music director, while Kelvin Loh is the composer. Together, the team has worked on approximately one hour and 45 minutes of music.

Among the scenes Shim is particularly excited about is the morning market, where the large ensemble helps bring Chow Kit Road to life.

There is also a nightclub sequence showing another side of the neighbourhood, as well as a wedding scene celebrating different communities coming together.

Yet the quieter sequences are just as important, Shim noted. Sometimes, having just two people on stage can be just as powerful as a full cast.

Beneath its spectacle, he believes the production is also an invitation for audiences to consider the choices they make. One decision could affect not only your own life but those of everyone around you, he said.

That is where the “three days” in the title become important: an entire world could change in a remarkably short time.

Beyond that, Shim hopes the show demonstrates what local performers and creatives are capable of.

“We have our own stories to tell,” he said, “and they deserve to be seen on our stages.”

Get your tickets here.

‘3 Days in Chow Kit Road’

When:
Sep 18-20 @ 8.30pm
Sept 19 & 20 @ 3pm

Where:
The Grand Theatre,
Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre,
Sunway Square Mall, Jalan Lagoon Selatan,
47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

For location, click here.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.