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A local legend retold through dance BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » thesundaypost - New 2 Borneo

A local legend retold through dance

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:50 AM PST

by Julia Chin. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

"I HAD never imagined one of the most popular Iban legends I heard as a child – Kuang Kapong – could be beautifully retold as a ballet."

Such was the musing of Yvonne Asong Anthony, a student from the Institute of Teacher Education Batu Lintang campus.

She is among over 150 local youths involved in staging the upcoming Life in the Jungle charity production this mid-January in Kuching in aid of the Sarawak Kidney Association, the Community Based Rehabilitation Centre Kuching and the Kuching Society for the Urban Poor.

The ballet is based on Heidi Munan's libretto and Julia Chong's musical compositions for an operetta of the same name, staged 30 years ago in Kuching.

Those who enjoyed the 1984 operetta are assured of another performance of Munan's witty script and some of Chong's melodies such as Hush Little Baby, Pong Kapong We Beg You and A Brave and Hardy Volunteer.

However, being a unique ballet, featuring mainly performing talents from LayNa Ballet Academy, Institute of Teacher Education Batu Lintang Campus (IPBL) choir and Sarawak State Symphonic Orchestra (SONS), this year's production is different in several ways.

The large-scale re-enactment of Life in the Jungle features much originality – mainly with ballet choreography by Chan LayNa, Anthony Wong's orchestral arrangement of Chong's music with additions of his own compositions as well as costumes and set designs, headed by Megan Chalmers.

Local ethnic performance items by the Batu Lintang Institute such as a silat performance and an Iban instrumental ensemble are also current production features, not seen by the audience in 1984.

The storyline

The story used in this production, differing only slightly from the plot featured in the 1984 production, is based on two Iban Legends – the role of Burung Pong Kapong in pollinating jungle fruit trees and the Iban naming ritual.

The Pong Kapong is responsible for pollinating fruit trees to ensure the continuous supply of food for all the animals in Sarawak's rainforest. However, when Mother Pong Kapong tries to give their baby her first bath in the river, the baby is badly bitten by the Ikan Juak. To save their baby from future harm by the dangerous fish, the Pong Kapong family decide to leave their homeland for Sumatra.

The trees do not fruit following the family's departure, resulting in the starvation of nearly all the animals in Sarawak. In response to the call from the animals' leader – the Rhino – a courageous team of insects volunteer to make the perilous journey to Sumatra to convince the Pong Kapong to return to Sarawak.

On finding the family in a Sumatran Batak village, they plead for their return to save their old neighbours. The Pong Kapongs then suddenly remember that they have an extra egg in a nest on Mount Kinabalu and suggest the animals enlist a bird to go there and hatch it for them.

The insects return to Sarawak and Tok Tarau assumes the responsibility for hatching the egg. When the new baby Pong Kapong is hatched and taken to the river for his first bath, the Ikan Juak demands they observe his customs by bringing an offering – a spear for a baby boy and a weaving stick for a girl.

The Pong Kapong family suddenly arrives and Pong Kapong duels with Ikan Juak, eventually defeating the pompous fish. Finally, all is well again with the trees bearing fruits and all the animals feasting and living happily ever after.

Behind the scenes

The production is spearheaded by a voluntary organising committee, led by Michael Lim (organising chairman), Lee San San and Chalmers.

"This team consists of professionals and lovers of the arts, dedicated to sharing their talents in their respective fields to make this artistic showcase a reality," Lim explained.

The committee has been planning the show over the course of 2013, meeting bi-weekly at locations such as Chalmer's architectural office and the Sarawak Club. The past year had been busy for all those involved, dividing their time mostly between their daily work or school commitments and preparations for this charity production.

The 100 ballet dancers, aged six to 19 years, have been rehearsing relentlessly at Chan's academy while the about 40 member-strong SONS orchestra under the purview of the Social Development Ministry, have their own rehearsals under the baton of their resident coach, Victor Leong.

At Batu Lintang, the 30-member choir and 15 cultural dancers have also been having their fair share of intensive practices with Julia Chong's daughter, Chong Pek Lin.

These performing bodies could not have proceeded without the efficient musical arrangement and compositions done by Wong who spent many hours preparing the musical scores.

Wong arranged most of the music, working closely with the dance, music and choir directors to meet the specific requirements of their respective genres.

Some committee members and other volunteers also had their hands full preparing costumes and props. Chalmers was sewing costumes when travelling abroad to visit family while others were still helping to crystalise her designs even on Christmas Day!

A closer look

"Preparing 160 costumes in 12 months has been the biggest challenge and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my volunteers who include the ballet students, friends and family," Chalmers said.

"We spent many hours gluing 5,000 feathers onto the birds' wings and masks, sewing on sequins and braids as well as making hats, antennae and fish scales."

The diverse species featured in the production also provided an interesting choreographing opportunity for Chan.

"The choreographing was fun as I had to research online for the insects and animals involved, closely observing their movements," she said.

"For example, Pong Kapong, Tok Tarau, Terkukur and Semalau are all birds but I have to find ways to differentiate them through their movements, most of them being very subtle."

Pek Lin adopted a similar strategy to prepare her students for the Sumatran scene. She researched online for authentic Batak dance and music before working with the IPBL students in choreographing for the Sumatran dance and martial arts items.

Providing live accompaniment nearly throughout the ballet offers the orchestra its own challenge.

"The duration and continuous flow of the music require a full hour and a half of playing time with only a few breaks in between," Leong said.

"This means the orchestra and the conductor need to have absolute unwavering concentration during each segment of the work."

The recitatives that play an important role in narrating the storyline of the ballet have also been a challenge for the performance team.

"It has been very difficult combining the recitatives, trying to match all these words to both orchestral accompaniment and ballet movements," Pek Lin explained.

"It's possibly the first time this has been attempted worldwide – let the audience see if this comes out effectively."

One of the issues faced by the production team is the lack of venue options as it has been difficult to locate and book a space that allows a ballet company, choir as well as a full orchestra to perform in front of a live audience.

Tribute to Julia

A production of this kind and scale is a testament to the local artistic scene.

"The labelling of Sarawak as a cultural desert is a false notion to be further debunked after this production" Lim said.

Leong expanded on Lim's assertion: "This re-enactment of an operetta staged 30 years ago will hopefully showcase the local arts scene as having evolved significantly since.  It will undoubtedly be a momentous occasion and will be part of Sarawak's arts history as how the original operetta has become."

The Sarawakian features in this production such as the Ngajat team and Iban instrumental ensemble from IPBL also aid in reminding the audience of the local Iban roots in the storyline of this unique ballet.

The year 2014, marking the 13th anniversary of Chong's passing and the milestone of the original operetta's 30th  anniversary, makes it fitting to dedictae the staging of this production to her memory.

"Having known the late Datin Julia personally, this is such a wonderful way to pay tribute to her as a person and musician," Lim said.

I personally could not agree more. Aside from enjoying the beauty in the dancers' movements and feeling a surge of pride upon hearing the voices of the choir, I find myself inwardly beaming when playing tunes such as Hush Little Baby with the orchestra, feeling my late grandmother's music coming alive once again.

Life in the Jungle will be staged at the old State Assembly Complex in Petra Jaya, Kuching, from Jan 17 to 19 with the Jan 18 show being the gala black-tie performance.

Tickets are priced from RM35 to RM100 or up to RM200 for the gala night. Those interested in corporate sponsorship or buying tickets can contact 017-228 0833 or 012-895 1334 or email lifeinthejungle2014@gmail.com. For more updates, check out the Facebook page Life in the Jungle 2014.

 Julia Chin (BA (Hons) University of Toronto) is the granddaughter of the late Datin Julia Chong. She plays first violin in the orchestra, helps train the choir and coordinates the ethnic dances from ITE Batu Lintang and is a member of the organising committee.

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Designer has passion for paper crafts

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:41 AM PST

by Antonia Chiam reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

Never give up on your dreams.

That is a mantra most people would live by but for designer Ceres Lau Sin Yee, it is more than just a slogan. In fact, it is the very essence of her life and her passion for the arts, fuelled by encouragement and love from her late father.

"Dad had always been my inspiration. He is the reason why I'm still going on. Regardless of what people throw at me, I will always remember what he had done and said.

"He was always telling me how hard his life was, how he never got to do what he loved. When I said I wanted to study arts, a lot of people were like, what are you doing? That's suicide, a waste of money!

"However, Dad said if I was really serious about what I wanted to do and if I thought I could do it, then he would support me all the way. It was Dad who made sure I continued my studies in London to get the exposure despite our difficult times and his illness," she shared with thesundaypost recently.

The 23-year-old dreamed of opening a shop to spread the love for arts and paper crafts which she believed is something very underrated here.

"I wish to be a professional paper artist, fusing paper crafts into design and advertising. I would want paper as my primary medium to work with.

"I have a long way to go before achieving my dream but I'm definitely not giving up on it. I hope to be recognised and respected in this profession because many people have tried to put it down as a useless industry.

"I think to achieve something in life, we should never let others bring us down with their words. Don't lose focus of your dream because it is up to you to keep it going. If you have a dream, you have to protect it," she said.

Ceres' love for paper crafts started when she was doing her Foundation in Design at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

"One of the assignments involved paper but because the industry here is always stressing on digital works, I never really ventured deeper into it until my final year in London.

"That was the time I started moving out of my comfort zone and explored more about papers. My lecturer over there encouraged me to do what I love instead of what I'm bound to do.

"After the first paper-based assignment, I began to explore more complex designs. I remember creating a set of movable paper toys, which got short-listed into a national arts and design competition. That was something I did not see coming. It was the starting point of everything.

"For me, paper crafts are something you can express yourself in freely. You can cut and glue, bend and fold, almost anything can be done using paper," she added.

Ceres loves challenging herself to see what she is capable of – which is why she is constantly experimenting and exploring different styles and techniques in paper crafts.

"It can be layering, cutting, folding and quilling. I'm trying to explore more of paper quilling at the moment. I have done a piece of paper quilling work for an exhibition just recently. That was one of the most challenging piece of work I have done, to date. It requires so much patience, concentration and time.

"I work mostly with flat-surfaced papers because I love testing out and making textures out of plain papers.

"Brands such as Daler Rowney's Canford series and Canson are among my favourites as they do not bleed when glued. Actually, materials for paper crafts are quite hard to find here. I tried to find the colours, texture and weight I needed but it is always a headache. I have to travel to Kuala Lumpur for the supplies or buy them online.

"Sometimes, I would ask friends in Singapore or the United Kingdom to help me search for the papers I need," she revealed.

Paper crafts have made Ceres see things differently as a designer and approach projects with more creativity.

"I think we don't always have to stick to digital designs only. I love to be hands-on with every project I approach. The reason behind this is that I feel it helps me learn and gain more experience. It gives the project more life and more of my personality.

"I always try to be as original as possible but I would still look at others' works as reference and from there, create different styles of my own. I always strive for creativity and perfection. I hope that shows in my works," she explained.

She is inspired by her two favourite paper artists – Yulia Brodskaya and a French duo known as Zim and Zou.

"They have been my inspirations for years. I find their detailed paper works very interesting. I can spend hours just admiring and observing their works which are crazy in every way but superb at the same time," she enthused.

Ceres now has one piece of artwork on display at an exhibition, organised by LOV Gallery at Jalan Padungan.

It is an intricate piece made of quilled papers with a short but strong message on Love.

"I was actually planning on exhibiting two pieces of artworks but paper crafts require a lot of time – from designing and sketching to choosing the right papers and colours. The process took me weeks to a month – it was definitely out of my expectation. In the end, I only managed to complete one out of two but it was totally worth it.

"My former lecturer approached me to take part in the exhibition. I'm glad to have been involved as it inspired me to do things beyond my ordinary reach. It pushed me to produce something I couldn't even think I could make.

"I hope through the exhibition, people will get to know more about the art of papers and using papers in design. I hope they will see how a piece of plain paper with some glue and a tweezer can produce wonders," she noted.

When Ceres is not working on her paper crafts, she will still take the time to try her hands on other kinds of Do-It-Yourself crafts.

"Besides that, reading and gaming have been among my favourite pastimes ever since I was little. If I'm not doing these, I will be outdoors playing with my dogs."

She may be leading an ordinary life right now but the spunky designer is determined to live life to the fullest, undaunted by naysayers.

"Don't ever let someone convince you that only a certain career path or a certain lifestyle will make you successful in life. If it's not something you truly want yourself or something you truly feel in your heart, then it's all wrong and not something you should be doing.

"I'm not saying don't listen to other people's suggestions but in the end, you will still have to listen to that voice in your heart. It will never be an easy journey but it will always lead you to the right place," she said.

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Gutsy biker on 1,000km odyssey to Kota Kinabalu

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:36 AM PST

by Danny Wong reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

THERE is nothing extraordinary about riding a motorcycle from Sibu to Kota Kinabalu, but to accomplish the feat on a diminutive Honda EX5 100 cc can be a daunting effort, Mud Sahari, 49, testifies.

The gutsy school staff from Kampung Hilir here has created personal history for himself by accomplishing the 1,100km odyssey on six occasions, and is still raring to rev up his machine for more sojourns to the Land Below the Wind and to Kalimantan.

Although it would be ideal to undertake such trips on bigger motorcycles, Mud Sahari loves the challenges that come with such motoring adventure on smaller scale models.

The solo biker who has had his share of tricky moments such as manoeuvring rough topographical terrain of both Sarawak and Sabah, encountering the vagaries of the weather, confronting wild animals, encumbered by mechanical breakdowns and punctured tyres takes it all in his stride and pace.

"I do not see the journey as dangerous, but I consider it to be personally exhilarating due to the refreshing wilderness and large expanse of forest land in both the states of Sabah and Sarawak," he told The Borneo Post recently.

It is also more challenging when riding the smaller motorcycle alone by myself. I consider it an expedition and leisure trip to Sabah, says Mud.

According to him, he had so far traversed from Sibu to Sabah six times on his motorcycle, with the latest "expedition" in September.

He said his motorbike rides to Sabah were also to visit one of his four children pursuing further study at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

"I had a strong liking to ride motorcycles since I was a child, though I never dreamt of riding a motorcycle from Sibu to Kota Kinabalu," he says.

During his September trip, Mud started his journey from Sibu to Miri and continued on to Limbang, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu.

To ensure everything runs smoothly, Mud had to take leave from his work to prepare for his arduous journey, and the first task is to perk up his machine so that it will be able to withstand the grueling journey.

Mud also ensures that all the basic necessities are sufficient, including a map, raincoat, safety jacket and a tool kit to repair his bike in case of any breakdown along the way.

"I depart Sibu at 6am, make a stop-over in Miri and stay overnight there after riding for nine to 10 hours. The following day, I resume my journey to Lawas and put up there for the night. The next morning at 7am, I continue my journey to Kimanis town and then proceed to Keningau and arrive there at 11am. After that, I continue to Tambunan reaching there at 1pm.

"From there, I continue on to Penampang and arrive at Kota Kinabalu at 5pm the same day," Mud said with a sense of fulfilment.

He said his decision to ride his motorcycle solo to Sabah was also to derive satisfaction out of life while taking in the natural scenic view.

Mud said he only cruised around at 70 to 90km an hour as several stretches of the road especially from Sibu to Miri is not suitable for speeding.

He says the expedition to Sabah was very tiring, but the satisfaction that could be derived and the experience gained has exposed him to the many colourful facets of life.

"An experience that I will remember for a long time, was during the journey towards Keningau, where  I experienced unfavourable conditions and a sense of difficulty and hopelessness," says Mud.

"I had to also endure a range of hilly roads and several sharp bends which really tested my patience," he said.

Asked on the expenditure needed for the return journey from Sibu to Sabah, he stated it was far more cheaper compared to travelling by air.

He said he spends about RM1,000 only, including accommodation, food and drinks.

For fuel costs, he said, he only spends around RM200 to RM300 for return trips.

For Mud, Kota Kinabalu is not going to be his last pit stop! Smitten by a case of wanderlust, Mud  wants to push the throttle towards Indonesia. "Once I find a motoring companion for this trip, as I am concerned of my personal safety, I am heading for Kalimantan," he said.

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The birds from Teku may stop dancing

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:32 AM PST

by Conny Banji reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

AT a farm not far town, the world's largest birds are dancing.

The farm in Teku, about 30 minutes' drive from the town centre in Sibu, is the first in the state for rearing ostriches. On the outside, it looks like any ordinary farm but wait till you get inside. There, you'll see about 60 ostriches with the youngest chicks at a year old and the oldest, aged 10.

The supervisor Tie Sing Ping Tie was, at first, reluctant to be interviewed because the farm owner, who is his uncle, is thinking of discontinuing commercial ostrich rearing. Besides the hike in feed prices, he said egg-laying had also been badly affected by the weather over the past five years.

So now, the property is doubling up as a show farm, attracting visitors, parti-cularly from schools and non-governmental organisations.

According to Tie, the farm was started in 1996 when his uncle bought 30 ostrich chicks from Australia.

"He paid a few thousand ringgit for each chick. And from 30 first-generation chicks, the ostrich population grew to 600 sixth-generation birds," he said.

Tie is assisted by relatives and some workers. The ostrichs are reared for meat, eggs and skin.

"There is great demand for the meat even though the price is RM38 per kg. Ostrich meat tastes like venison and is low in fats and cholesterol," he said.

He added that so far, the farm has produced thousands of eggs for hatching and for sale.

Ostrich eggs are white, oval-shaped and have a glossy porcelain-like shell.

Tie said one ostrich egg is equivalent to about 20 ordinary hen eggs and usually weighs one kg or more each. At the farm, fresh eggs fetch RM20 each.

He said empty egg shells are also sold as souvenirs at the farm. The skin is used to make leather shoes, belts and wallets.

Ostrichs become sexually mature between two and four years old.

"During the mating season, the males will perform the mating dance. One bird lays between five and six eggs at a time," Tie explained.

He said because the local weather is not conducive for the eggs to hatch naturally, incubators are used, adding that the hatching process usually takes six weeks.

"Newly-hatched chicks can weigh between 800gm and 900gm each. They will be placed in a room with a temperature of 34 degress Celsius until they are able to walk and feed on their own."

Tie said an ostrich can live up to 70 years, and stands 2.8m at its tallest and weighs 145kg at its heaviest.

An adult ostrich eats about 3kg of food everyday, consisting of corn, kangkung (water spinach), beans and other feeds.

Like any other business, ostrich farming also has its challenges.

Tie said apart from costly feeds, there are also egg-producing problems as ostriches do not lay when it rains, adding that even during laying season, not all eggs are suitable for hatching.

He said with only 60 birds left from a flock of 600, his uncle is contemplating giving up his venture.

"We have started planting longan and breeding other livestocks. But we will still keep the birds we have for visitors to see," he said.

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Water music — Sounds and Sights

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:25 AM PST

by Alan Rogers. Posted on January 5, 2014, Sunday

DURING my daily walks with my adopted hunting dog along the banks of a local river, under azure blue skies and in absolutely still air, I have watched peregrine falcons hover overhead and then spin vertically to catch their prey – usually a pigeon or an unsuspecting rabbit.

I have heard and seen the yellowish brown leaves float from the branches of oak trees above my head.

It is after all late autumn and early winter in the United Kingdom. As I walk the 2km-stretch of the river, every day I hear the sweet and angry sounds of this river in perpetual motion.

Suddenly my dog disturbs a pair of grey herons fishing in a pool. They fly off to circumnavigate the river valley before resting in their nest on a river-created islet.

These herons remind me of cattle egrets resting on the backs of water buffalo in Sabah and Sarawak and on wildebeests in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

The angry music of the river comes from the riffles on the river's bed and the tranquil and just audible sounds further downriver in the pools. The riffling of the riffles and the relative silence of the pools.

What is a riffle and what is a pool?

Over the last 20 years, my geography students and I have surveyed the long and cross sections of this river to note the movements of pools and riffles downstream over time and in different heights of the river flow.

In 1999 and again in 2000, I tubed (sitting in an inflated car tyre inner tube) for three hours along the course of the River Danum at the Danum Valley in Sabah.

With flip-flops as paddles and an ever-swelling tiger leech on my big toe the study of the long section of this river is indelibly printed on my mind.

My KadazanDusun guide's inner tube punctured by hitting the sharp stones on a riffle – a gravel bar.

Swirling around wildly in the pools beyond the riffles, it took a big effort to extricate my tube from deeper waters. This three-hour journey, when I was carried in the lap of a fast-flowing river, taught me more about pools and riffles than any textbook.

TA Stuart, a Scottish ecologist researching the spawning of salmon and trout 60 years ago, coined the terms riffles and pools. He identified the relative spacing of these natural features along the course of a river and their movements downstream over time.

Stuart astutely noted that water flowing viciously over gravel riffle bars provided aeration for the incubation of fish ova.

The American geomorphologists Leopold, Wolman and Miller, through their extensive studies, substantiated Stuart's findings in their book 'Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology' (1964), namely that pools and riffles are equally spaced along the course of a river at distances between five and seven widths of a river's channel.

Associated with gravel/pebble based riverbeds, the riffles or gravel bars are lobate (have roundish and flat arms); and in meandering channels slope alternative between banks.

The material gathered on a riffle is larger in particle size than that found in a pool. River velocity is reduced upon reaching the upstream section of a riffle only to gain a surge in energy as it rushes down the steeper downstream slope of a riffle edge into the pool below, where the river's incoming surge of energy is dissipated as the water swirls around before moving downstream to the next riffle. Major floods cause riverbank erosion, adding further load to the river bed and ultimately to the reposition of riffles in a downstream direction.

River channels take many shapes and flowing water creates its own sounds – the riffling noise over a riffle and the peacefulness of a pool. The laminar flow of a river, with parallel layers of water shearing one over another, is a beauty to behold.

Yet when the velocity of a river exceeds a critical value, as in the time of flood, the river's turbulent waters expend this surge of energy by eddying with still further erosion of the river's bed and its banks.

The river is expending this energy in frictional loss against its bed and the riverbanks.

Seasonal rainfall causes excitingly different sounds in a river's flow. Earlier this year, after a very wet autumn and winter, 'my' river was a raging torrent with its water spilling out over the sides of the bank onto the flood plain. It was about five times wider than its normal channel width.

Trees were uprooted and fell into the river, fence posts were knocked down as the river eroded its banks. This debris, still in the river channel, has not been cleared out by the farmers whose land the meandering river occupies.

The sound of the river at that time of flooding was nigh unbearable and the damage immeasurable in terms of the loss of farmland. So far this relatively dry autumn and winter 'my' river is still making sweet sounds to my ear and the riffles are moving, albeit very slowly, downstream.

See the beauty of the laminar flow of water of the Sarawak River in its downstream section in Kuching, observe and hear the force of water pouring off the waterfalls of the Lambir Hills or, indeed, for even louder water music, off the bare granite surfaces of Mount Kinabalu during heavy rainfall.

Rivers are of all shapes, sizes and volumes … each and every one provides us with different forms of beauty and its own music. Just pause and listen to water music.

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