Interview by William Chan
Florence Cheong Ut Ieng – local director, dance choreographer and artist – has told The Macau Post Daily about her collaboration with TDSM dance studio and musician Ari Calangi to create Dalia The Musical 2.0.
The exclusive interview was held online last week.
After Cheong had graduated from the Macao Conservatory as a dancer, she furthered her studies in Taiwan and the United Kingdom and since then has participated in various pieces as dance choreographer and solo dancer in Macau and mainland China.
Dalia The Musical 2.0 is about a pair of young siblings and their friends who live in a world where everyone only lives up to the age of 18 years, and their journey to seek God to change the world.
Kid actors
Cheong said that the musical explores concepts such as death, dreams and sacrifices. When asked whether such serious themes are suitable for young actors, Cheong said that she found that youngsters have their own unique perspectives on such ideas, adding: “They asked questions that most of adults wouldn’t. A nine-year-old actor said after he read the script: ‘We can’t have it all, not all at once.’ I was genuinely surprised by how the actor interpreted the script.”
The young performers not only need to handle dancing, singing and acting on stage, but they also have to comprehend the story and tell it compellingly to the audience. “These kids are very talented and I think they even interpret the roles better than adults. Many of them exhibited straightforward but effortless acting abilities, creating their own spin on the script. They also worked very hard, often coming to rehearsals after school and practising till late in the evening. I would also like to thank their parents who supported them endlessly,” Cheong noted.
Dance, music theatre
The music of Dalia 2.0 is written by Calangi, a local all-round-instrumentalist whose band participated in the recent hush! “Calangi is a multifaceted musician who brought in various styles of music to the musical – pop, rap, jazz big band, and even Japanese anime music. More importantly, he has a sharp sense of what is going on with the dancers and the script, and thus his music is very adaptable for the performance,” Cheong said, adding that Calangi is a fantastic musician she had worked with before, and his music is always very impressive and moves the listeners’ hearts.
Meanwhile, Cheong said that the story is told by the young dancers using street dance. “Our creative direction is to form a musical theatre, but since the kids have been learning street dancing for a long time, it is natural for us to integrate these elements together. Besides, musical theatre requires a lot of body language to convey meanings. It is just natural that dancing and musicals are very compatible, almost inseparable from each other,” Cheong added.
Pandemic & local art culture
According to Cheong, the charisma of musical theatre can only be perceived in live performances. “I served as a dance and musical movie director in the mainland recently, and I think that the sensation provided on a screen is completely different to that in a live theatre. Of course, the directions of a movie and a theatre are quite distinctive. However, if musical theatre is simply recorded and posted online, aesthetics and meanings will be lost,” Cheong said.
Cheong believes that the local art culture is well-advocated and popularised, with residents able to participate in and watch various art-related activities. However, she noted that specialisation and professionalisation in the art industry is relatively lacking compared to nearby regions. “I hope that the young performers one day can also have a mature cultural environment in which they can thrive. In return, they can use their talents to attract more locals so that more can appreciate theatre in Macau,” Cheong noted.
Dalia 2.0 The Musical will be held at The Parisian Theatre in Cotai at the weekend. The performances will start at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sunday. To purchase tickets, visit www.macauticket.com/TicketWeb/ProgramInfo.aspx?proCode=P-003504 The ticket price is 220 patacas, with discounts available for group purchases.
This undated file photo shows Florence Cheong Ut Ieng directing. – Photo provided by Cheong
This undated file photo shows local musician Ari Calangi posing with his guitar. – Photo provided by Calangi
This photo shows the TDSM kid dance crew practising in a dance studio in Nape recently. – Photos provided by TDSM
