A TASTE OF DANCE & MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYEBy Aiden Adams
IT was Martha Graham (1894-1991), an American pioneer of modern dance and one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, who once said:
“We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energise the spectator into keener awareness of the vigour, the mystery, the humour, the variety, and the wonder of life.”
Here in Brunei, there is a small but well-known company called Relentless Entertainment, formed just last year and yet one of the fastest-growing establishments of its kind, that aims to nurture and train students in dance, drama and singing, of which the group Activ-8 is in its performing arts division.
With over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Mardi, who is Relentless Entertainment’s Founder and Artistic Director, says that he knows what to look for when it comes to raw talents.
This is partly because, before returning to our shores, Mardi was formerly a teacher at the
His many other impressive credits include working with some of the top dancers and choreographers from
“
“I would help that happen by training or working with the talents, and generally assisting artistic people in reaching their full potential, the best way I know how. For now, my objective is to bring the country’s most promising dancers together and maybe nurture them into professional performers.”
Speaking on behalf of his company, Mardi added, “We would like to cater and eventually become the backbone to the nation’s entertainment scene. This will take some time but we are confident that it can be done.
“We are also currently looking to include other dance groups and potential choreographers who we could work with in the future. Our main criteria are originality, a willingness to learn and the ability to think outside the proverbial box.”
In the Sultanate, Mardi is assisted in his quest by two young locals - Amy Cheong, the Partner and Director of Relentless Entertainment, as well as its Manager, Khamdhi Asmad.
“For about a year now, I have trained with many different kinds of people and genres of dance that include Street Jazz, Lyrical Hip-Hop, Ol’ Skool, Electro and a lot more. It has also been an honour and privilege for me to be a part of this group and participate in a few exciting and memorable events,” said Khamdhi.
The Founder and Artistic Director of Relentless Entertainment, Mardi (L), with its Manager Khamdhi
“In 2009, we are looking forward to create even more of a buzz and a close community of artists. Being very passionate, believing in yourself and becoming really committed - these traits are definitely needed to be accomplished in this field.”
From mid-2008 to the present day, Relentless Entertainment and Activ-8 have been living up to their names, while somewhat creating a storm and leading a worthwhile movement in the local arts scene.
In that relatively short amount of time, they have tirelessly rehearsed then performed with much vigour and rarely seen showmanship for the Philippines Independence Day Dinner, Laksmana College of Business Gala Night, the Brunei Cup tournament and the b.Mobile Appreciation Dinner.
In addition to co-organising the Move It! Dance Showdown contest last month with Suci and Cityneon, they also showcased their unique talents at various road shows, comprising those of Leneige, Zunic Wellness as well as DST, when they closely collaborated with one of Brunei’s popular record labels, Projectunes.
Their main sponsors are Rock Paper Scissors, Leneige, Kokusui Enterprise and Zunic Wellness, whose continued support Relentless Entertainment has expressed tremendous gratitude for.
“We would in fact like to work with anyone or any company that wants to hire us for their upcoming projects, especially those with keen interests in the country’s arts or entertainment scene as a whole,” added Mardi.
This week, the youths of Relentless Entertainment continue to be very busy, as they are currently co-organising a dance competition with b.Mobile, which will see its semi-final round this afternoon and the closing tomorrow evening - both happening at The Mall in Gadong.
In addition to this, there will be open auditions for a fresh dance troupe tentatively called Relentless (which would also become the company’s new core and main training group) at Zunic tomorrow from 2pm onwards, and in the afternoon on Sunday March 29 at the same venue.
In a simultaneous manner, the ambitious company is also taking on other and bigger projects that are in the pipeline and to be kept under wraps until a much later date when certain confirmations are received.
“I personally would urge more young people to take up dancing because I myself got a taste of what it is like and, aside from the exposure, fun and high satisfaction that a dancer could get from performing, I can tell you that there is more to all of this than meets the eye,” said Khamdhi.
“I know that dancing does not just help with one’s creative side, but it can also change a person. Over time, a serious dancer would gain a newfound respect for the craft, while trying to master its many surprising elements.
“The important qualities or attributes that a good dancer needs to develop in order to succeed, such as confidence, discipline, timing, health-consciousness and even one’s overall presentation, usually helps a person and would prove extremely useful in all other areas of his or her life,” he added.
“This may be hard to believe but it really is true. Therein, at least to me, lies the real beauty of dance as an art form.” For more information, visit www.relentless-entertainment.blogspot.com.
Members of Activ-8 pictured behind the scenes
