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 4th Edition of MOVE 2024 International World Dance Day Online Festival April 29, 2024 - Michelle Jueney e-mail: move.iwdd@gmail.com April 21, 2024  As I sit and pen my 4th media release for this passionate global dance project, I cannot believe we have achieved 4 years and hopefully counting. The challenges of dreams to bring international artists to perform in my country Malaysia with the exorbitant production costs, immigration, red tape and going through people's land mines and minefields has opened up a different beauty and opportunity I celebrate exploring avenues in film direction and creativity, connectivity amongst more creative fields, collaborations with worldwide talents with similar visions and audiences of kindred spirits, for now we share our Art with all of you as best we can within all sorts of unimaginable restrictions financially and support to keep going online. I am not funded till today even with the support of the global dance fraternity and legacy dance institutions. The 4th year brings us another huge milestone with legendary historical icon and dance figure Trisha Brown to be part of our family. Trisha Brown (1936) and Pina Bausch (1940) are actually the first creators of site specific performances. Unlike the lack of theatres in South East Asia during that time and the using of every day natural surroundings in villages to dance, act or play music for social gatherings, weddings and festivities, Trisha Brown's work was thoughtfully constructed with creative intent and fully exploiting the environment for creative punch and commanded attention for her cutting edge visions and ideas. She was also the first to perform in art gallery spaces. Many of the contemporary techniques used till today taught in dance education or choreographies come from Trisha Brown and Doris Humphrey which both dancers and audience may not know. For example her 3 trio iconic pieces 'Roof Piece', 'Walking on the Wall' and 'Leaning Duets' owned and that can only be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York was so groundbreaking visually and effective to the senses, it catapulted dance to a whole other level and introduced something so out of the box and new. For this online festival, the Trisha Brown Dance Company and Archive section consisting of only 5 staff strong together with myself collaborated to bring you not 1 but 2 of Trisha Brown's full solos one of which also became a group work and according to the New York Times, her famous work that encapsulates who Trisha Brown is in 'Set & Reset' (1983). Trisha Brown is also the only dancer in her lifetime to receive nearly every award available to Contemporary choreographers to date. MOVE 2024 - 'League of Legends' Trisha Brown (Trisha Brown Dance Company) As with past Malaysian legacy dancers with the likes of our award-winning Butoh multi-disciplinary artist Lee Swee Keong and Tony Yap a mutiple Australian award and grant recipient of theatre movement performance and trance art, we now finally have one of our oldest Ballet teachers and choreographers in Malaysia, Wong Fook Choon. Wong Fook Choon's choreographies is recognised by his old school influence of Hong Kong and Malaysian style humour and fun interpretation of old classic Ballet works and new ones like 'The Last of the Mohicans'. His vibrant and lively presentations in the Ballet scene offer a different flavour. Wong Fook Choon studied Ballet in Malaysia before taking the leap to pack his bags and pursue and refine his Ballet at the Zurich Academy of Ballet, Switzerland in 1981 and was selected to dance with CH Dance Theatre in contemporary Ballet. Wong Fook Choon remains a stalwart figure in the ballet scene. MOVE 2024 - 'Duet in the Wild' by Victoria Dance Arts (Malaysia) 'Tham Thei' is one of the oldest repertoires in Odissi Indian classical dance and one of the 4 founders of Odissi dance, Guru Deba Prasad Das's (born 1932) earliest works he ever created. Tham Thei is usually performed by a male solo or 2 female duets however in the historical archives, Tham Thei was ever only seen performed once by a very young teenage Odissi female dancer and a video of Guru Deba Prasad Das teaching it to one of his daughters or teenage student. This dance requires endurance, stamina, strength whilst maintaining fluid and vibrant musical grace. The dance is rooted in the strength and vigorous dance of the Shaivite and the lasya lyricism of the feminine and the SabdaSwaraPata, trademark of Guru Deba Prasad Das. Michelle Jueney is a dance artist and an arts practitioner for 40 years and counting. She currently works as an artistic director, dancer, choreographer, designer, curator and writer and loves doodling. She has performed globally in some of the most prestigious venues; Carnegie Hall, New York and has spearheaded some of the most impactful initiatives through Dance. Michelle has been featured on TV, newspapers and a cover story in a magazine. She was also the only dancer featured in Air Asia's Digital Ad for 'Malaysia Day'. She advocates for the Arts, women and environment. MOVE 2024 - Tham Thei by Michelle Jueney (Odissi) Raudri Singh is the granddaughter of Guru Surendra Nath Jena who derived his own unique style and later based his life in New Delhi. This dance style is very unique of Odissi dance and interpretation and presentation of 'abhinaya' dance items. This Odissi dance style also introduces turned in straight leg, a direct interpretation of the 2D temple sculptures. Raudri's deep emotions are captivating and naturalistic and beautiful to watch. 'Shilp Chandrika' is an original composition and beautiful work of Guru Surendra Nath Jena. Raudri Singh continues to be an exponent of her grandfather's Odissi style making new waves. MOVE 2024 - Shilp Chandrika (Guru Surendra Nath Jena) by Raudri Singh Mao Wei is originally from China but made his life in Hong Kong and falling in love with the city with a passion to contribute to the dance scene as he feels Hong Kong gave him his opportunity and life as well as China. Mao Wei together with Tracy Choi has created works that has slowly gained attention in other parts of the dance world. Their creative work reflects very much the influence of rock style, high pressured, fast paced, urban lifestyle of Hong Kong including their 'out of nowhere' quirky eccentrics including the music of Hong Kong's youth rock bands. A vibrant, energetic piece, we will show an excerpt of 'The Formidable Years' that is still being performed live. 'The Formidable year' is commissioned by the Macau Culture Center. MOVE 2024 - 'The Formidable Years' by MW Dance Theatre Jie-Hung Connie Shiau, born in Gainesville, Florida, raised in Tainan, Taiwan. Graduated from The High School Division For Dance of Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), and the Dance Conservatory of SUNY Purchase College. Shiau is a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Shiau has worked as a collaborator with an array of companies, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, AIM by Kyle Abraham, Gallim Dance, Helen Simoneau Danse, MeenMoves, Adam Barruch / Anatomiae Occultii, and Kevin Wynn Works. She has performed works by Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Lou Conte, Kyle Abraham, Brian Brooks, Peter Chu, Robyn Mineko Williams, Alejandro Cerrudo, Helen Simoneau, Sameena Mitta, Rena Butler, Alice Klock, Hanna Kiel, Osnel Delgado, Adam Barruch, and Kevin Wynn. Shiau is currently freelancing in New York City and is an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company. Shiau was a recipient of Chicago Dancemaker Forum Greenhouse Artist in 2019, Dance Magazine's "25 To Watch" in 2018, Honorable Mention for Jadin Wong Award for Emerging Asian American Dancer in 2014, and Reverb Dance Festival Dancer Award in 2014. MOVE 2024 - 'GreenerGrass' by Jie Hung Shiau (featuring the full company of Hubbard Street Dance) Tamara Fragale began her training as a dancer at a very young age in Cremona in 2009 in classical Ballet and then The Royal Swedish Ballet as a trainee. Tamara then danced at the renowned and historical Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Between 2012-2013 she danced in the Opera company of the Bolzano Theater as soloist and from 2013 - 2015 she developed with musician Loris Leo Lari 'The Linfalidia project' which was performed in various places in Italy. Tamara has obtained her Master's Degree in Graham technique at the Martha Graham School in New York under the direction of Susan Kikuchi. Since 2017, Tamara is the principal dancer, artistic collaborator and guest choreographer in the international Italian Art Festival DAP FESTIVAL, Pietrasanta. She has danced alongside several famous names of the dance industry such as Maria Kotchekova (San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre), Sebastian Kloborg (The Royal Danish Ballet, knighted by H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark to the Order of the Dannebrog), etc. MOVE 2024 - DAP Festival 'Cosmic Tapestry: The Golden Woman's Contractions' by Tamara Fragale  Michelle Jueney is an award-winning dancer and an arts practitioner for 40 years and counting and has made it her life. She is an artistic director, dancer, choreographer, curator, educator, designer and writer. Michelle endeavours to promote the Arts and will forever be in the blissful state of dance. Post your comments Pl provide your name and email id along with your comment. 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