There may have been fewer programmes than during the opening week, but the second weekend at Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008 was still a visual delight, with different styles of dance and performance concepts staged by three troupes from Asia and Europe.

Audience numbers at Patravadi Theatre's Theatre-in-the-Garden were up from the first week but the auditorium was still less than half full. Also, the majority of spectators was made up of expatriates, which speaks volumes about Bangkok's cultural life and the interest - or lack thereof - of the Thai people in non-commercial arts.

The triple-bill programme began with "A Man's Requiem for the Lonely" by Dance Company SEOP from Korea. Originally scheduled as the closing show, it instead was switched to the curtain raiser for the entire weekend. That turned out to be a wise choice as, for most spectators, the show was the least interesting of the three and would have seemed even more lustreless if placed in between or after the two other pieces.

            THE NATION photos by Taweesak Pakdeehoon

This Korean-folk-dance-turned-contemporary piece was intended as a modern memorial service for those who died before their time. And indeed, the performance had a ritualistic air from the very beginning, as four female dancers, dressed entirely in white, came on stage and started folding white pieces of paper into the shape of a flower - slowly and hypnotically. Unfortunately, the whole picture became rather irritating when one performer struggled to place one paper flower on her head and another on the floor.

There wasn't much to the choreography and the techniques were not of a very high standard. One of the two male dancers, whose head was wrapped in black cloth, seemed to wander on the stage pointlessly. He contributed little to the piece and looked somewhat awkward and out of place.

True, the lighting of the performance was neat, and the shower of pink petals on stage was gorgeous. But what's the point of a sumptuous relish next to an unfulfilling main course?

Magpie Music Dace Company, on the other hand, led the audience through an exceptional dance going experience. In fact, the Amsterdam-based-company offered three different performances of "Magpie Melt Bangkok" each night. In addition to Friday's show by its members, the company also organised a workshop, which resulted in the Saturday and Sunday performances being undertaken in collaboration with Thai artists, among them Anucha Sumaman, Pattra Sarikaputra, and Jitti Chompee.

"Melt" was only loosely structured and highly improvisational, with the audience stimulated to follow the spontaneous choreography but without being able to predict where the performance would lead. The performers explored different parts of the stage, including under the sound technician's table, and even went off the stage to the seating area and on to the front row seats to dance.

Each dancer's different training contributed equally to the piece and added to its diversity. Chiang Mai-based classical dancer Anucha added a Thai touch through his hand gestures, while the Royal Ballet School alumnus Pattra brought grace with her long, delicate limbs and high extensions.

The music, as well as the dance, was mainly an extemporisation. The musician - an electric guitarist - walked freely on stage, mixing with the dancers, sometimes poking them teasingly. He played his instrument upside down and also created intriguing sounds having pressing the neck against the floor.

THE NATION photo by Taweesak Pakdeehoon

Magpie really did "melt Bangkok", blending dancers from different cultures and specialities. At the same time, it wasn't just a fine mixture of the Netherlands and Bangkok, but also a melting pot of dancers and musicians and of various performance disciplines and a performance that transcended stereotypes and traditions.

That same disregard for tradition continued into the evening as bewildered audience members were asked to move and sit on the cushions provided on stage, switching places with Macao's Comuna de Pedra, who commenced the closing show in the seating area.

As "Kafka Listening to the Wind" a dance theatre inspired by Haruki Murakami's literary works, progressed, the audience was invited to follow the performers to various corners of the theatre, out of the auditorium to the gallery area and eventually to the open ground next to the cafeteria, on a trail of special places that brought back memories of friendship or pain through body movements, voices, and projected images.

The production concept was interesting and entertaining although the quality of dance skills was low. But in the end, "Kafka" was quite enjoyable, especially, one suspects, for those more used to sitting still and watching what goes on behind the proscenium arch.

For more on the ongoing "Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008", visit www.PatravadiTheatre.com.

written by Jasmine Baker

published in The Nation on Wednesday, January 30, 2008

except where noted, all photos are courtesy of Patravadi Theatre