Floral Feast of Dance Unfolding in Jakarta

With no stage, no seats and no barriers between the dancers and the audience, “Petals in the Crowd — Flowers of Lamentation Series II,” a contemporary dance piece, won’t settle for being an evening of pretty but passive entertainment.

Less of a performance and more about experience, “Petals” aims to challenge people’s notions of dance recitals, personal and public space and interactions with others.

“Petals” is the creation of Angela Liong, who was once proclaimed Singapore’s shaman of dance, and her dance group, The Arts Fission Company.

In creating “Petals,” Liong said, she considered the impact of technology on modern society. But she also drew from Ezra Pound’s 1913 haiku-influenced poem, “In a Station of the Metro,” and the Tang Dynasty-era piece “Face in the Peach Blossoms.”

Although the influences and ideas might seem disjointed, Liong said the disparate themes were united through flowers.

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‘Petals in the Crowd — Flowers of Lamentation Series II’ is being performed at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at:
Komunitas SaliharaJl. Salihara No. 16 Pasar Minggu South Jakarta
Tickets are Rp 50,000 and Rp 25,000 for students