Dance

From Starting to Cut the Wood
Art and artisanry in a changing world
A philosophy of life presented through craft and dance

From Starting to Cut the Wood
Mar 12-13, Black Box Theatre, Kwai Tsing Theatre

“An evening of silent conversation and ensuing hours of a great many ideas to reflect upon.” Jakarta Post

Against the soundscape of a traditional Indonesian village’s bird and street life, we hear the tools of the mask-maker – saw, ax, chisel, sandpaper and fine brush – conjuring images and a reflective solitude.

Dancer Ari Ersandi translates these sounds into movement, exploring the complex relationships among the body, materials, tools, and the very process of work and the environment. It is an exchange between the dancer and his response to these sounds、 he is becoming the wood itself, which is being transformed into a mask – an object of spiritual significance.

Taking the process of mask making as a metaphor for the relationship between mankind, work and existence, From Starting to Cut the Wood is an astonishing live mix of dance, sound, mask-making, philosophy and performance art. It juxtaposes ancient and contemporary human behavior to ask where we have come from and where we are going.