After a successful career in dance outside Malaysia, Jet finally decides to touch down in Penang.
By Kelvyn Yeang
For some people, dancing comes naturally and can even be part of their very being. Jet Leang has been moving to the rhythm long before he can remember, and during his high school years he indulged in street dancing seriously. He was only 14 then and was already grooving with a crew.
Born and raised in Penang, Leang, like many others from traditional families, was pressured to make safer career choices. So he opted to study fashion design. Leang’s true calling would begin to reveal itself when he started to fall behind in his studies. He was spending too much time with his crew of dancers every other night rehearsing.
“I danced so much that my head of department from my college advised me to stop to pursue dancing seriously. I took her advice, and that led me to NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) in Singapore in 2010,” Leang laughs.
Leang being hands on with setting up the stage.
Leang spent three years in NAFA to pursue a diploma. There, he became embroiled in different dance styles—from ballet, contemporary and even Asian ethnic forms, quickly broadening his abilities and understanding of dance. This whole eye-opening experience inspired Jet.
“I stayed in Singapore for about ten years working in different capacities as a dancer and costume specialist. After graduating from NAFA, I took on a role as a full-time dancer with the JLSN Dance Company under the artistic direction of Soren M. Niewelt from Germany. I then began designing costumes for P’ART 1 DESIGN, where I got to work with renowned artists such as Stephanie Sun and JJ Lin. Furthermore, since I was a dancer with some knowledge in fashion design, I was able to conceptualise outfits that were practical for stage use,” he adds.
Leang’s rite of passage was far from over. After working for ten years in Singapore, Leang’s thirst to expand his horizons led him to Amsterdam to study under Martine can Santen and Marion Booster. There, he spent three months in intensive training to sharpen his skills further.
“After I was done, I felt compelled to return to Penang. Malaysia has always been home to me. Moreover, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and I wanted to spend more time with her.”
Though Leang concedes that a career in dance may pay better in other countries, there are far more important things than money. “I always feel that I am Malaysian, and I really want to contribute to the local arts scene,” he says passionately, adding, “I am more concerned with the growth of the local scene. There just aren’t enough contemporary choreographers around, and I feel that I want to fill that void.”
Performances are often cross-disciplined and experimental—a fusion of music, theatre, and dance.
Being based locally isn’t without its challenges. After moving back to Penang in 2018, Leang established the Jet Leang Dance Theatre, which operated in penangpac. “We had to cease all operations because of Covid. So even though we have exciting training programs, we have to stop everything for the moment. It is more viable to focus on dance productions right now than to run teaching programs. Moreover, it is tough to secure a good intake during these times,” laments Jet.
Nothing keeps Jet Leang from moving forward. He recently launched his latest dance showcase called Life, Food & Health, which catered to sold-out performances. In this performance, Jet focused on lifestyle themes that seek to explore how our actions and consumption can affect our bodies and the environment.
Read more: https://penangartdistrict.com/review-life-food-health/
“My main objective is to stir up emotions, even uneasy ones. My objectives are met if the audience leaves questioning themselves. My production and choreography are very influenced by social issues, and I am using this opportunity to speak to a wider audience,” asserts Leang. “I have been criticised for my work. Sometimes audiences want to be entertained and watch something enjoyable. But that is not what my work is about. I take pride in being able to trigger feelings of uneasiness and questions. Because life today is truly complicated, I would like to explore themes that touch on the harsher bits of society. Even if people hate my show, that’s fine, as long as they can remember it,” he adds adamantly.
Dancers in action at the recent Life, Food & Health performance.
“What we are doing today isn’t for us. Me inspiring people will be for the future. It may not seem like much now, but who knows what the future holds” says Jet boldly.
We must not discount that it is a brave career choice to be in arts, and it takes an even braver soul to pursue dance in a world stricken with Covid. But, determined, Jet Leang’s fuel burns bright as he charts out the flight to his future.
Read more: https://penangartdistrict.com/dance-artist-yee-sue-ki-comes-full-circle-in-the-community/
A man of many talents, Kelvyn Yeang is a content creator, musician, and more. Nothing inspires him more than the city, people of George Town, and a good cup of coffee.