PETALING JAYA, Oct 8 — British choreographer James Cousins has made audiences sit up with his works since graduating in 2010 from the London Contemporary Dance School.
From watching the famous Irish theatrical show “Riverdance,” as a child, to learning sections of in from a video and dancing it around the living room, James now has his own dance company.
He won the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer Award in 2011, when he was 22 years old. The award was set up by award-winning English choreographer and director Matthew Bourne, 54, who described James as “one of the UK's most promising choreographic talents.”
James and his dance company, set up with creative producer Francesca Moseley, has since toured internationally to critical acclaim, including a run at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
At the fringe festival last year, he presented “There We Have Been” which will be performed in Malaysia on October 16, presented by the British Council Malaysia.
According to The Independent newspaper, “There We Have Been” is “an intense relationship drama” and a duet in which one of the dancers “literally never touches the ground.”
Says James in an email: “The inspiration behind 'There We Have Been' is Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood which is a very dark and haunting novel that really moved me when I read it.
“It's the two central characters that grabbed me and inspired the work. They are so rich with detail and deep with emotion and the relationships between them are so complex and multi-layered that it really gave me a lot to work on and think about.
“'There We Have Been' is inspired by the development of the central two characters relationship over the first few chapters of the novel so is quite an in-depth look at a very small bit of the novel.”
“Without Stars,” with three dancers, is from the male protagonists’ point of view and is about a man on the brink of losing the life of his love.
The Independent review states that the dances are “both lyrical and intensely physical.”
James says he is “always shocked by the reaction to 'There We Have Been'.”
“Each time I watch it, I go on the emotional rollercoaster with them and each time at the end I am blown away by audiences response to it. Wherever we are in the world, it seems to strike a chord with people which is really amazing and touching.”
Start in dance
James: There were a few clear milestones for me that set me on the path to pursue dance as a career. The first was seeing “Riverdance” as a child. I remember being amazed and overwhelmed by the energy and power of the show. Then when I was 11, we all had to do dance in PE (physical education) lessons at school. I had a great teacher who really inspired me and encouraged me to do more and more. Then when I was 15, I saw the Rambert Dance Company. It was a piece by Rafael Bonachella that took my breath away and was the moment that I said that's what I want to do!
And choreography?
James: I've always loved choreographing, and was probably doing it before I was even dancing. I used to direct my sister and cousins in shows for our parents and create dances with my friends at school. Choreographing and arranging people in space and movement material always felt completely natural. I always knew it's what I wanted to do, just never thought I would be doing it so full time so early on in my career.
How does the choreography process?
James: Normally an idea comes like a lightning bolt out of nowhere but then I struggle on my own and torment myself for weeks, if not months, planning. But as soon as I get into a studio with people, it all flows.
For me choreographing is all about the people. Dance is about people. We sit in the audience as people, watching other people push themselves to their physical and emotional limits and are only moved if we find that human connection. That's why for me, it has to come from and be inspired by people.
It's why for me casting is so important as it's what gives each piece a unique quality.
His thoughts on dance as a profession today
James: I can only really speak from my UK perspective but it's amazing how many opportunities there are and how it crosses so many boundaries with so many different and varying styles; blurring the line with theatre, used massively in advertising and inspiring people to get fit.
There are of course hardships and things that could be better and there's always work to do around encouraging new audiences but I think we are in a very strong and fortunate position.
And Asian dances?
James: Sadly my knowledge of Asian dance is very limited but there are definitely elements of the culture that really interest me. I hope this trip to Southeast Asia will allow opportunities for me to experience more elements of Asian dance.
You can immerse yourself in James' double-bill performance of contemporary There We Have Been and its sequel, Without Stars, from October 16-18 at 8.30pm with 3pm shows on October 18-19.
The venue is KuAsh Theatre, Pusat Kreatif Kanak-Kanak Tuanku Bainun (48 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail), Kuala Lumpur
Tickets are RM30 (at the door). Early bird and students can pay RM25 (available at British Council Kuala Lumpur, at Wisma Selangor Dredging, Jalan Ampang during office hours, or online.
