The first time Mavin Khoo landed in Malta was way back in 2004 thanks to the British Council’s invitation to perform here. He has visited the island numerous other times since, performing repeatedly and enjoying it so much that today, he has firmly set roots on the island, living and working here indefinitely.
It seems somewhat strange that a man like him should decide to set up base on such a small island. For one thing, Mavin Khoo can be considered a dancer of the world. His story is an enlightening one which began in Malaysia, continued in India, developed further in New York and flourished in London. Along the way, he adopted new dance techniques, honed his abilities and now in Malta he is savouring a Mediterranean lifestyle which he believes is helping him and his knowledge of dance to grow even further.
“I now consider myself a Malta based artist. From the very first time that I came here, I felt a genuine love for this island. Then as I started teaching and performing regularly, I brushed shoulders with the young dancers here. And I realised the great potential they have.” Mavin Khoo feels fortunate to have been based in London, a city which is a veritable international network that has inspired him immensely. And he feels that through his experience in London he can recognise the possibility of developing a new generation of dancers here on Malta.
But his experience is not restricted to London. Starting dance when he was barely five years old, he travelled from Malaysia to India when he was 10. He continued dance in India until age 17 when he landed a scholarship to study in New York for one year. From then onwards London became his central hub from which he travelled to dance all over the world. Mavin studied Bharata Natyam under the world renowned maestro Padmashri Adyar K. Lakshman in India, contemporary dance at the Cunningham Studios in New York, as well as Classical Ballet under Michael Beare, Marian St. Claire, Nancy Kilgour and Tori Trotter.
This wide experience makes him an established dancer, teacher, choreographer and academic; Khoo is today one of the world’s leading solo performers’ of the Bharata Natyam style. “I consider myself a classical dancer as I combine classical ballet with classical Indian dance. I feel that over time, although I have attempted several different dance forms, what has well and truly changed is my outlook into what classical dance really is. To an onlooker my form of dance might be considered as being modern. I feel I give dance a broader outlook to its classical form.”
I ask him how he feels such strong shifts from one culture to another have affected him. “I have now come to understand culture as a jacket you put on. You put on a different jacket depending on the country/culture you are in. I feel that at this point in my life I have become somewhat of a hybrid mix. In truth, culture today is nothing specific anymore.” He continues to observe that living within a Mediterranean culture seems to be an amalgamation of so many different cultures he has already lived in.
This year has been especially exciting for Mavin Khoo. First of all he has become engaged with the University of Malta teaching within the Dance Studies Department of the Mediterranean Institute, even whilst reading for his MPhil/PhD with the University of Roehampton, London. Teaching theory of dance and dance, he is witnessing a huge shift in Maltese dancers’ possibilities of expanding their knowledge of dance. To date the course has taken in 10 undergraduate students and offers a middle point between a foundation of dancing and professional dancing. It also provides an opportunity to those Maltese dance students who cannot go abroad to pursue their dance experience.
He subsequently became involved in the Malta Arts Festival which is being held in July 2011. For the occasion he is presenting a new work wherein he is not just using British dancers but also several from Malta and also France. The aim is to tour with the ballet for the next two years. “This is a modern version of Swan Lake. I must admit I felt initially tentative, touching such a timeless work, but I am certainly not the first one to do so. I have lived that ballet for the past 30 years and danced its original version innumerable times, so I feel I know it inside out.”
For his version of Swan Lake, which carries the title of ‘00.00-00.01 – A new Reading of Swan Lake’, Mavin Khoo is using six dancers rather than the standard 70. The 90-minute-long performance involves a combination of film and dance, honing in on the psychology of the two prime characters – the swan and the fairy tale prince. “The classical dance has lots of subtexts linked to Tchaikovsky’s own mental health and life. This interpretation is somewhat different from all the others that have been done previously.”
The Maltese premiere is, in Mavin Khoo’s opinion a great opportunity that will help Maltese artists and encourage them to the possibilities of creating their own work and of travelling to promote it. He describes the dance as being very beautiful with a lot of technical challenges. “We are backed by a massive crew and production team and I myself have multiple roles – dancer, choreographer and director – as you can see I also put on several jackets, but they are all involved with dance. And during the Malta Arts Festival we are providing opportunities for people at all levels to experience the marvels of dance too.”
‘00.00-00.01 – A new Reading of Swan Lake’ – Creative workshop for children aged 8 - 16 at St James Cavalier Centre on 26 June; Pre-production party ‘Dancing to Fashion’ at Q Bar - Valletta Waterfront on 2 July at 10pm; Performances on 5, 6 July at Argotti Gardens, Floriana. For more information visit www.maltaticket.com, www.maltaartsfestival.org