ABSTRACT
The bulk of significant Malaysian choreographers in earlier generations were nurtured overseas. Some of them travelled to the global capitals of contemporary dance; others searched for their cultural roots in the homelands of their diasporas. What does this mean for Malaysian dance as a whole? If success within the Malaysian contemporary dance movement thus far has depended upon engendering a seamless and organic fusion of the diversity of Malaysia’s cultural traditions, and if Malaysia’s uniqueness in the world, therefore, is situated in our remarkable cross-cultural syncretic facility, then it would seem that we are ideally placed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by postmodernity and transnationalism to produce dance characterized by borderless eclecticism. And yet, at the exact moment of nationalist pride at discovering ourselves at the forefront of global movements, do we not also suddenly find the ground giving way beneath our feet, the very notion of a specifically Malaysian identity having dissolved into nothingness? This chapter will explore these issues of place and identity.
