Joseph Gonzales is Professor at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, former lecturer at the Faculty of Dance at the National Academy of Arts Malaysia, serving as Dean for 17 years. He has performed and choreographed professionally in multiple genres of dance, theatre, musical theatre and music since 1981 including Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre, St. Moritz Dancers, West End’s The King & I, television commercials, and the gamelan concert Maya: Gong Illusions among many others. He holds a PhD in Dance Studies and Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from University of Malaya, Masters of Arts (Choreography) from Middlesex University, Diplomas in Ballet, Modern Dance and Performing Arts from Bush Davies School, Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and London Studio Centre, England. Author of books on dance in Malaysia, awarded Cross-Cultural Champion of Arts 2007, and Best Choreographer in a Full-Length 2016 for Becoming King..the Pakyung Revisited, curator of the international Tari series, initiated award-winning brands of dance productions Jamu, Tapestry and Gelombang Baru. Co-Chairman of the Asian Dance Committee, South Korea, and former President MyDance Alliance and Vice-President SEA World Dance Alliance, Joseph also has a career in radio and television sports broadcasts and reality dance programs.
IMRAN SYAFIQ
Imran Syafiq Mohd Affandi was born in Kuala Lumpur and graduated with a Diploma in Dance (Best Dance Graduate 2012), and subsequently obtained his Bachelor of Dance (Performance) with First Class Honours and was honoured as Valedictorian 2015. He has performed extensively in all major Malaysian festivals and all productions of ASWARA dance faculty, KLPAC full-length contemporary production A Streetcar named Desire, Dua Space Dance Theatre’s Anak Malaysia, Yayasan Warisan Johor’s Gema Zafana, Blossom Arts Festival, Seksyen by Station for DamansaraPAC Arts Festival, ballet productions Coppelia, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, and Carmen by Danceworks Production at Istana Budaya among others. He joined ASK Dance Company (ADC) and has performed extensively with the company. In 2014, at the 17th Solo Classical Ballet Competition, he was awarded the Consolation Prize and he completed his Bharatanatyam Arangetram in 2017. This demonstrates his incredible range and versatility. Internationally, he has performed in Papua New Guinea, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, USA, India, Cambodia and Korea (as a Malaysian delegate in Asian Frontier Forum). In 2016, he became the Director of ADC managing the flagship outreach program called Building Bridges, Get Malaysia Dancing, Connecting Communities and Forging Traditions.
KIMBERLY YAP CHOY HOONG
Kimberly Yap Choy Hoong was trained in both contemporary dance and traditional dances while pursuing her Bachelor of Dance (Honours), majoring in Bharatanatyam, in ASWARA. She has then performed in Geneva for The World Radiocommunication Conference under Suruhanjaya Komunikasi Dan Multimedia Malaysia and took part in Short + Sweet Dance competition; danced in Between Me and ... choreographed by Marrulhuda Mawardi that won The Festival Director award in 2011. She has performed with ASWARA in the productions of the faculty such as Main Zapin(2009, 2013), Gelombang Baru (2010, 2011, 2012), Jamu (2012, 2013, 2014), Crossing Borders in 2014, 3 Faces 2015 and performed in Joseph Gonzales’s full length production entitled, Becoming King: The Pak Yung Revisited in 2014 and 2015. She has recently competed in Yokohama Dance Collection II 2017 performing in Other Echoes with ASK Dance Company and completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram as well as obtaining her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS). Most recently, she performed 3 Faces for the Vietnam International Dance Festival 2017, and Crossing Borders in Bharatanatyam, a full-length Bharatanatyam production by Shankar Kandasamy staged at Istana Budaya.
FALIZA SAAD
Nuur Faliza Saad was born in Johor Bahru and began performing at the age of 14. She started with Malay traditional dances and went on to obtain her Bachelor of Dance (honours) from ASWARA, majoring in Silat, where she went on to become an assistant lecturer for 2 years. She has been a full-time dancer at ASK Dance Company for 6 years and counting. She has performed in musical theatre productions including Urmi, Tun Abdul Razak at Istana Budaya, and Ibu Zain at MATIC, Raja Qaziq and Intan Yang Tercanai by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Royal Arts Gala at Istana Negara; as well as television programs such as Mystar LG, Jom Heboh, Aktif 5 and Gegar Vaganza. She has performed in major ASWARA productions such as Jamu, Stepping Out, Main Zapin, Tapestry, Stalemate, Reborn, Seru, Becoming King I and II, among others. Her international credits include performances at the Pandjajaran University in Bandung, Indonesia, Malaysia Week in London, project MAU-J ASEAN with a Japanese director which toured 5 countries: Japan, Phillipine, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, Parade for Celebration in Macau, China. She has also performed for Korea International Dance Festival, Arts Mix Japan, nATFEST in Sri Lanka, and also competed in Yokohama Dance Collection 2017 in Japan.
NAIM SYAHRAZAD
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Naim Syahrazad obtained his Bachelor in Dance (Choreography) Honours at ASWARA in 2011. He represented Malaysia and won 5 gold medals and the title World Champion at the World Championship of Performing Arts 2010 in Los Angeles, won Best Male Dancer at KLPAC’s Short+Sweet Dance in 2009 and 2011, and consolation prize at the 13th National Solo Classical Ballet Competition in 2012. Notable achievements include being selected for the Asia Pacific Young Choreographers Workshop 2012 in Taiwan, collaborating with German choreographer-dancer Riki Von Falken in Echo: It’s a temporary thing, presented in Germany, Philippines, Malaysia and Brazil, and being named the “Shooting Star” in Tanz Magazine by international dance critics. He was one of the lead in Panchali Sabatham, a full- length bharatanatyam performance by Shankar Kandasamy and performed Crossing Borders in Bharatanatyam in Malaysia and India. In 2014, Naim concluded an artist exchange and collaborative program at Cambodia and Japan with dancer-choreographer Phon Sopheap with dramaturge Lim How Ngean. His choreography Satu and Heartpiece was presented at several festivals including the kakiseni International Arts Festival, Tari ’14 and Our Roots Right Now in Thailand; and he staged his mix-bill production Reborn in 2014. In 2015, he performed at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland and won Best Featured Performer at the Boh Cameronian Awards. Recently, he was the master choreographer for the Sea Games 2017 opening ceremony.
RIZIANAH JOHN
Born in Kota Belud, Sabah, Rizianah binti John began dancing at the age of 13 and obtained her Bachelor of Dance with Honours (Performance) from ASWARA in 2012 majoring in Chinese dance. She has worked with important Malaysian choreographers including Umesh Shetty, Suhaimi Magi, Joseph Gonzales, Shafirul Azmi Suhaimi, Seth Hamzah, Suhaili Micheline and international choreographers Wendy Rogers, Pamela Pietro and Hala Shah. Her major credits include the lead role in The Moon Pearl, and Hang Li Po, both created by Wong Kit Yaw. She has been involved in innumerable performances at the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival, Sibu International Dance Festival, Malaysia Chinese Culture Festival and many others. In musical theatre and dance drama, her involvement includes Panchali Sabatham, Gema Merdeka, Tun Abdul Razak, Intan Yang Tercanai and the Royal Arts Gala 2014 entitled Mimpi Artilla. In June 2016 she performed a few works in New York: Other Echoes by Joseph Gonzales at Peridance Capezio Theatre, Red Tide by Hala Shah at Manhattan Movement & Arts Centre, and AKTAB by Fairul Zahid at St Mark’s Church. Internationally, she has performed in Switzerland, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, India, China, New York, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Japan; as well as competing in Yokohama Dance Collection in Japan and Siak Bermadah Festival in Indonesia.
MOHD FAUZI AMIRUDIN
Fauzi is currently a principal dancer at ASK Dance Company (ADC). His achievements include representing Malaysia at the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) at Los Angeles in 2011 and won 3 gold medals. In 2014, he also won the BOH Cameronian Arts Award for "Best Choreographer" in a mixed bill for his work 2 by 2 produced by ADC. Fauzi produced and choreographed his production Pit –Stop, an evening of his own choreography in 2015. In 2016, Fauzi was selected to represent Malaysia as part of top Japanese choreographer Un Yamada’s double bill showcasing her professional troupe and rising Malaysian dancers. They trained rigorously in Japan for One Piece; and in 2017, he was invited again to join Un Yamada Dance Co. to perform her piece A City Without Seasons at Tokyo. Recently, he took part in International Young Choreographer Project 2017 (IYCP) in Taiwan this year and performed in 3 Faces for the Vietnam International Dance Festival 2017. In 2017, he was selected as one of the Top 10 Cultural Dancers by Top 10 Magazine.
RUBY WAHID
Rabiatul Adawiah Bt Abdul Wahid graduated from ASWARA with Bachelor of Dance (Performance) majoring in silat, and is now a principal dancer at ASK Dance Company. While being adept at many genres, she is considered one of the brightest talents in the traditional theatre form of Makyung, Bangsawan, Randai and Mekmulung. She has worked professionally in musical theatres produced at Istana Budaya such as Ibu Zain, Tun Abdul Razak, Uda dan Dara and Cuci the Musical. Other dance dramas include Aduh Seroja, Asyik, Ulik, Hang Li Po, and Tuah. Other than that, she performed at Japan, Singapore, Phillipines, Thailand, as part of the Asia Dance Company in Seoul, Korea, and also ASEAN-Japan Dance Project in 2013. She also worked with Riki Von Falken (German choreographer) for Echo II, participated in Wiz Dance Festival 2016 (Korea), represented Atari Dance Project for Rooted in Silat, as well as choreographing contemporary silat pieces including Bismahantha for She Moves Me by the KL Movement. She taught Indian Classical Dance and Malay Folk Dance Class at ASWARA to part-time students, coached at Kickstart Gymnastics, and taught at Permata Seni. At the Kejuaraan Silat Seni Asli Kebangsaan, she won silver medal and gold medal in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Recently, she was the assistant choreographer for Sea Games 2017 opening ceremony, and also choreographer for Para Games 2017 closing ceremony.
DALILA SAMAD
Dalila binti Abdul Samad was born in Kuala Lumpur and is tri-lingual - speaking fluent English, Malay and Mandarin. Among her most note-worthy performances are a duet for Mohd Yunus Ismail Jarum Berseri which she was nominated as Best Featured Dancer at the 2015 BOH Cameronian Awards. Dalila was awarded Best Female Actress for Malaysia in the Malaysian Dance Odyssey 2014, China-Asean Theatre Week 2014 at Nanning. Dalila was the original cast for another powerful duet Madu choreographed by Nadhirah Razid which has been staged at several important productions including the international dance festival Tari ’14 Young Artist Showcase, kakiseni Arts Festival 2014 and etc. Internationally, she has participated at the Andong Mask Festival Group Competition in Seoul. Korea where she won the Bronze medal as well as representing Malaysia at the World Championship of Performing Arts in the United States. Besides dancing, Dalila has also acted as the main actress in a short film The Fleeting Years by Durianfm. Dalila is slowly venturing into choreography and wishes to explore her voice with greater clarity, successfully staging Different But The Same, Sibs, Two Face at Gelombang Baru and Short + Sweet Dance Malaysia.
ZULKARNAIN
Mohd Zulkarnain Bin Zuber is from Kangar,Perlis. He started dancing at 14 years at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Syed Hassan, Perlis. In school, he took part in many art programs and dance and music performances. He was selected to take part in the Festival Tari Kanak-Kanak, Pertandingan Tarian Kebangsaan and Konsert Diraja Negeri Perlis. He has completed both Diploma in Dance and Bachelor of Dance (Honours) majoring in Choreography at the Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan also known as ASWARA. He has taken part in many ASWARA productions such as Jamu, Gelombang Baru, Tapestry, TARI, 3 Faces and others. He has also choreographed for performances and competitions; works such as Lady Boss, A Hole in the Pocket and Gelora in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He choreographed Wonder for Short and Sweet Dance 2015 organised by Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and two dance works for his Bachelor's final year assessment entitled Jongkak and Selumbar. He also danced for international choreographer from Japan, Un Yamada in the production People Without Seasons. Internationally, he has travelled to Japan, Shanghai, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore to perform. He is presently a full-time dancer with ASK Dance Company which comprises of outstanding graduates from the ASWARA Dance Faculty.
SUEKI YEE
Yee Sue Ki graduated with First Class Honours for her Bachelor of Dance (Honours) from Aswara and is currently a dancer at ASK Dance Company (ADC). Having been involved in dance and drama since she was 7, Sue Ki’s previous projects include Ronggeng Merdeka by Ombak-Ombak Arts Studio and Arts Ed., by PenangPAC, working with Euphoria Penang under Aida Redza, Georgetown Festival 2014 and 2017, Axiomatic by AsiaDuo Dance Company, Jamu, Main Zapin, Tepak Tari, Dancing in Place, to name a few. She explored choreography for Penang Dance Festival, Dance All Out, She Moves Me by the KL Movement and also for Euphoria Penang. Internationally, she was selected for Un Yamada Co.’s People Without Seasons, worked with Nibroll for See/Saw, performed Madu for Release 4.0 in Singapore, Korea Dance Festival 2017, Vietnam International Dance Festival, Cultural Relations Dance Festival in Thailand, and collaborated with Landscape Theatre from China for Georgetown Festival, WuZhen Theatre Festival and SanXinDui Theatre Festival. Sue Ki was also involved in community-engaging projects as a facilitator under Arts Ed. and Aida Redza, as well as Forging Traditions workshops currently conducted by ADC. She is interested in the versatility of dance and is always excited to explore new possibilities.
