[中][ENG] 環亞舞略：老撾的Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節

Curating dance in Asia: the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival in Laos

環亞舞略

Dance Curating in Asia

文：奧里．康坤拉

翻譯：Terri

Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節2021 Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival 2021／照片由Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節 提供Photo provided by Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival

在這篇文章，Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節藝術總監講述舞蹈節的歷史、目的及其在老撾舞蹈發展中所扮演的角色。

2006年，我與老撾萬象當地的舞者一起參加藝術駐留（artistic residency），並感受到老撾舞者對現代舞有濃厚的興趣。當時國內並沒有這種新舞蹈種類的常規訓練，因此我和老撾的舞者都在思考如何發展這種藝術實踐。就在那時，我們有了創辦年度現代舞活動的想法。為了鼓勵老撾舞者接觸現代舞，我們必需創造與國際舞蹈家一起表演和交流的機會，從而豐富他們對現代舞的體驗。因此，自2010年起，我們每年都會舉辦為期五至十天的Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節（FMK），把當地和各國各地的舞者、編舞聚集一起。

舞蹈節有幾場包含不同元素的表演：從嘻哈到傳統舞蹈，從古典芭蕾到現代舞；有時還會融入其他範疇，如戲劇、音樂、影片、繪畫，甚至攝影。舞蹈節還包括許多舞蹈工作坊，以提升年輕舞者的技巧。對參與者來說，這些與國際編舞家的相遇，可說是獲益良多。FMK發展成為一個讓老撾舞者受矚目的平台，三年來獲得了亞洲區內其他藝術節的認同，之後那些舞者更有時被邀請到其他亞洲國家演出。

在早期構想中，FMK的唯一目標，就是讓那些少數想嘗試大膽和創新舞蹈的老撾舞者，可以得到全國關注。然而，從第一屆開始，我們就已有機會接待來自柬埔寨、法國和緬甸的舞者。這給了我們對舞蹈節的另一個願景，讓我們能夠把目光投向更遠的未來。對於舉行藝術交流以及進一步發展舞蹈節的培訓和工作坊，國際間的互動尤其重要。正如其他支持現代藝術的國家一樣，政府態度是實現這一點的關鍵。

通過創建FMK，我們首先希望鼓勵當地舞者創作表演，並在國際上演出。我們也想鼓勵老撾的合作機構為舞者提供定期演出的機會，讓他們能夠以舞蹈的熱情謀生。例如可以參考藝術家與他們所代表國家之間的藝術合作形式（如法國文化協會、歌德學院等），並套用在老撾當地藝術家身上。這些跨文化項目會是一個互相學習的機會，從而促進地區的藝術動態發展。我們希望在國內發展獨立舞者這個職業。

我是一名法國舞蹈家和編舞家。從歐洲的事物中獲得靈感後，我會因應老撾的情況和做法作調整，並嘗試把想法在國內實現。像歐洲的一些藝術節，它除了提供豐富的演出節目外，還為藝術家和表演藝術界人士創造交流和討論的平台，其形式包括座談會、研討會，甚至與公眾互動。這些交流有可能會令老撾和東南亞地區特有的某些主題和／或問題得到關注，從而互相汲取經驗，同時有助他們為特定情況制定具體可行的方案。

此外，老撾嚴重缺乏劇場、舞蹈中心或多媒體空間等表演場所。我想看到老撾有更多獨立舞者嶄露頭角，受傳統藝術啟發，發展出自己現代舞蹈風格。我還希望其他現代藝術形式得以在當地發展，如視覺藝術、馬戲、戲劇、電影、音樂和歌唱等。為此，我們必需創造針對這些不同藝術形式的新平台，並建立演出場地，每月定期舉行表演，從而擴闊喜歡各種現代藝術形式的固定觀眾群。

老撾舞壇受制於傳統藝術、老撾舞蹈，以及K-POP 和嘻哈等流行文化。由2010年起，在萬象只有Fanglao舞蹈團有現代舞訓練，是這領域的先驅。我認為如果 K-POP 和嘻哈能夠在老撾找到自己的位置，那麼現代舞也可以做到。如果在歐洲，我們已經認知舞蹈可以成為人類社會中的一種發展方式，那麼我認為現代舞在「發展中」國家也有它的位置。因此，通過身體表達，我們可以向人們展示舞蹈與包容、教育、健康、經濟及開放態度的關聯性。

由於獨立藝術家在老撾內都不受支持，他們或會從外國機構尋求協助。非政府組織和國外支援已在老撾支持各種發展項目，在這些幫助下，舞者應該繼續鑽研舞藝，並在當地以舞蹈為生。此外，由於舞蹈在老撾沒有任何市場，他們必須創作作品，在亞洲其他有舞蹈節的地方進行表演，如香港、日本、台灣、新加坡、韓國、泰國和馬來西亞等。這些地方可以聯合起來，創造一個共同的舞蹈平台，促進亞洲舞蹈家的聯繫。

Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節2021 Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival 2021／照片由Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節 提供Photo provided by Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival

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Curating dance in Asia: the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival in Laos

Text: Olé Khamchanla

In this article, the artistic director of Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival describes the history of the festival, its aims and the role it plays in the development of dance in Laos.

In 2006, I was taking part in an artistic residency with local dancers from Vientiane and felt a strong interest from Lao dancers towards contemporary dance. At that time there wasn't any regular practice of this new choreographic form in the country, and the Lao artists and I were thinking about how to develop this artistic practice. It was then that the idea of creating an annual contemporary dance event was born. To inspire artists to practice contemporary dance in Laos, it was necessary to create opportunities to perform and exchange with international artists to enrich their practice. Thus, every year since 2010, the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival (FMK) has been held and brings together, for five to ten days, local and international dancers and choreographers.

There are several shows with various influences: from hip-hop to traditional dance, from classical ballet to contemporary dance, and sometimes mixing in other disciplines such as theatre, music, video, painting, or even photography. A number of dance workshops are also organised to enhance the techniques of young dancers. These encounters with international choreographers are very enriching for the participants. For three years now, FMK has been recognised by other festivals in the region. It has become a platform to highlight Laotian artists who are then sometimes invited to perform in other Asian countries.

In the early editions, FMK’s sole ambition was to give a national visibility to the few Laotian dancers wishing to experiment with daring and innovative choreographic forms. However, already starting from the first edition, we had the chance to receive dancers from Cambodia, France, and Burma. This gave us another vision for the festival and made it possible to project ourselves even further into the future. This international aspect is essential to create artistic exchanges and further develop the training and workshop programme of the festival. Political will is necessary to achieve this, as it is in other countries that support contemporary art.

By creating FMK, we first hoped to encourage local artists to create shows and to perform internationally. But we also wanted to encourage our institutional partners in Laos to create opportunities for these artists to perform regularly, and thus be able to make a living from their passion for dance. These opportunities could take the form of artistic collaboration between artists from the country they represent (think of the French Alliance, the Goethe Institute, etc.) with local artists from Laos. Such intercultural projects would be an opportunity to learn from one another and thus contribute to the development of the artistic dynamism of the region. We want to develop the profession of independent dancer in the country.

I am a dancer and choreographer in France and am inspired by things that we find in Europe to make things happen in Laos, with some adaptation depending on the situation and practices of the country. Some festivals in Europe, for example, in addition to offering a rich programme of performances, also create platforms for exchanges and discussions in the form of seminars, conferences or even open interactions for artists and people in the performing arts community. These exchanges would make it possible to raise certain themes and/or issues specific to Laos and the Southeast Asian region to learn from the experience of others while contributing to the elaboration of concrete solutions applicable to their specific situations.

In addition, there is a severe lack of performance venues in Laos such as theatres, choreographic centres or multidisciplinary spaces. I want to see the emergence of other independent dancers in Laos who are inspired by traditional arts to develop their own contemporary dance style. I also want other contemporary artistic forms to develop, such as visual arts, circus, theater, film, music and singing. And for that, it is necessary to create new platforms dedicated to these different art forms. Performance venues could therefore be built while offering monthly programmes that would also contribute to expanding an established audience that enjoys contemporary art in all these different art forms.

In Laos, the choreographic scene is limited to traditional arts, Lao dances and pop culture like South Korean K-POP and hip-hop. Since 2010, contemporary dance is only practised in Vientiane by Fanglao dance company, which is a pioneer in its field. I think if K-POP and hip-hop have been able to find their place in Laos, so can contemporary dance. If in Europe we have understood that dance can be a way to develop as human beings in society, I think that contemporary dance also has its place in “developing” countries. Thus, through bodily expression, we can associate dance with inclusion, education, health, the economy, and openness to others.

Independent artists are not supported within Laos, and it may be that they will find this support from foreign institutions. NGOs and support from abroad are already present to support various development projects in Laos, and it is perhaps with these partners that Laotian artists should work to continue to practice and make a living from dance at the local level. Also, because there isn’t any dance market in Laos, Lao dancers must create pieces to perform elsewhere in Asia, in places where there are dance festivals such as in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. All these places could come together to create a common choreographic platform to facilitate connections for artists in Asia.

奧里．康坤拉Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節藝術總監 Olé Khamchanla, the artistic director of Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival／攝 Photo：Van Hai（照片由奧里．康坤拉 提供 Photo provided by Olé Khamchanla）

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奧里．康坤拉

一名法籍老撾裔編舞家，於2011年創立KHAM舞團，是Fang Mae Khong國際舞蹈節的藝術總監。他曾受街舞訓練，現追求現代舞、老撾和泰國的傳統舞蹈，並把這三種藝術形式融合在他的作品中。

Olé Khamchanla

French-Laotian choreographer who founded the Compagnie KHAM in 2011 and is artistic director of the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival. He trained in street dance and pursues contemporary, Lao and Thai traditional dance. His work combines these three art forms.