The FangMaeKhong festival is the first international dance festival in Laos, created in 2010 with the objective of bringing access to arts and culture to various communities across the country, as well as to provide exposure, performance and networking opportunities for young artists in the Mekong Region. The annual festival began its first edition with performances and workshops in the major cities of Vientiane and Luang Prabang, and in two years has since expanded its reach to other towns and rural communities, and now includes elements of community outreach for youth, the handicapped and residents of drug rehabilitation facilities.
The organising team of the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival invites all Work Live Laos readers to attend its 3rd edition in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The 2012 festival theme is international artistic collaboration, with performances from France, Laos, Singapore, as well as French-Laotian and French-Singaporean collaborations. This year FangMaeKhong welcomes back collaborators from the first edition of Fang Mae Khong, the companies DANS6T and STYLISTIK from France. The audience will also discover the Singaporean company SRI WARISAN, the brand new Laotian company HOPPIN from Vientiane, as well as the increasing number of emerging youth groups from Laos.
The dance programme of the Fang Mae Khong Festival is about crossing new boundaries on the artistic front. And while introducing a bold selection of experimental and contemporary forms, the festival preserves an important place for Hip-hop dance with the “FMK Hip-hop Battle” where we look forward to an explosion of young dancers’ positive energy and creativity.
The festival developed from a series of collaborative performance projects undertaken by choreographer Olé Khamchanla and the dancers of the Vientiane-based hip hop group Lao Bang Fai that took place in 2007 in Laos and subsequently toured to France in 2008 and 2010. The collaboration led the young Lao dancers to establish and mentor youth dance workshops and groups in Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, Pakse and Thakhek. In 2009, the workshops by Olé and the Lao dancers were incorporated in the international cooperation programme between the Rhone-Alpes region in France and Khammouane province in Laos. Also in 2009, the group entered into a collaboration with television station France 3 and produced its first performance for a village in the rural community in the south of the country, in one of the dancer’s home villages.
With the development of these regional dance groups, the FangMaeKhong festival was a natural progression. Olé proposed the festival to provide a performance platform for their efforts and to create networking opportunities between them and other emerging artists in the Mekong and Southeast Asian region, as well as counterparts from Europe. The festival features intimate performances including both local and international artists in both ticketed and non-ticketed events in formal venues as well as open air spaces, introducing a diverse and growing audience in the country to different dance forms and artistic expression beyond hip hop and popular commercial forms. Through workshops, film screenings and discussion forums, the festival offers opportunities for young artists in Laos to develop their skills, make international connections, engage in artistic, cultural and personal exchanges and open their imaginations to new techniques, cultures and ideas.
The third edition of FangMaeKhong in 2012 will feature performances and workshops in Luang Prabang. Future plans for the festival include an expansion to other countries in the Mekong Region. See the performance schedule at the bottom of the FMK website here.
ງານມະຫາກຳການເຕັ້ນສາກົນ “ຟັງແມ່ຂອງ” ກັບມາແລ້ວ ໃນປີ 2012
ພວກເຮົາ ມີຄວາມຍິນດີເປັນຢ່າງສູງທີ່ຈະນຳສະເໜີ ແລະ ຮຽນ ເຊີນທຸກໆທ່ານມາຮ່ວມງານກັບພວກເຮົາເປັນປີທີສາມ ທີ່ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ ແລະ ຫຼວງພະບາງ.
ປີ 2012 ນີ້ເປັນປີແຫ່ງການຮ່ວມມືທາງດ້ານສິນລະປະການສະແດງລະຫວ່າງນັກສະແດງສາກົນ ກັບການສະ ແດງຈາກປະເທດຝຣັ່ງ, ລາວ, ສິງກະໂປ, ລາວຝຣັ່ງ ແລະ ຝຣັ່ງສິງກະໂປ. ໃນປີນີ້, ເຮົາມີຄວາມຍິນດີຕ້ອນຮັບສິນລະປິນຈາກຄະນະເຕັ້ນ DANS6T ແລະ STYLISTIK ຈາກປະເທດ ຝຣັ່ງ ທີ່ເຄີຍຮ່ວມງານນຳເຮົາມາແລ້ວໃນງານມະຫະກຳການເຕັ້ນສາກົນສະບັບທີ່ 1.
ນອກຈາກນີ້, ທ່ານຍັງຈະໄດ້ພົບກັບການສະແດງຂອງຄະນະເຕັ້ນຈາກສິງກະໂປ SRI WARISAN, ຄະນະເຕັ້ນ HOPPIN ຈາກນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ ແລະ ນັກເຕັ້ນໃໝ່ໆມາຈາກທົ່ວປະເທດລາວ. ການສະແດງທີ່ຈະນຳມາສະເໜີໃນງານມະຫາກຳ “ຟັງແມ່ຂອງ” ນີ້ບໍ່ມີເຂດຈຳກັດທາງດ້ານສິນ ລະປະ. ເຖີງແມ່ນວ່າລາຍການການສະແດງຈະໃຫ້ຄວາມສົນໃຈແກ່ການເຕັ້ນແບບຮ່ວມສະໄໝ ແລະ ການທົດລອງ ຮູບແບບໃໝ່ໆກໍ່ຕາມ, ການເຕັ້ນແບບ Hip Hop ກໍ່ຍັງມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມຫຼາຍຄືເກົ່າຊຶ່ງຈະປ່ອຍໃຫ້ນັກເຕັ້ນໄວໜຸ່ມໄດ້ມີໂອກາດຖ່າຍທອດພະລັງ ແລະ ຄວາມຄິດສ້າງສັນຂອງຕົນອອກມາ ໃນ “FMK Hip Hop Battle”.
ຂໍຂອບໃຈມາຍັງອາສາສະໝັກ, ຜູ້ສະໜັບສະໜູນ ແລະ ອຸປະຖຳງານທາງພາກລັດ ແລະ ເອກະຊົນ.