The latest double-bill presented by Van Huynh Company is a confident display of the company's talents and devotion to pushing boundaries of modern dance.

Two dancers sitting on the floor with their head covered in lycra set the scene for the premier of Mural Studies. The head becomes an extension of the body - like the limbs - which initiates the fusion of body parts. From here, the limbs entangle and the primordial yet avant-garde figures introduce further sketches.
The physical rigour of the choreography quickly builds up. Set to Jamie Hamilton's minimalist music and Antony Hateley's precise lighting, the dancers create a sense of urgency on stage akin to a master painter's urge to visualise something about to become a reality. The dancers, at times, move like loosened marionettes, with disobedient limbs wanting to be liberated. The bodies fuse like clay. They transform and collapse. They look like finely crafted classical sculptures taken apart and then reassembled.
The lighter touches of the hand and finger movements add another layer to the choreography. This highly textured piece is brimming with details that perhaps can only be examined by pausing the performance frame by frame.
The emotional backup that drive these extreme physical conditions are not revealed. The dancers exist in a pure physical state where the psyche is to be fathomed - however, not within a 20-minute interval.

The second piece, Sudden Change of Event, was first premiered at Laban Theatre in November 2009. Working collaboratively with composer Leon Michener, with vocals by acclaimed musicians E.laine and Mikhail Karikis, choreographer Dam Van Huynh has proved his ambition in experimental and cross-disciplinary performance making.
Known for his notions of impossibility, it is not a surprise that Leon Michener is interested in working with a choreographer who pushes dance movement to the extreme. The improvised vocals provide an important acoustic element that confluence the choreography. One cannot help but to relate to the collaboration between choreographer Merce Cunningham and avant garde composer John Cage. The interdependence of music and dance was challenged by Cunningham and Cage more than half a century ago, and in Cunningham's words, ‘...this was a different way to act: not being dependent upon the music but equal to it. You could be free and precise at the same time.'
The music thus coexists with a piece that explores ‘the fragility of the moment and the infinite potential outcomes of an individual encounter. Sudden changes may occur at any time and force the individual to adapt.' The collisions of sounds and movements create exciting moments that require an attentive audience. The stage turns into a microcosm of a world where incidents occur constantly. The dancers respond to each other and interact with a steel structure that is deliberately abstract. The subtly detailed costumes add to dancers' personality whilst creating a classical look.

The company has attracted critical acclaim since choreographer Dam Van Huynh first showcased at the 2008 Place Prize. It is without doubt that this is an ensemble with distinctive technique and artistic ingenuity. I look forward to the company's future works on a grander scale.

Jia-Chiann Ingrid Hu, Dim Sum website, May 2010