I think I like the premise behind the ongoing Graey Festival at The Substation. Two artists from different places collaborate to create a work. For two days. Then they perform it. It’s kinda like speed dating, out of which comes a baby. Not literally of course. And what do you know, the two presentations I saw tonight had something sexual in them. Hah. Kidding aside, it really seems quite interesting. I didn’t get to catch the collaboration process of the artists, which was from Monday to Wednesday, but sound artist Zul Mahmod, who’s working with Indian choreographer Navtej Johar said they had quite a sizeable audience watching what’s essentially a rehearsal/brainstorming session. Same with sound artist Philip Tan, who’s collaborating with choreographer Scarlet Yu. Caught the performances by Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Elizabeth de Roza, and two members of the Pichet Klunchun Company. I didn’t completely get what Fendy and Elizabeth were doing, but for something that was created in two days, it was quite cohesive, intense and raw. Couldn’t take any pictures but here’s how it went: You walk in and there they were, wearing all black (and in skirts) standing with a table between them. Rubbing their breasts.  Making gurgling/clucking noises.  Like they were on the brink of a seizure. Then they rush at you making clopping noises – made by the heels they were wearing. Which weren’t exactly heels but wheels. They were wearing “wheelettos.” (I just made that up). At some point, Elizabeth repeatedly flung herself to the floor and showed her red panty. Meanwhile, Fendy showed his equally red briefs, slapped himself, hit his head on the aforementioned table. Ah, to have such wonderful violence onstage. It’s a work in progress and they’re thinking of developing it further. Would love to see what the final thing looks like. The second isn’t exactly a collaboration but an excerpt from one of Thai choreographer Pichet Klunchun’s explorations of Khon dance. This one in particular was about a scene in the Ramayana involving the flirtation/courtship between the monkey god Hanuman and the demon maiden Benyakai. Klunchun however re-imagines this popular scene for tourists as something disturbingly violent. The two dancers, dressed in ordinary clothes, are locked in a tug-of-war movement that mixes contemporary moves and traditional dance – at some point, Hanuman-the-office-worker-in-shirt prances around like a monkey. The rhythmic stomping of his feet as he clutches a terrified looking Beyakai from behind reinforcing the act of rape. I will never look at the Ramayana in the same way again. On the surface, it seems like typical Pichet-does-Khon piece. But here, it’s not so much the craft of dance he dissects but the very story on which the dance is shaped around. Anyways, I won’t be able to catch the remaining shows but if the output of the remaining “speed dating” collaborations are this interesting, maybe you should. Details here.