Scholars and dance artists attempt to define, situate, and categorize the ethnographically and aesthetically complex arena of contemporary dance in Malaysia. Through an analysis of the existing literature, interviews with relevant experts, and the creation of PAPER, a new choreographic work, this thesis investigates the nature of contemporary dance in Malaysia, how it defies narrow characterization, and how I identify as a transnational Malaysian choreographer living abroad. Interviews with Malaysian contemporary dance artists, Mavin Khoo, Ramli Ibrahim, Anthony Meh, and Aman Yap, as well as Malaysian dance scholars, Joseph Gonzales and Leng Poh Gee, reveal the broad scope of contemporary dance in Malaysia and its unique cultural roots. With the creation of my thirty-minute contemporary concert dance work – PAPER, the connections between my personal heritage and contemporary dance aesthetics were further revealed. PAPER investigated the themes of power, creation, time, and destruction symbolized through the literal and imaginative use of shredded paper.
