From left: dancers James Kan, Amirah Redza, Si Jin, Alisya Razman, Wen Chin, Xue Li (All photos: Abdul Sami)
Stuck in the mundane rhythms of daily routines, we often forget how others around us have lives as varied as ours. It is easy to stroll past strangers without a second thought, and when interactions do occur, we may only scratch the surface of who they are. Yet, social media overflows with content where folks bare their souls to garner attention and approval, a stark contrast to the silent and borderline invisibility present in the real world.
Drawing upon the thought experiment, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?”, this dance directed by theatre-maker Low Yee Choy raises the question of what we become when there is no one to witness our lives. What does it feel like to put on an act for the sake of recognition? Are we truly known through the things we broadcast on the internet?
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On this surreal and shifting journey of identity, six dancers waltz through a genre- blurring show that opens with familiar routines. Simple acts of brushing teeth, eating a meal and scrolling on a phone spiral into hypervisibility, a loss of self and digital overload. In their attempts to be seen by all, the characters fall into conformity, performing just for a moment of visibility. Ultimately, they reemerge from this state, coming to the realisation that everyone around them has a life as complicated and vivid as their own.
will you be my witness? is a blend of movement, silence and projection, delivering an experience that is simultaneously relatable and deeply personal. In a world where all is put online to be seen, it examines the ravenous hunger humans have for attention and the fear of being truly known.
'will you be my witness?' runs at Black Box, DPAC from June 26 to 29, with showtimes at 8:30pm and 3pm. Purchase tickets from cloudjoi.com.
This article first appeared on June 2, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
