Judges Profile

Dance

  • Bilqis Hijjas

    As a teenager Bilqis Hijjas performed briefly with Sutra Dance Theatre and Linda Jasmine's Dance Republic. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, and moved to Australia to pursue a Graduate Diploma in choreography and a Masters degree in anthropology. In 2006, Bilqis established the amateur performance group Balletbase. Bilqis also directs the dance program at Rimbun Dahan, providing residencies for choreographers. She teaches at University of Malaya, and is the President of MyDance Alliance. Since 2006, she has produced numerous shows for Balletbase, Rimbun Dahan and MyDance Alliance.

  • Fiona-Jane Gomez

    Fiona Jane Gomez is the director of Talent Hub. She discovered her love for dance at the tender age of 6 and through her 22 years of dancing experience she has been exposed to a multitude of genres, mainly in Latin American and Ballroom Dancing. For the last 11 years, she has been teaching and sharing her passion for dance with her students. Since 2005, Talent Hub has been the front for Fiona to share her love for the arts which has seen her capture several awards and accolades. She has also been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and TV programs for her success.

  • Kiea Kuan Nam

    Kuan Nam is former MyDance Alliance's Vice President. He is trained in Butoh, is a contemporary dancer as well as a choreographer and yogi. He is now the company manager cum principal dancer of Nyoba Kan. He won the Best Choreographer Award at the Hong Kong Youth Dance Festival 2006 and Best Joyful Dance Award at the Beijing Youth Dance Festival 2009. He was nominated Best Feature Performer in Dance at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2007 and 2009 for his lead role in The Curse of the Forbidden City and Peony Dream. Dance and Yoga are important to his life and to him, the movements of the body become the channel to express the thoughts, where Butoh is the language.

  • Leng Poh Gee

    Hailing from Kelantan, he holds a Masters of Arts (Performing Arts) from University of Malaya and Bachelor of Science (Human Development) from Universiti Putra Malaysia. Currently, he is a lecturer of the Dance Program, Cultural Center, at University of Malaya. He specialized in Labanotation and modern dance techniques. Trained in modern contemporary dance, Poh Gee has extensive professional performing experience besides proving to be a sought-after administrative and behind-the-scenes crew local and abroad.

  • Revathi Murugappan

    Revathi is a journalist with a local newspaper who traded her dance shoes to ensure a stable supply of skim milk and wholemeal bread. But her artistic flame refuses to be extinguished so she lectures on various dance subjects at the University of Malaya and choreographs whenever possible. When her adrenalin is not pumping, she focuses on being a fitness trainer and educator. Her interest lies in dance conditioning and injuries, and she is in the midst of scrambling to complete her postgraduate thesis on dance injuries, while trying to keep her body parts intact.
Music

  • AZMYL YUNOR

    One of the hardest gigging and prolific Malaysian indie/underground musicians for the past decade and a half, Azmyl's songs are candid observations on life and living, with biting commentary to boot. A storyteller at heart and a former street musician, he has showcased his energetic live performances at venues and festivals in countries around the region and internationally such as Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Laos, Indonesia, and Thailand. He is also an academic and writer who has written and published work about Malaysian music subcultures and makes regular appearances on local radio and television stations (he is also the first Malaysian underground musician to perform on primetime Indonesian TV in 2011) for both his music and his take on Malaysian popular music, cultural politics and society.

  • CLARIS CHIN

    Claris Chin returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1996 after graduating with a first-class Honours degree in voice performance from the University of Adelaide. During her time there she was featured as a soprano soloist in Mozart's 'Requiem', Allegri's 'Miserere', Kodaly's 'Missa Brevis', Tippett's 'Five Negro Spirituals', Vivaldi's 'Gloria', Handel's 'Messiah', Monteverdi's 'Christmas Vespers' and other oratorios, masses and choral works. While at the University of Adelaide she was also an official piano accompanist and repetiteur to singers and professional choirs. This enabled her participation in art-song competitions, eisteddfods, and State Opera auditions.

    Claris performed regularly from 1996-2005 with the late James Vadiveloo of the Kuala Lumpur Chamber Music Players in recitals of German, English and French art-song. She was also a member of The Choristers of Kuala Lumpur from 1996-2004 which specialised in the performance of a cappella vocal music. Claris was featured as a guest soloist with Rhythm in Bronze : Wujud Antara in their concerts at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in February 2004, which won the BOH Cameronian Arts Award for Best Group Performance for Music (Voice).

  • CHAN WEN LI

    Wen Li holds a LTCL in Piano Performance, plays the violin, and is a classically-trained mezzo-soprano. She currently performs with Kuala Lumpur-based international chamber choir Cantus Musicus, jazz/contemporary a cappella ensemble The SnL Singers, and The Philharmonic Society of Selangor. She has also sung with The Choristers, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Chorus and the Marc Rochester Singers. Wen Li's foray into the classical music scene has included performances of Puccini's opera Tosca in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and Lehar's operetta The Merry Widow. She has also played a lead role in a musical theatre production. Wen Li also regularly accompanies vocalists at recitals and competitions.

  • NG CHOR GUAN

    Born in Klang, Malaysia, Guan's passion for music during adolescent years propelled him toward the fascinating arena of music. Chor Guan started his career as professional music composer during his years in London. His diverse professional credits include music for concert, film, theater, dance, exhibition and multimedia. His music has been performed in a wide variety of mediums including orchestral, choral, chamber, and electronic music. His work demonstrates an excellent integration of the classical and the contemporary.

    Upon returning to Malaysia in 2006, he collaborated actively with theatrical artists and choreographers who diversied his works into a new era. To name a few works premiered in Malaysia and abroad - theatre productions include Antigone, Okiku- A Tragedy Retold, The Lost and The Ecliptic and Break-ing. Dance collaborations include The Curse of The Forbidden Palace, Whispers of Love, She Walks in Beauty Like the Night, The 'R' Adventurous Drift, Toilet, Nobat, Peony Dream Lost and Found, Tale of a Healthy City and Ballet Nutcracker. With all his hard to show for, he was nominated for 2008 Cameronian Arts Awards Most Promising Artist.

  • PATRICK JONATHAN

    Patrick Jonathan, an internationally-performed, award- nominated composer, studied at Goldsmiths College, London University, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The Corona Academy of the Dramatic Arts as well as participating in two summer schools in The Mechanics of Film Scoring conducted by CBS Music Supervisor and UCLA course director Don Ray. His true mentor, though, was the great English symphonist, Richard Arnell.

    For a number of years Patrick was Manager of the Orchestral Hire Department of the music publisher Schott and Co. in London before studying to become a qualified teacher. During his time in Kuala Lumpur he has taught at The Alice Smith School, devised and presented courses for The Actors Studio Academy and lectured in Musical Theatre at UiTM in Shah Alam.
Musical Theatre

  • FANG CHYI

    Fang Chyi was a core member of Lit Performers, all-woman A Cappella group; and a familiar face in many local theatre productions. She was last seen as Nancy, in Dama Orchestra's I Have A Date With Spring; in both the 2009/10 Kuala Lumpur and Perth runs. Fang Chyi made her debut as both director and set designer with OKIKU: A Tragedy Untold in 2007. She has garnered nominations at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in the vocal performance and set design categories. In 2010's Short + Sweet Festival, Fang Chyi took home 5 awards in both the Theatre and Musical Theatre categories combined.

  • JOSEPH GONZALES

    Joseph is Dean of the Faculty of Dance at ASWARA who performs in multiple genres of dance, theatre and musical theatre from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles. Holds a Masters of Arts in choreography, Middlesex University, a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, University of Malaya, Teaching Diplomas in Ballet, Modern Dance and Performing Arts from the Bush Davies School, Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and London Studio Centre. He also has a career in radio and television working on major sports broadcasts and reality TV dance programs and considers himself a perennial student who is constantly "seizes the day"!

  • MAYA TAN ABDULLAH

    Maya Tan is a writer, actor and vocalist. She began working in theatre in 1999 and has been involved in theatre productions by The Instant Café Theatre Company, The Actors Studio, Five Arts Centre, Dramalab, PJ Life Arts Centre and Enfiniti Productions. In 2010 alone, she was involved in seven productions, including 'Taming of The Shrew: A Bollywood Musical' by Toniq Productions, TANDA by Rumah Anak Teater and '1Sex, 1Money, 1Scandal: The Virus Returns' by The Instant Cafe Theatre Company. The first full-length play she wrote, Wacky Bar (2009,PJ Life Arts), was staged in 2009. Maya has also appeared in films such as "Gadoh" (2008, KOMAS), and sings pop-rock, jazz and soul at venues such as Mezze Lounge and The Annexe Gallery. Her writing has also been published in Personal Money, Klue, Options- The Edge and Matahari Books' anthology of short stories – Body 2 Body (2009).

  • MICHAEL XAVIER VOON

    Michael graduated with degrees in Fine, Graphic and Performing Arts . For the past 33 years, Michael has directed, lectured, facilitated designed, performed and choreographed. Michael has facilitated workshops and corporate training - locally as well as in New South Wales, Georgia, Colorado and Brunei. In addition to directing musicals and choral groups for the Kuala Lumpur Children's Choir, Wicked Pitches and KL Young Singers, Michael also directed (Shout! The Mod Musical ). MXV's recent dance work 'Diaries 09' (Diaries in Black) won a dance award and was chosen to perform in Sydney in April, 2010.He has been a performance coach for Malaysian Idol I & II, One in a Million and So You Think You Can Dance with guest jury duties on Sehati Berdansa. Michael is perhaps the longest serving judge on Kakiseni dating back to the end of its first inaugural year.

  • SHANTHINI VENUGOPAL

    Shanthini Venugopal has been in the theatre industry for over 25 years. She is a singer, actor, director, and teacher. She has free-lanced as a producer, stage manager, props and front of house for various theatre companies in Malaysia since 1981. She is a Director of The Jumping JellyBeans (JJB) and Fusion Academy of Performing Arts Malaysia and is a pioneer member of The Instant Cafe Theatre Co. since 1989. She can also be heard on radio and TV commercials doing voice-overs and jingles. She acted in the Hollywood movie 'Anna and the King' co-starring with Jodie Foster and Chow Yuen Fatt in 1999.
Theatre

  • EDWIN SUMUN

    Edwin Sumun has been in the performing arts for nearly 20 years. A critically acclaimed award-winner, he has worked in Germany, where he played Hamlet and Macbeth and was awarded Outstanding Contribution to Theatre, and has performed, designed and directed around the Asian region. He is a member of The Instant Café Theatre Company and is the Creative Director of his own company, Sumunda.

  • IVY JOSIAH

    Ivy Josiah is the Executive Director of Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) in Malaysia. Established in 1982, WAO was the first women's organisation in Malaysia to provide shelter for battered women and their children and in 2006, she helped form the Migration Working Group. Ivy has been involved in the arts since the 1980s. She has done costumes, props, stage management, front of house publicity and produced. On stage she has danced with Marion D Cruz and Dancers (1984 – 1995) and was cast by Krishen Jit as Kali in the first production of The Cord by KS Maniam in 1985. Ivy is a member of Five Arts Centre.

  • MOO SIEW KEH

    Moo is a script writer for Film and TV. Graduating from the Japan Academy of Visual Arts with a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Arts majoring in Script Writing, he now is a lecturer at New Era College. In 2010 he won a Malaysia Golden Awards. He has also won ADA Chinese Theatre Awards and A Boh Cameronian Arts Award. His stage performances include roles in Animal Farm, Illusion, Breaking and A Streetcar Named Desire.

  • REZA ZAINAL ABIDIN

    Reza Zainal Abidin is a lecturer-actor-director. He has lectured in various institutions of higher learning teaching Theater, Management and Cultural Studies. Currently, he is attached to ASWARA. As an actor, he has worked on various stage productions including the much acclaimed Spilt Gravy on Rice and Second Link, both of which have toured to Singapore. In the 20 years since he has been involved in theater, he has been a make-up artist, set designer, wardrobe master, sound crew, acting coach, translator, usher and front of house manager. And he reckons he will do it all over again. His current passion is directing. After Taming of the Shrew, A Bollywood Cabaret in June last year, he is deep in talks for several other productions this year.

  • Dr. WONG OI MIN

    Oi Min has a PHD in Arts. She is an actor, director, drama/theatre educator. Currently, she is a full-time lecturer at the National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) of Malaysia. She mainly teaches Physical Theatre & Applied Theatre as her orientation of the subject is in promoting and developing theatre arts & education. She believes in crossing-boundaries towards multicultural coexistence in her work.