Set against the colourful, complex world of late-1970s Kuala Lumpur, the impressive 3 Days in Chow Kit Road combines dance, theatre, live music, and an original score in a moving story of love, family, prejudice, and belonging.
You don’t want to miss this! Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Chow Kit Road takes centre stage in 3 Days in Chow Kit Road, a brand-new and easy-to-recommend Malaysian dance theatre production presented by Kenny Shim Dance Collective (KSDC) and Asia Ballet Academy (ABA), in partnership with Yayasan Chow Kit.
Set over three unforgettable days in the late 1970s, the fictional story follows Owen, a young delivery boy, and Jasmine, a dressmaking apprentice, whose hopes of building a future together are upended by an unexpected tragedy. As their lives become entwined with the people, personalities, and communities of Chow Kit Road, the production explores the complicated ties that bind people to one another and to the places they call home.
At its heart, 3 Days in Chow Kit Road asks a simple but deeply resonant question: Is home merely a place we leave behind, or is it found in the people we love?
With an ensemble of 31 dancers, live music, and an original score, the production promises an ambitious theatrical experience that blends movement, storytelling, and sound into a distinctly Malaysian work. Dance serves as the production’s primary language, allowing the story to unfold through gesture, rhythm, emotion, and atmosphere.
Audiences can expect to be transported from the bustling morning markets of Chow Kit Road to its neon-lit nightlife, encountering a richly imagined world where joy, hope, heartbreak, and hardship exist side by side. Drawing inspiration from the everyday lives of ordinary people, the production celebrates Malaysia’s multicultural identity while exploring universal themes of compassion, belonging, and the search for connection.
The setting is particularly significant. Long associated with commerce, community, street life, and a fascinating mix of cultures, Chow Kit Road provides a vibrant backdrop for a story that looks beyond familiar stereotypes to consider the humanity of the people who live and work there.
The production also aims to make dance theatre accessible to a broad audience, including those who may be unfamiliar with the form. By placing narrative at its centre, 3 Days in Chow Kit Road offers both seasoned theatre-goers and first-time audiences an opportunity to experience how movement can communicate powerful emotions and recognizably human stories, even without relying on spoken dialogue.
Behind the production is a large creative team led by artistic chair and producer Ivy Chung, and story creator, director, choreographer, and producer Kenny Shim. The production brings together expertise in music, lighting, set and multimedia design, costumes, dramaturgy, and stage management to create a cohesive theatrical world.
The project is supported by the Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre as venue sponsor, while Yayasan Chow Kit serves as community partner. Together, the collaborators reflect the production’s interest in connecting artistic expression with the cultural and social fabric of Kuala Lumpur.
For anyone interested in Malaysian stories, contemporary dance, live performance, or the ever-changing character of the capital, 3 Days in Chow Kit Road offers an intriguing opportunity to see a familiar part of the city reimagined through movement, music, and emotion.
