GEORGE TOWN, August 5 — The George Town Festival opened with a powerful beat as Vietnam’s “129BPM” made its long-awaited Southeast Asian debut at Dewan Sri Pinang.
Choreographed by Vietnamese-French artist Bui Ngoc Quan, the contemporary hip hop dance theatre fused street dance, traditional folk music, and flowing fabric sculpture into a gripping 70-minute performance that pulsed to 129 beats per minute — the rhythm of a heart under strain.
Marking the first-ever Vietnamese production to be presented at the festival, “129BPM” is both raw and transcendent. Through emotionally charged movement and striking visuals, the performance delved into themes of identity, resistance, and collective harmony in a rapidly urbanising world.
Dancers from H2Q Dance Company pushed their physical and emotional boundaries, embodying a poignant quest for human connection amid chaos. Co-produced by H2Q Dance Company and Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, and presented by MORUA.
The show continues on 5 August with travel sponsored by AirAsia. With live music by Tiny Giant and Nguyen Dan Duong, “129BPM” delivers a genre-defying experience that resonates long after the final beat.
