Dance in Singapore
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Dance in Singapore comprises traditional and contemporary forms. It has a relatively short history of creative, artistic and professional dance.
Contents |
[edit] Contemporary dance
[edit] Contemporary dance companies
- ECNAD Project, the former Dance Dimension Project, was founded in 1996. It became the first full-time contemporary dance company in Singapore in 1998. A very creative group, ECNAD is known for its site-specific projects and strong visuals.
[edit] Training programmes
In the 1990s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) started Singapore's first full-time Contemporary Dance programme that produced Singapore's own locally trained contemporary dance artists. The programme was headed by Angela Liong and offered an all-rounded dance theory and technique studies including Martha Graham's technique and Dance Improvisation. Some of its ex students have since contributed to the development of Contemporary Dance in Singapore.
[edit] Traditional dance
[edit] Traditional dance companies
- In May 1980, the National Theatre Dance Company (NTCDC) was formed by National Theatre Trust, upon the successful completion of the dance training programme conducted by prominent Hong Kong instructor, Mr Cheng Shu Jing. The training programme had culminated in a concert, "An Evening of Chinese Dances" being performed on 24th Nov 1979. NTCDC had evolved to become Theatre Arts Troupe in 1992, after National Theatre Trust amalgamated into the National Arts Council.
- Singapore Dance Theatre, a ballet company, took over as Singapore's national dance company acquiring works of foreign well known choreographers and housing mainly young foreign dance talents.
[edit] Notable pioneer teachers
- Angela Liong (Modern Dance)
- late Tony Llacer (Ballet)
- Boon Teo (Modern - Martha Graham's technique)
- Ong Lay Keng (Modern/Jazz)
- Lim Fei Shen
- Goh Lay Kuan (Ballet/Modern)
- Goh Soo Khim (Ballet)
- Anthony Then (Ballet)
- Cecilia Hon (Ballet)
- Sylvia McCully (Ballet)
Goh Soo Khim Co-Founder and Artistic Director
Goh Soo Khim, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Singapore Dance Theatre, is a highly respected figure in Singapore’s dance scene and has been closely associated with the development of Ballet in Singapore.
Soo Khim was instrumental in developing the SDT from a fledging company of seven members, into one of the leading dance theatres in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.
Soo Khim, who comes from a family of well known dancers and teachers, received her early training at the Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA) under the Academy’s founding directors – Soonee Goh, Frances Poh and Vernon Martinus. She then furthered her professional training in Australia in 1964, becoming the first Asian Dancer to be admitted to the Australian Ballet School. On her return to Singapore, she taught at the SBA and was a soloist and principle dancer in all its performances. In 1971, Soo Khim assumed the responsibilities of Director and Principle of the Academy and has since trained, guided and inspired many young talents towards achieving a professional career in dance.
In 1977, Soo Khim represented Singapore in the 2nd ASEAN Radio and Television Cultural Exchange Programme and in the following year, revealed another facet of her artistic personality: her creativity as a choreographer, first with Temple Tone Poem (1978) and then with Goodbye Again (1980). Her specially commissioned works, Dilemma and Five Emotions, were premiered at the 1982 Singapore Arts Festival.
Soo Khim was then appointed Co-Artistic Director by the then Ministry of Culture in 1984, to nurture the Ballet Group of the National Dance Company. The group performed her specially commissioned ballet, Environmental Phases, which won acclaim for its originality in the 5th ASEAN Festival of Performing Arts in 1985. Soo Khim collaborated with Anthony Then to produce At The Ballet and Ballet Premiere for the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1984 and 1986.
Her first choreography for the SDT was Brahm’s Sentiments, which premiered in the company’s second season. In 1990, she restaged Environmental Phases for SDT in a celebratory concert for Singapore’s 25th Anniversary. More recently, Soo Khim has been actively providing opportunities for dancers to develop their potential as choreographers.She had been invited to adjudicate ballet competitions in Malaysia, Indonesia and is also on the international panel for the Asia Pacific Ballet Competition in Japan since 1991. She became the first Asian representative to be invited as a jury member for the prestigious Benois de la Danse Prix that took place in Moscow in April 2003.
Soo Khim was awarded the prestigious Cultural Medallion in 1981 and the National Day Public Service Medal in 1989 for her outstanding contributions to the development of dance in Singapore. In 2002, she was awarded a Fellowship of LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts.
The Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) is one of the premier professional dance companies to have emerged from the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
The Singapore Dance Theatre was founded by Anthony Then and Artistic Director Goh Soo Khim. The company consists of 26 dancers hailed mainly from the Asia-Pacific region. It has six seasons in a year, including performances at the Esplanade Theatre, Performing Home of The SDT; and at the Fort Canning Green, where its widely popular Ballet Under The Stars (BUTS) series of outdoor performances are staged. BUTS has to date, attracted over 180,000 spectators from all walks of life and have become dance aficionados. 2005 marked the 10th Anniversary of BUTS.
The company’s repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary ballet, from renowned choreographers like Goh Choo San, George Balanchine, Jean Paul Comelin, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, Sakiko Oshima, Boi Sakti, Stanton Welch, and Marie-Claude Pietragalla. The Company also engaged Johnny Eliasen to stage La Sylphide.
Arts Education Program and Outreach
As a major grant recipient from the Singapore Government and in keeping with SDT’s commitment to bring the finest in dance to the public audience, on-going Education and Outreach programmes are organized to provide people with opportunities to appreciate dance. SDT continues to make extensive school visits and offer special courses for non-dancers and adult students. These efforts aim to make dance more accessible to the masses. Singapore Dance Theatre hopes to spread the beauty, passion and discipline of dance to as many people as possible and place Singapore in the minds of international dance aficionados.
Nurturing Choreographic Talents
Besides developing its repertoire, the company is dedicated to nurturing young choreographic talents in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. Its widely popular Ballet Under The Stars seasons at Fort Canning Green have become a viable working space for up-and-coming choreographers, who present their creations through the Singapore Young-Choreographers’ Platform and the Asia-Pacific Choreographer Workshop.
[edit] External links
Dansingit's a handy one stop site for dance resource
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