Preview: TranscenDance by Temple of Fine Arts

Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) Singapore marks its 40th anniversary with the debut of TranscenDance, its first full-length dance film. TranscenDance, a fully
original work, charts the journeys of five dancers who navigate one question: “Who am I?”

TranscenDance brings its audience through a deeply personal reflection of the quintessential life cycle of a dancer. Each dancer sets out on their own distinct life track, grappling with the various challenges of each phase, all while trying to find an equilibrium between dance and life; passion and duty. Expressing polarities in emotions; monotony to wonder, fear to love, struggle to balance, the 5 dancers seek to forge their identity through dance and discover the role it plays in every stage of their life. An invitation to reflect on our own journeys, TranscenDance seeks to provide a safe space for discourse on floundering, failure and finding balance.

The choreographer of TranscenDance, Lakshmi Krishnan, tapped into the collective experiences of hers and her dancers’, to create as raw and honest a portrayal as possible. “TranscenDance began with me wanting to share my story; my journey with dance. It really is a universal story of love, conflict and search,” says Lakshmi. “By using Bharatanatyam to explore everyday struggles and contemporary dilemmas, TranscenDance not only makes the traditional art form relatable, but also aims to spark important conversations with younger Singaporean audiences about finding their own balance in today’s fast-paced world. Sometimes, it’s okay to not be okay. Sometimes we just need to trust in the process, and that eventually, we will find that light at the end of the tunnel.”

The creative process for choreography was guided by the project’s mentor, world-renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, Rama Vaidyanathan. “During the week of DIAP’s physical residency in 2019, I remember we would sit and talk about the idea for this project. From that first week, across months and months of zoom sessions, the concept has completely evolved and I feel that’s what the journey was meant to be – a transcendence,” said Rama.

The music for TranscenDance was also composed through an ongoing dialogue with the choreography. “Throughout the creative process, music and movement inspired one another, and each became what they needed to be through a continuous iterative process,” said composer Poornima Karthik Sathish.

TranscenDance streams from 27th March to 11th April 2021. Tickets and more information available here