Review: The Drought Goddess · Dream of the World by La Cie MaxMind

A sacred myth and traditional music is brought into the present for new audiences. The Chinese legend of Hanba is a tragic one, where the central drought goddess, after helping her celestial father win an epic war, loses her divinity and is banished to Earth. Forced to wander from village to village, she is shunned wherever she goes as she dries out the land with … Continue reading Review: The Drought Goddess · Dream of the World by La Cie MaxMind

★★★★★ Review: Two men, ten years later (两男常罩) by HORSE

30 years of growing together as friends and artists. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Edward Lam) 9 Performance (Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia) 9 Choreography (Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia) 9 Music (Lee Shih-yang) 9 Lighting Design (Chen Chao-chun) 8 Video Design (Sun Ruey-horng) 8 Stage Design (Liao Yin-chiao) 8 Costume Design (Yu-fang Teng) 8 Total 68/80 (85%) Final Score: ★★★★★ After meeting as … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Two men, ten years later (两男常罩) by HORSE

★★★★★ Review: ART by Godot Theatre Company

Fragile friendship torn asunder by abstract art. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Liang Chi-Ming) 10 Script (Yasmina Reza) 9 Performance (Pu Hsueh-Liang, Chu Chung Heng and Tseng Kuo Chen) 10 Stage Design (Nieh Kuang-Yen) 8 Costume Design (Chin Ping-Ping) 8 Lighting Design (Tsao An-Huei) 8 Music Composition/Arrangement (Chen Kao-Hwa) 8 Total 61/70 (87%) Final Score: ★★★★★ No matter how many times we’ve watched ART, … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: ART by Godot Theatre Company

Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

The most fragile of cultural heritage is often the intangible, lying in customs, traditions and art forms that need to be passed down from generation to generation for survival. And as time goes by, too many of these practices are lost. Taiwanese arts company La Cie MaxMind hopes to preserve at least one of these traditions with the shows they put on. This week, they’re … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

Huayi 2023: 13 Tongues by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Preview)

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre is perhaps one of Taiwan’s most well-regarded contemporary arts companies, producing countless quality dance works since being founded in 1973. Combining a plethora of dance and movement forms, from qi gong to martial arts, modern dance to ballet, the company blends the traditional and contemporary as it brings its productions to the world. In their first performance in Singapore since the … Continue reading Huayi 2023: 13 Tongues by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Preview)

Huayi 2023: An Interview with Liang Chi-Ming, director of Godot Theatre Company’s ‘ART’

Over this first weekend of the Esplanade’s 2023 Huayi- Chinese Festival of Arts, the ongoing theme seems to be friendship, with headliner shows Two men, ten years later and Godot Theatre Company’s ART both dealing with the difficulties and nuances of navigating long-term friendships. And it makes perfect sense too – after all, in a world fraught with conflict, we need more friendships built on … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with Liang Chi-Ming, director of Godot Theatre Company’s ‘ART’

Huayi 2023: An Interview with best friends Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia, co-creators of ‘Two men, ten years later’ (两男常罩)

In spite of countless life events, in spite of differing artistic directions and career trajectories, in spite of battling a global pandemic and even life-threatening illness, Taiwanese dancers Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia have remained best friends for 30 years now. Ever since co-founding the company HORSE in 2004, the two have also collaborated on numerous projects, including the experimental work 2 men (2012), which … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with best friends Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia, co-creators of ‘Two men, ten years later’ (两男常罩)

Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

The Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts has always been a gateway to the region’s best Chinese arts, from China to Hong Kong, Taiwan to of course, Singapore. In the next edition, running from 27th January to 5th February, the festival coincides with the Year of the Rabbit, full of positivity and wit, as the Esplanade welcomes audiences to discover new worlds, make memories … Continue reading Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★★☆ Review: First Fleet (2021) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Journey to a brave new world with the power of art.  While most often seen by the general public as a means for entertainment, we often forget about that the arts also has a therapeutic effects on both participant and audience, a theme that’s at the forefront of Nine Years Theatre’s (NYT) First Fleet, restaged at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre this week. Directed by … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: First Fleet (2021) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Review: The Long Goodbye 小儿子 by Story Works X Dreamland (Huayi 2020)

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 7/2/20) Tackling dementia with both humour and heart. One of the most terrifying things about dementia itself, besides its effects, is the sheer length of time it can possibly affect a person for, eating away at their mind for years till the day they die, left an empty husk of their former selves. The burden then falls onto a patient’s carer as … Continue reading Review: The Long Goodbye 小儿子 by Story Works X Dreamland (Huayi 2020)