Huayi 2025: An Interview with Low Mei Yoke on dancing for life, and an invitation to ‘Dance with Me’

For Low Mei Yoke, dance has always been more than just movement—it’s a lifelong pursuit that has also been the glue keeping her closest friendships strong throughout the years. Now, with her latest show, Dance With Me, she’s inviting audiences into a deeply personal and heartfelt reunion, and to watch the power of friendship on display through dance and movement. Playing as part of the … Continue reading Huayi 2025: An Interview with Low Mei Yoke on dancing for life, and an invitation to ‘Dance with Me’

Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2025 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

2025 marks the year of the snake, often associated with ideas of transformation, renewal, and spiritual growth. And as with every Chinese New Year, the Esplanade is back with a brand new edition of the annual Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, with a line-up of Chinese works that appeal to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Now in its 23rd edition, Huayi will run … Continue reading Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2025 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★☆☆ Review: Dancing with the Ghost of My Child by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan, ANTARMUKA & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Students grapple with trauma and pain in a physically-demanding work led by Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Back in 2011, Noor Effendy Ibrahim performed a durational work titled Dancing with the Ghost of My Child at the Substation, in which he engaged in a form of ritualistic self-flagellation and masochism for an unspecified amount of time. For those familiar with Effendy’s work, this visceral image is par … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dancing with the Ghost of My Child by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan, ANTARMUKA & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

★★★★★ Review: Corps extrêmes by Rachid Ouramdane and Compagnie de Chaillot

The majesty of the great outdoors captured in a risk-taking theatrical presentation. The realms of sports and arts may seem worlds apart, but French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane has found a veritable link between the two, with beauty in the human spirit to triumph against all odds. Such is the nature of his work Corps extrêmes, which made its Singapore debut as part of the Esplanade’s … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Corps extrêmes by Rachid Ouramdane and Compagnie de Chaillot

★★★★☆ Review: A Reason For Falling by Hwa Wei-An

Finding meaning and momentum in persevering through the pain. No matter how many times it happens, the act of falling will always be coupled with a sense of fear, often from the knowledge that the point of impact is going to hurt. Yet when it becomes incorporated into one’s daily life, the pain that comes from each fall becomes somewhat more bearable when one becomes … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: A Reason For Falling by Hwa Wei-An

da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

In a feature article on French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, New York Times arts critic Gia Kourlas described him as ‘the choreographer bringing hope to the stage and beyond’. It’s a big title to live up to, but one that Rachid lives up to and carries well, particularly with his work Corps extrêmes. Playing at the Esplanade this weekend as part of their da:ns focus – … Continue reading da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

★★★★★ Review: Invisible Habitudes《看不见的归属》(2024) by T.H.E Dance Company

Searching, finding, longing, connection. In an increasingly fractured world, our own identity can enter a state of flux, where we no longer feel comfortable at home, and the familiar becomes strange. It becomes difficult when we’re constantly shouted at from all fronts, yelled at to listen to someone else’s opinion, when we haven’t even settled on our own. In exploring that, T.H.E Dance Company explores … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Invisible Habitudes《看不见的归属》(2024) by T.H.E Dance Company

Review: Still In Motion by RAW Moves

Let the water flow, and find peace in the shared soundscape. If dance is all about movement – is it possible to find it even within stillness? That is the central question at the heart of Still In Motion, a collaborative, immersive performance by Andy Lee from Unlock Dancing Plaza (Hong Kong) alongside Matthew Goh from RAW Moves (Singapore). Central to the performance is the … Continue reading Review: Still In Motion by RAW Moves

da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Hwa Wei-An on the power of falling, and what keeps him going

To make art is to live life dangerously and vulnerably, consistently putting one’s creativity and a part of one’s self up and subject it to as much criticism as awe and adoration. For Malaysian choreographer Hwa Wei-An, that danger comes very literally, and plays out prominently in his solo dance piece A Reason For Falling, which plays this December as a part of the Esplanade’s … Continue reading da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Hwa Wei-An on the power of falling, and what keeps him going

Preview: 2025 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival to tackle themes of displacement across seven local and international works

The annual Singapore Fringe Festival, organised by The Necessary Stage (TNS) has become an institution for independent theatremakers both locally and internationally to present their work, providing a platform for them to stage provocative, cutting-edge performances that deal with pertinent discussions in society and about those on the margins. Now in its 21st edition, watch as Fringe 2025 tackles the theme of displacement, from people … Continue reading Preview: 2025 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival to tackle themes of displacement across seven local and international works