★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

Collision course of the monstrous and magical elements of femininity, prejudice and Britney Spears. From the moment one enters the Esplanade Annexe Studio for Magic Maids, there is the sense that we are participating in something sacred or ritualistic. Hanging from the back wall is an armoury of brooms of various lengths and types, while above us, white and red string is layered and arranged … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Finding beauty in horror and grief, as we make meaning against the inevitable. The name of Japanese dance form butoh originates from ‘ankoku butō’, or ‘dance of darkness’. While never conforming to any specific definition, the spirit of butoh is precisely couched in the idea of resistance and counterculture, an avant garde movement that refused to use formal dance techniques, and often dealing with taboo … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Joshua Serafin on healing, spirituality and the cosmos in ‘PEARLS’

Multidisciplinary artist Joshua Serafin is a force to be reckoned with. The 28-year old is already making waves across the festival circuit, with their provocative, viscerally-charged work often leaving a deep emotional impact on viewers as they reel from the sheer force of it. From performing at the Venice Biennale in 2024, to receiving nominations for the 2023 ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art … Continue reading Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Joshua Serafin on healing, spirituality and the cosmos in ‘PEARLS’

Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera on broomsticks, witchcraft and domestic work in ‘Magic Maids’

Artists and choreographers Eisa Jocson (Philippines) and Venuri Perera (Sri Lanka) may both hail from the same continent, but it took both of them being at a residency in Switzerland to finally properly befriend and begin working together. “We’ve met here and there in various places over the years, and I’ve been a fan of Eisa for some time now,” says Venuri. “But it was … Continue reading Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera on broomsticks, witchcraft and domestic work in ‘Magic Maids’

Preview: da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) 2024 by Esplanade

In the Esplanade’s latest edition of their da:ns focus series, they’re turning the attention back to Asia with a series of programmes for 2024’s Connect Asia Now (CAN). The annual programme is a dedicated platform that sees the Esplanade supporting artists from the region and introducing their work to Singapore audiences, connecting them to each other to advance Asia’s contemporary dance scene together. This year, … Continue reading Preview: da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) 2024 by Esplanade

★★★★★ Review: 13 & 14 by TAO Dance Theater

A testament to the ceaseless persistence of the essence of dance. Founded in 2008, for over fourteen years now, China’s TAO Dance Theater has been exploring the very essence of dance itself. Led by artistic directors Tao Ye, Duan Ni and Wang Hao, the company has distilled the art of dance to its core aspects, manifested as minimalist productions that focus entirely on the infinite … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: 13 & 14 by TAO Dance Theater

da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Finding tenderness and connection in the face of seemingly irreconcilable differences.  Raimund Hoghe is a shorter than average 70-year old German man with a discernible hunchback, pale and serious. Takashi Ueno is a much younger Japanese man of average height, slim and lithe. One wonders how the two might even begin to find a point of connection with each other with these distinct physical builds and … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

Living proof that street dance is just as much of an art form as every other production gracing the Esplanade Theatre. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since the Esplanade’s da:ns festival has featured street dance performers on the mainstage. Almost as if to make up for this absence, FULL OUT! features some of the world’s very best dance crews gathering for a single, … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)

Someday my prince will come. But not if you’re Pinoy.  Growing up on a steady diet of Walt Disney’s animated films, the current generation of young adults were almost certainly bombarded with a relentless insistence of happy endings and visions of the ideal woman as a svelte, prim and proper princess. The sad reality is, the Disney empire’s brand of happiness would apply only to … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: Acosta Danza (Review)

Gravity defying, intricate choreography marrying the discipline of ballet with the richness of Cuban culture. Almost certainly one of the greatest dancers to have emerged from Cuba, Carlos Acosta is a modern legend in the world of ballet and contemporary dance. The first Cuban principal dancer of London’s Royal Ballet, Acosta’s meteoric rise is nothing short of spectacular, and as the opening show for this year’s … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Acosta Danza (Review)