★★★★☆ Dance Review: Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

Somewhere between trance and precision, Fase keeps turning. Watching Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, the signature work of Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, feels less like attending a performance and more like submitting to a condition. It is not something that easily invites a rating. It asks instead for time, attention, and a willingness to sit inside repetition—something that feels … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Dance Review: Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

★★★★★ Theatre Review: Randai Macbeth by ASWARA

Shakespeare meets the Nusantara in a bold, visceral Macbeth reborn through randai. It’s no small feat to make a 400-year-old play feel fresh, but Randai Macbeth achieves exactly that, and then some. Presented by Malaysia’s ASWARA and directed by Dr Norzizi Zulkifli, this bold adaptation reimagines Macbeth through the cultural lens of the Nusantara, transforming Shakespeare’s tale of ambition and moral decay into something visceral, … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Randai Macbeth by ASWARA

★★★★★ Theatre Review: PUNO – Sewing Memories by Papermoon Puppet Theatre

A universally affecting, timeless tale of love and loss by masters of the puppetry form. PUNO: Sewing Memories is, in many ways, a ghost story. Or perhaps more precisely, it is the story of a ghost, though not in the way we might expect. From the very outset of the show, which played as part of the Esplanade’s 2026 Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: PUNO – Sewing Memories by Papermoon Puppet Theatre

★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: La Luna by Teater Ekamatra

A lively but unfocused stage adaptation of La Luna struggles to balance satire and substance, losing the impact and weight of its source material. Adapting a film for the stage is never about simple reproduction. Theatre demands transformation, with a rethinking of form, rhythm, and storytelling. But that transformation must still serve the story. The most successful adaptations do not replicate but reinterpret with purpose. … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: La Luna by Teater Ekamatra

Preview: A Tapestry of Sacred Music 2026 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, A Tapestry of Sacred Music returns for its 17th edition from 30 April to 3 May 2026, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the rich diversity of sacred musical traditions from Singapore and around the world. Once again, the festivals offers up an immersive journey across spiritual landscapes spanning mosques, temples, village grounds, and cathedrals, where … Continue reading Preview: A Tapestry of Sacred Music 2026 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

A Little Piece of Eternity: An Interview with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker on repetition and return in Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich

When Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker created Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich in the spring of 1982, she was starting, quite deliberately, at the beginning. “I wanted to develop my own choreographic writing,” she recalls. Trained in classical ballet (“a very strictly codified language”), she chose instead “to go step by step, literally one movement at a time,” trusting an emerging intuition … Continue reading A Little Piece of Eternity: An Interview with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker on repetition and return in Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich

Preview: da:ns focus – On Loop by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

This year’s da:ns focus unfolds under the theme On Loop, a meditation on repetition as both structure and sensation. From 23–25 April 2026, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay opens the season with Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich by Rosas, the internationally acclaimed company led by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. First premiering in 1982, Fase is widely recognised as a cornerstone … Continue reading Preview: da:ns focus – On Loop by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Concert Review: Traversing 《“樂”无界》by Ding Yi Music Company

Ding Yi opens their 2026/27 season with a bold, celebratory selection of works that shows off the chamber ensemble’s capabilities and global vision. Opening its 2026/27 season, Traversing by Ding Yi Music Company makes an ambitious artistic claim: that a Chinese chamber ensemble can be not only rooted in tradition, but also be expansive, borderless, and globally resonant. Under the direction of maestro Tsung Yeh, … Continue reading Concert Review: Traversing 《“樂”无界》by Ding Yi Music Company

Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Maria Tri Sulistyani, founder of Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and playwright/director of ‘PUNO – Sewing Memories’

Twelve years ago, the story that would become PUNO: Sewing Memories began with a promise. Back in 2013, Papermoon Puppet Theatre was planning a collaboration with a close friend from the Philippines: puppetry artist Don Salubayba. “It was kind of like, wow, it’s amazing that we have so much in common, let’s do something together,” recalls director and playwright Maria Tri Sulistyani, also a co-founder … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Maria Tri Sulistyani, founder of Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and playwright/director of ‘PUNO – Sewing Memories’

Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Dr. Norzizi Zulkifli on adapting Macbeth for Randai and traditional arts in Malaysia

When Dr Norzizi speaks about randai, she does not describe it as an artefact or a genre. She describes the art form as something breathing, precarious, but alive. “Without ASWARA,” she says plainly of the National Academy of Arts, Cultural and Heritage of Malaysia, “randai is a dying traditional art form. It exists, but it is also not there. If you come to Kuala Lumpur … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2026: An Interview with Dr. Norzizi Zulkifli on adapting Macbeth for Randai and traditional arts in Malaysia