★★★★★ Dance Review: Sounding Light 定光 by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre

Cloud Gate invites us to pause and appreciate the little things all around us, and to rediscover the wonder and beauty of simply being alive. Duration: 60 minutes What if the world has never been quiet, but we have simply forgotten how to listen? In Sounding Light, which played last weekend as part of the 2026 edition of the Esplanade’s da:ns focus: Connect Asia Now … Continue reading ★★★★★ Dance Review: Sounding Light 定光 by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre

Sounding Light 定光: An interview with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung on slowing down

It seems like an impossibility to ever ask people who live in bustling metropolitan cities like Taipei or Singapore to slow down. These are places built around movement: trains arriving and departing, traffic flowing through intersections, people crossing streets with somewhere to be, messages arriving before the previous ones have been answered. There is always another email, another meeting, another decision to make. Even our … Continue reading Sounding Light 定光: An interview with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung on slowing down

Concert Review: Listening to Taiwan – NTSO 2026 Asia Tour Concert

An evening of cultural exchange through music that celebrates what happens when different voices come together as one. Some concerts impress with virtuosity; others leave you with a feeling that lingers long after the final applause. Listening to Taiwan, presented by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO) at the Esplanade Concert Hall, manages both. Led by conductor Tung-Chieh Chuang, the evening brings together Taiwanese musical … Continue reading Concert Review: Listening to Taiwan – NTSO 2026 Asia Tour Concert

Interview: NTSO’s Tung-Chieh Chuang and pianist Albert Tiu talk about how music connects Taiwan, Singapore and the human experience

From folk melodies that evoke memories of home to classical masterpieces that transcend generations, conductor Tung-Chieh Chuang and pianist Albert Tiu reflect on the power of music to express the human experience ahead of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra’s Singapore performance. What can music express that words cannot? For Taiwanese conductor Tung-Chieh Chuang, the answer lies in the subtle complexities of human emotion, and the … Continue reading Interview: NTSO’s Tung-Chieh Chuang and pianist Albert Tiu talk about how music connects Taiwan, Singapore and the human experience

Preview: da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) 2026 by Esplanade – Theatre on the Bay

In a world where we’re constantly scrolling, multitasking and moving from one thing to the next, taking the time to truly see has become something of a luxury. This October, Esplanade’s da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) returns with a timely reminder that contemporary performance can do more than entertain, and encourage us to pause, pay attention and reconnect with ourselves and those around … Continue reading Preview: da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) 2026 by Esplanade – Theatre on the Bay

★★★★★ Theatre Review: ART (2026) by Godot Theatre Company

Godot Theatre’s take on Yasmina Reza’s beloved classic reminds us how art reveals uncomfortable truths about ourselves and how we live in a world of myriad perspectives. Duration: 135 minutes John Berger, in Ways of Seeing, famously writes that “the relation between what we see and what we know is never settled”. It is an idea that applies directly to Yasmina Reza’s ART, a play … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: ART (2026) by Godot Theatre Company

Godot Theatre Company’s ART returns to the Esplanade, and Pu Hsueh-Liang, Chu Chung Heng and Tseng Kuo Chen are closer than ever

There is a moment before our interview properly begins that says almost everything one needs to know about ART. The first question has barely been asked when the three actors are already talking over one another. Within seconds, the room dissolves into laughter. They interrupt one another, finish each other’s sentences, argue over tiny details and gently tease each other without missing a beat. Before … Continue reading Godot Theatre Company’s ART returns to the Esplanade, and Pu Hsueh-Liang, Chu Chung Heng and Tseng Kuo Chen are closer than ever

★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

Taiwanese artist Wang Ping-Hsiang explores the uneasy tension between nationalism and violence in a winding piece of anecdotal theatre. It is difficult to pin down exactly what kind of show Retina Manoeuvre wants to be. Playing at Theatre Practice’s Practice Space as part of the Singapore Fringe Festival, Berlin-based Taiwanese theatremaker Wang presents a relatively stripped-down setup: a desk, a laptop, a microphone, and a … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

Music: Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra concludes Taiwan tour with resounding success

The Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) has returned from a highly successful concert tour in Taiwan, marking an inspiring week of musical exchange from 9 to 17 December 2025. Performing to nearly 2,000 audience members across Taoyuan, Taipei and Hsinchu, the youth orchestra presented three collaborative concerts that celebrated cultural dialogue through Chinese orchestral music. Under the direction of Music Director Quek Ling Kiong, … Continue reading Music: Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra concludes Taiwan tour with resounding success

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’

When audiences first encountered Retina Manoeuvre in its early work-in-progress, few could have guessed that the performance would later tour Europe, gathering deeply personal responses from audiences who recognised themselves, despite having no connection to Taiwan at all. The project began far from the solo, autobiographical form it eventually took. Taiwanese artist and creator Ping-Hsiang Wang recalls that the original proposal involved three performers and … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’