Nicole Tan
To a dancer, dance is more than just swaying your body to the beats of the music; dance is about style, technique, posture, footwork and more importantly, making the audience feel the dance by touching their souls, which is the very essence of da:ns Festival 2008.
More importantly, it’s the ability to appreciate the diversity in dance. Launched at the Esplanade on Oct 9, da:ns Festival 2008 brings together the many different styles of dance that is bound to captivate people of all ages.
Point shoes & pirouettes: It’s all happening in Centerstage
Ballet, contemporary dance and modern dance aficionados are in for passionate, breathtaking performances this year when it comes to dance performances.
In Centerstage, the upcoming Russian Ballet Gala, featuring stars from the acclaimed Bolshoi Ballet, a renowned world-class ballet company, Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and St Petersburg State Ballet Theatre, is bound to take your breath away with the magnificence and mastery of Russian ballet.
The Russian Ballet Gala is not the only world-class performance in Centerstage, however. The Nederlands Dans Theatre I, another renowned world-class dance company, will be presentingDouble Bill: Silent Screen & Toss Of A Dice. A synthesis of passion, emotions and perfect techniques set to the rhythm of specially chosen music, Double Bill: Silent Screen & Toss Of A Dice is one intense performance that will definitely leave an impact.
Witness a showcase of Asia’s dance talent
Local and regional dance creators showcase their acts in Shift.
Redoubled, a collaboration between Jeffrey Tan and Kuik Swee Boon, 2 of Singapore’s finest choreographers, will be captivating audiences with its messages on the mystery and the true essence of life.
Regional dancers Hun Pen and January Low trace the lines between tradition and modernisation in Seen: Silent while Tracing: Dance Dialogues in Singapore and South Africa brings a different side of dance production to the table as this collaboration between Joey Chua, a Singaporean, and South African Mcebisi Bhayi, is a work-in-progress that will be showing in Singapore.
The completed dance piece by Joey and Mcebisi will make its debut at theFNB Dance Umbrella 2009, a South African dance festival.
Get down, get moving and get grooving around the Esplanade
If traditional sit-down dance performances don’t appeal to you, then Footwork, Rasas and What’s Your Move will have you up and grooving. In Footwork, contemporary dance students and practitioners have the opportunity of learning from the Nederlands Dans Theatre I in the Contemporary Dance Masterclass.
Get in touch with your cultural roots in Rasas with the free showcase of traditional dances from all over Asia at the Concourse and the Outdoor Theatre. With dancers decked out in traditional costumes, this is your chance to experience Asia through their fluid body movements and the rhythm and beats of traditional music.
Everyone is bound to have a signature dance move, but if you find that you’re lacking one, What’s Your Move will help you find it. This outdoor mass-dancing event is all about bringing the diversity of dance to the masses. Be it latin dance, ballroom dance, hip hop dance, swing dance, belly dancing, line dancing or Bollywood, there is a dance style for everyone to learn, enjoy and appreciate.
Dance the Visual Arts way
If even getting personally involved is not the way you’d like to appreciate dance, there is one other way that da:ns Festival 2008 is bringing the beauty of dance to you: through the Visual Arts. As you walk through the MRT link from City Hall to the Esplanade, take a few moments to enjoy the sights of Photographic Exhibition – Dance Groups in Singapore by Tan Ngiap Heng, which features a selection of prints of dance performances.
Dance moves, dance feels and dance captivates. Dance captures the heart and soul of people, even if you have 2 seriously left feet. Stop giving yourself any excuses, pick up your dancing shoes, step up and let loose at da:ns Festival 2008.
Details of performances mentioned:
Russian Ballet Gala
Oct 15, 16, 2008
8pm, Theatre (110 mins, with intermission)
$40, $60, $80, $100, $120
Double Bill: Silent Screen & Toss Of A Dice
Oct 18, 19 2008
8pm, Theatre (95 mins, with intermission)
$40, $60, $80, $100
Redoubled
Oct 15, 16 2008
3.30pm (Oct 16 only) & 8pm, Theatre Studio (60 mins, with intermission)
$35
*Do note that this performance contains mature content and is not suitable for audiences below 18.
Seen: Silent
Oct 17, 2008, Friday
8pm, Recital Studio (60 mins, no intermission)
$30
Tracing: Dance Dialogues in Singapore and South Africa
Oct 19, 2008, Sunday
7pm, Rehearsal Studio (30 mins, no intermission)
Free
*Do note that tickets for this performance will be given out at the venue one hour before the performance commences on a first come first served basis.
Footwork: Contemporary Dance Masterclass by Nederlands Dans Theater I
Oct 17, 2008, Friday
2pm, Rehearsal Studio (Approximately 120 mins)
$20
*Do note that the masterclass is only for advanced dance students and dance practitioners. Tickets are only available through selection via online registration.
Rasas
Oct 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 2008
6.15pm to 11.15pm (various time slots)
Esplanade Concourse, Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
What’s Your Move
Oct 17, 18, 19, 2008
6pm (Oct 19 only: This is mass-dance event is for kids), 8.15pm to 11pm
Esplanade Concourse, Esplanade Forecourt
Visual Arts: Photographic Exhibition – Dance Groups in Singapore by Tan Ngiap Heng
Oct 9 to Oct 19, 2008
MRT Link from City Hall to the Esplanade
For more information, please visit http://www.dansfestival.com/2008/microsite/index.htm
Photos courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd