By Malcolm Tay As the spread of COVID-19 worsened in March, the Singapore government ordered the deferment of events with 250 or more participants and restricted travel into the nation. These measures, exacerbated by a partial lockdown (termed a “circuit breaker”) that began in April, forced arts companies and festivals to cancel most or all
By Malcolm Tay Subtlety was sorely missing from the program presented in August by Dance Ensemble Singapore, which was founded in 1988 to feature Chinese dance but has since branched out into contemporary work. Lately, the company has also been pursuing a style that artistic director Yan Choong Lian calls “Nanyang” — a sinocentric term
By Malcolm Tay In the course of programming shows and commissioning new creations, the annual da:ns festival has helped facilitate unexpected partnerships. While Bangladeshi-British dancer-choreographer Akram Khan was performing at the festival in 2015, his company producer Farooq Chaudhry was invited to watch SoftMachine, a series of documentary performances featuring four Asian dance artists. Among