It's time for DA:NS

GRUPO CORPO, the Brazilian troupe who thrilled us last Sunday at Bangkok’s 15th International Festival of Dance and Music, is now in Singapore getting ready to kick off the da:ns festival 2013 at the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay tomorrow night. In fact, it was this very same annual festival that introduced me to Grupo Corpo in its first edition and over the past seven years, I have not only become acquainted with dance traditions and creations from around the world, but also been inspired and energised by the audiences, who have enjoyed themselves by revealing the dancers within themselves. In my opinion, da:ns festival is the best of its kind in Southeast Asia and is living proof that one doesn’t need to know how to appreciate classical ballet or to make sense of contemporary dance in order to enjoy dance.
Faith Tan, associate producer of the Esplanade, recently opened up about the positive effects of da:ns festival. “A large part of the festival is about getting up and dancing and when we launched our first da:ns festival in 2006, we were on a mission to get everyone moving. So we organised a range of basic workshops and dance-along events. At that time, Singaporeans were shy about dancing in public. People would come to the dance events but not dance unless someone else started dancing first. Over the years we’ve seen this change, with more and more people being less self-conscious and enjoying dancing. We started with 13 basic dance workshops [called ‘Footwork’] and now the number has grown to 43,” she says.
“The festival has also commissioned and supported more than 16 new productions over the last eight years. Some have toured successfully to other countries after their premiere at the festival, such as Pichet Klunchun Dance Company’s ‘Black and White’ and Maria Pages and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s ‘Dunas’.”
This year’s festival, Tan adds, follow the same structure with two sections of the ticketed programmes dubbed “Centrestage” and “Shift”.
“For ‘Centrestage’ we look for key choreographers, dance companies and large-scale productions that will inspire the audience and dancers. Each company brings a distinct approach to dance that is strongly inspired by their homeland. Grupo Corpo’s dance steps feature the unmistakable fire and rhythm of Brazil. From Ireland, Fabulous Beast dancers perform against a rich melodic backdrop of Celtic music. And finally, the Spanish passion is embodied in the Flamenco Gala, the festival closer. We hope the audience will leave the theatre inspired and wanting to watch more dance performances.
“In ‘Shift’, audiences can witness emerging directions in contemporary dance. Here, we encourage artists who shift perceptions of dance or take risks.”
A highlight of “Shift” is Japanese choreographer Hiroaki Umeda’s “Temporal
 Pattern”, which has been commissioned by the Esplanade. “Hiroaki is choreographing three vastly different traditional dancers from Taiwan, India and Cambodia. He is known for creating dance within a landscape of digital images and sonic beats. We hope the audience will come with an open mind to be exposed to new experiences, and leave wanting to delve deeper into understanding contemporary dance,” Tan says.
Thailand is also taking part in “Shift”, with the Nora Thummanit Thaksin University Group scheduled for seven 30-minute performances from tomorrow to Sunday at the Outdoor Theatre. On Monday and Tuesday, they will have another four 30-minute sessions to talk about and demonstrate this traditional art to the public at the Concourse.
Tan says, “We’re interested in looking at dance forms from northern Malaysia and southern Thailand as there are cultural similarities in these regions that transcend the current national boundaries that define them. Nora in particular is interesting because it is strikingly different from the Thai dance styles with which we are more familiar such as Khon, and is representative of a unique cultural sub-section of the region. We got to know this particular troupe at Chulalongkorn University’s ‘Our Roots Right Now’ conference/festival back in January.”

The writer wishes to thank the Esplanade’s Gina Koh for all assistance.
 ALL KINDS
OF DANCE
- da:ns festival 2013 runs from tomorrow until October 20 at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore. Many events are free. For tickets, book at www.Sistic.com.sg.
- For details, search for “dans festival” on Facebook and YouTube.