Avantgardey's Singapore concert filled with nods to local culture including laksa tasting

Avantgardey has finally brought their trademark eccentricity to our shores.

The Japanese dance group, which gained global fame after their appearance on America's Got Talent in 2023, bedazzled with their first Let's Groove!! Asia Tour show last night (March 11) at The Theatre at Mediacorp, with one more to follow today.

Best known for their signature homogeneous get-up of black bobs, school pinafores and synchronised dance moves, the 17-member group treated Singapore fans to an hour-and-a-half of dance performances with choreographies for over 20 songs — a testament to their sheer grit and unity as a dance group.

This time, we finally got to see Avantgardey beyond their regular uniform, with several outfit changes throughout the concert. They switched out their navy-blue pinafore for black sparkly ones, even swopping them altogether for fluorescent yellow dresses and cropped long-sleeve tops with suspenders.

Above all, Singapore fans had the privilege of having a concert specially designed for us, with countless whimsical nods to our culture and interactive games.

Chock-full of references to local culture

You can imagine my surprise when my ears picked up the familiar melody of folk song Chan Mali Chan, which was shortly followed by young children flanking Avantgardey from the wings to dance in harmony with them. They then bopped to Chinese New Year track Horseh which had everyone cheering.

Midway through the concert, Avantgardey took on the entire theatre in a game testing our knowledge on their members, Singapore and Japan. To me, it felt more like a festive party filled with whimsy rather than a concert, and I was enjoying myself thoroughly.

They requested everyone in the theatre to stand up and to raise their arms high to indicate yes and lowering them for no. Questions included: "The total height of the Merlion is higher than these six Avantgardey members on stage combined. High or Low?"

Testing the members' capabilities, one challenge question was: "Can member Pani jump rope 15 times in 10 seconds? High or Low?" — which was followed by her successful 18 jumps. "Can member Aimu blink 30 times in 10 seconds?" — with her blinking an astounding 70 times in succession.

It was clear that they were intent on making this night unforgettable for Singapore, as they treated everyone to a Michael Jackson set where they materialised on stage clad in outfits inspired by the superstar, awash in a noir-like smog typical of his iconic performances, and danced to his hits including Smooth Criminal and Billie Jean.

At some point, the stage began to look more like a circus with the abundance of acrobatics and synchronised moonwalks, topped off with a mystery item being wheeled in on a cart. Lo and behold, it was a bowl of laksa — one of Singapore's signature dishes — where one member ate it and humorously reacted to the taste as if in shock from the spice.

There's something for everyone

Another sight to behold was Avantgardey's interpretation of Whitney Houston, as one of their members emerged dressed as the late American singer in a white, sequined garb and an afro. Even alone, she stole the entire show with her lip-syncing of Whitney's iconic single I Will Always Love You, sending fans into hysteria with her dramatic pantomiming.

With the diverse setlist of song choices for dance covers, no one's music tastes were left behind - Avantgardey grooved to trendy songs like Shake It to the Max (Fly), iconic anime tunes like Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bling Bang Bang Born from Mashle, all the way to oldies like Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way — which had the theatre singing their hearts out.

They also performed dance covers of their own songs, such as OKP Cipher, Let's Q and Work It. And although they enthusiastically encouraged fans to dance along, no request was needed in the first place — everyone was already bobbing their heads and hands on beat, washing the theatre in a sea of grooves.

The screens and lights also made for a multi-sensory experience ablaze with arrays of colour and quirky, vaporwave visuals, which nicely complemented the eccentric, bursting energy that Avantgardey kept serving in waves on stage.

And while I knew that Avantgardey is famed for their synchronous harmony as a dance troupe, it didn't hit me just how good they are until I found myself getting dizzy from some of their especially movement-heavy choreographies — you could say I was in a state of near-hypnosis.

It's no wonder why everyone, including myself, kept screaming and clapping for five minutes straight in hopes of an encore performance - we weren't ready for Avantgardey to leave.

Overall, as someone who is new to dance-heavy concerts, this performance opened up my eyes and left me immensely appreciative of the highly physical craft - how on earth did they keep giving so much charisma across 1.5 hours?

Avantgardey will be performing their second Singapore show on March 12. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.

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kristy.chua@asiaone.com