Release of new dance ideas

Release of new dance ideas

The third edition of Maya Dance Theatre's annual platform for new works features eight choreographers, five from Singapore and three from Malaysia and Thailand.

Each bite-sized work is limited to just 10 minutes. Kavitha Krishnan, creative director of the company, says: "The intention is not to produce full-length works but to inspire the choreographers, for them to believe that they can and from this, we want them to spin off into longer creations.

"Release was mooted to provide a platform for creative expression. It's to release your creativity, your artistry." The youngest choreographer taking part this year is Samantha Teo Hui Xin, 23, who graduated from Lasalle College of the Arts two years ago.

The freelance dance instructor's piece, ( / ...), is about the processes which take place when faced with a situation. The Singaporean says she is nervous about showing her work in public for the first time, but "I thought I would like to try it out, and attempt something which is out of my comfort zone".

Another Singaporean choreographer, Shahrin Johry, has more experience. The principal dancer with Maya Dance Theatre had won the Most Promising Work award in 2012 at Sprouts, a choreography competition organised by the National Arts Council. For his piece, Unspeakable, the 31-year-old is working with dancers from The Little Arts Academy.

He says that the piece was crafted by weaving together personal stories from each of the performers. "I had a chat with them. We were talking about life and each one of them has a story which is quite inspiring. One of them said, 'I was in a dance CCA in school, but my teacher always told me I sucked.'

"Another girl always thinks that size is a problem because she feels she's a bit fat. Another dancer, whose family is in Indonesia, really misses his mum."

Shahrin explains that the title of the piece is Unspeakable because it is "about how the body speaks of the dancers' emotions and stories. I was trying to let them express themselves so that they can move forward and inspire others".

He is also co-choreographing a piece with Bernice Lee, 26, of Frontier Danceland called Tales, Tales, Tails. The playful title refers to how the piece was inspired by a young Shahrin's belief in mermaids.

Lee says that another influence was "visual arts, drawing, painting". "Our starting point was to have different paintings come to life, and we were thinking about that moment of stillness and the suggestions that it brings."

Sufri Juwahir, principal dancer with Maya Dance Theatre, presents State Of Being Left, about his experience being left-handed. The 31-year-old Singaporean says: "Based on what I've researched, the characteristics of lefties are what I want to portray. Qualities like being very aggressive and hot-tempered and yet adaptable, because we have to adapt to things in a right-handed world."

The other choreographers who will be presenting works are Singaporean Kenneth Tan, Japheth Lim and Fairul Zahid from Malaysia, and Phitthaya Phaefuang of Thailand.

Krishnan says: "I'm excited about Release. I'm always excited to see what young people are doing today, and it really means a lot to me to see that the scene is evolving, not just with artists in my age group, but it's also brewing and growing with the younger generation."

Book it

RELEASE 3.0

Where: The Substation Theatre, 45 Armenian Street

When: March 21, 8pm; March 22, 3 and 8pm

Admission: $22 from The Substation (call 6337-7800 or e-mail boxoffice@substation.org)


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