Art is mostly interpretive; some you can figure out what the artist is trying to express, others take a while and require context. Performing arts on the other hand, are a whole other ball game. And in Singapore, there is no lack of it. If you have a penchant for say, dance, there’s the M1 Contact Contemporary Festival, which returns for its ninth run from Jun 9-Aug 5 (about a whole month longer than last year’s) you can look forward to.
The festival, organized by T.H.E Dance Company and in collaboration with Esplanade, will see 16 shows featuring 28 dance works from 14 different nationalities across six performance platforms. While the festival officially opens and closes with a couple of technique classes and workshops, the very first show to kick off the array of performances is Earth, a double-bill production choreographed by award-winning South Korean artist and resident choreographer Kim Jae Duk, and UK company Humanhood. The former explores the realm of contemporary art and elements of nature while the latter fuses Western physics and Eastern mysticism in a visual spectacle; both performed by T.H.E Dance Company.
Independent, sometimes smaller, local and regional independent artists will also have the chance to flaunt their prowess, fluidity, expression and form at this festival, with 11 out of the 28 works representing Southeast Asia. In the Singapore contingent are Chew Peishan and Liu-Wen Chun’s Should I Kill Myself or Have A Cup Of Coffee?; Hwa Wei-An, the first non-T.H.E’s independent dance artist who’ll collaborate with two South Korean artists at the Asian Festivals Exchange to produce a new routine and more.
Tickets are priced from $5 via Sistic and Peatix. For the full lineup, click here.
