da:ns festival 2017 guarantees to delight the audiences with a line up of exceptionally accomplished choreographers from all corners of the world. Opening the festival with glamour and grandeur Dada Masilo from South Africa presents her version of Swan Lake with both men and women playing swans to an incredible music score by Tchaikovsky, Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt.
Masilo challenges the classical form of ballet, crushing the stage with humour, African and contemporary dance styles, re-writing modern dance history with one foot in classical ballet and a demanding critical mind in the future.
The festival makes a substantial investment in groundbreaking choreographers and cutting-edge performance artists, playing no safe cards in Singapore with every performance promising to be a surprising, eye-opening encounter with dance.
French choreographer, Benjamin Millepied has a remarkable career dancing for New York City Ballet and a shorter tenure directing Paris Opera. Today he leads LA Dance Project, an eclectic dance company and art house in California, reviving modernist dance works and creating cross-collaborative performances. For this year’s da:ns festival, audiences can watch two pieces choreographed by Millepied. A tribute to the late Martha Graham in three seldom-seen duets and a piece by Justin Peck, resident choreographer at the New York City Ballet.
Choy Ka Fai returns to the festival with a fantastic da:ns festival commission Dance Clinic, following the world tour of Soft Machine ‘an innovative and bold production contemplating dance and life as an inseparable contour.’
In Dance Clinic, Ka Fai diagnoses and rehabilitates two dance artists – beefing up the boundaries of contemporary dance choreography and performance art, this is undoubtedly a performance not to miss.
da:ns festival 2017 is a box full of surprises and should be enjoyed thoroughly with curiosity and time on your hands. Rocío Molina from Spain presents Bosque Ardora placing Flamenco in the spotlight, sharing the stage with a fierce cast of dancers in the incredible set of a magical forest. Pichet Klunchun returns to Singapore to teach Thai Khon while Chowk Productions is teaching Odissi.
From the Philipines, Eisa Jocson performs Macho Dancer an androgynous performance featured in Peaches’ music video How Do You Like My Cut? and Corponomy a new performance-lecture commission by Esplanade for da:ns festival. This year’s edition of the festival is packed with workshops, free performances and masterclasses in addition to performances on the main Theatre stage and Theatre Studio. For a detailed and comprehensive listing, please click here.