By Jocelyn Chng (1,800 words, 4-minute read) When I accepted the opportunity to write this piece on Purⓔ《纯ⓔ》, I did it feeling a bit like a shipwreck survivor re-approaching water for the first time. As someone who was already struggling to make sense of my triple roles as an artist, audience member and reviewer in …
Four artists, Ruby Jayaseelan, Irfan Kasban, Fabio Liberti and Xenres Kirishima Chi Ji Hong, get personal as they talk about mental health issues in relation to works they have been developing for M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival. Ruby and Irfan talk about what Terbalek (Malay for “upside down”) means to them; Italian choreographer Fabio reveals …
Podcast host Chan Sze-Wei and guest Melissa Quek discuss new works platforms at the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, as well as other new works platforms organised by dance companies and entities in Singapore such as Dance Nucleus, P7:1SMA and Frontier Danceland. The M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival is organised by THE Dance Company. This …
Podcast 66: M1 CONTACT & New Works Platforms (Part 2) Read More »
Duration: 20 min Podcast host Chan Sze-Wei and guest Melissa Quek discuss works they saw at the recent M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, specifically at the platforms DiverCity, Off Stage and M1 Open Stage. These include H A S E R by Singapore dancer-choreographer Syimah Sabtu and Leftovers by Josh Martin from Canadian company, Company 605. …
Podcast 65: M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival (Part 1) Read More »
By Chloe Chotrani (1,130 words, 6-minute read) The 10th anniversary edition of Binary – International Artist Showcase presented two returning artists to the festival. Last performed here in 2013, Stigma is a dark and enigmatic solo by highly acclaimed Danish artist Kitt Johnson; while Shintaro Oue presents『談ス』(Dan-su), the Singapore premiere of an adventurous and uncertain …
Binary at M1 CONTACT 2019: Breaking all the rules with “Stigma” and “Dan-su” Read More »
The M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival returns this year for its 10th edition with 20 shows and over 30 classes and workshops. Returning platform DiverCity, which in past years was combined with M1 Open Stage, stands on its own this year with three new creations by up-and-coming Singaporean dance artists: NAMUH by Amelia Chong; Disappearing Act …
“Disappearing Act” “NAMUH” “DBL.TAP”: What’s In A Name? DiverCity at M1 CONTACT Read More »
2019 marks the 10th edition of the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, a humble endeavour by Kuik Swee Boon, artistic director of T.H.E Dance Company, that has expanded to be an incredible force and champion for contemporary dance not just locally, but internationally. Reflecting on the Festival’s past nine editions, Kuik muses, “So many artists …
Over the past decade, contemporary dance in Singapore has blossomed. One of the most dynamic initiatives that arguably catalysed this growth is the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival. Starting out in 2010 as “CONTACT 2010: A Week of Dance”, running for a week in its first iteration, the festival has gone from strength to strength, …
The #TenYearChallenge: M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival Read More »
Duration: 25 mins Chloe C. Chotrani and Bernice Lee discuss the performances, workshops, technique classes and showcases featured in this year’s M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival, which spread out over three months from 15 June – 4 August 2018, as well as the Festival’s role in the landscape of contemporary dance practice and audience reception in Singapore. Chloe …
Podcast 46: M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2018 Read More »
By Bernice Lee (1300 words, five-minute read) “Asian Festivals Exchange” puts together works selected from two East Asian festivals — Yokohama Dance Collection and Seoul Dance Collection — two works performed by T.H.E. Second Company, and a work-in-progress supported by M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival and Seoul Performing Arts Festival. It is a very full …
“Asian Festivals Exchange” at M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2018 Read More »
By Chloe C. Chotrani (933 words, five-minute read) Closing the ninth M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival is the annual Binary – International Showcase: a double bill by Astrid Boons (Belgium/Netherlands) and Shamel Pitts (Israel/United States). In Vestige, an attempt to empty the body of its humanness, choreographer and performer Astrid Boons pushes the physicality of …
By Bernice Lee (1100 words, six-minute read) M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival has become a staple of the contemporary dance scene in Singapore. It has used its resources to bring forward voices, particularly from the region, in an act of affirmation. Balancing local and international artists, bringing in projects mostly of an indie nature, this …
“Off Stage” at M1 Contact 2018: Communicating Beyond The Stage Read More »
By Bernice Lee (974 words, 5 minute read) I caught Astrid Boons between rehearsals in Korzo for Vestige. She’s preparing to restage the work, rehearsing with a new cast member who had thankfully been part of the original creative process. She shares that coming to Singapore is a result of happenstance: Dimo Kirilov, who presented …
Astrid Boons: Belgian Choreographer brings “Vestige” to Singapore Read More »
This year, with an increased number of international programme collaborators, M1 Open Stage features innovative and exhilarating works by a diverse range of dance artists over two nights. As part of this year’s M1 Open Stage + DiverCity platform at M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival, created in collaboration with Taiwanese film artist Chen Yan-Hong and …
M1 Open Stage + DiverCity: Chiew Peishan and Liu Wen-Chun Read More »
By Jocelyn Chng (960 words, 6-minute read) EARTH opens the 2018 edition of the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, the annual festival organised by T.H.E Dance Company. Now in its ninth year, the festival is a relatively small feature of the performing arts landscape in Singapore, but nevertheless a crucial one. Amidst the generally higher …
Flowing Reflections: “EARTH” at the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival 2018 Read More »
Duration: 25 min The M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival, presented by T.H.E Dance Company, is in its 9 year. In this month’s dance podcast, Dr Stephanie Burridge chats with Zhuo Zihao, a founding member of the company. They discuss one of the highlights of this year’s festival, Borderline, a collaboration between the company and Muscle Mouth …
Podcast 19: M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2017 Read More »
By Chloe Calderon Chotrani (870 words, 8-minute read) Culminating the M1 Contact: Contemporary Dance Festival 2017 at Esplanade was Binary: International Artist Showcase. It featured two exquisite pieces Broken Lines by husband and wife, Dimo Kirilov and Tamako Akiyama of Kirilov-Akiyama Dance Projects (Spain) and Zero by Humanhood (U.K) that transported the audience from the black box into …
“Binary” at M1 Contact Festival 2017: Dream States Read More »
