When Pán《盤》premiered in May 2021, it was broadcast to audiences via a livestream at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC). On 6 and 7 November this year, T.H.E Dance Company will re-stage the contemporary dance production at the SCCC auditorium. Here are five reasons why you should catch the live performance!
#1 A contemporary dance performance inspired by the Chinese creation myth of Pangu
In Chinese mythology, the first being Pangu grew inside an egg for 18,000 years. When he broke out, the heavy yin matter of the egg became the earth while the light yang matter became the sky. Upon his death, Pangu’s body parts became various parts of the world.
The Chinese character 盤 is commonly used across Mandarin-speaking cultures. It’s also found in the native vocabularies of Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese.
Drawing from this fable as well as the shared and distinct cultural roots of the production’s choreographers, Pán《盤》explores the convergence of and evolution of cultures.
According to Kuik Swee Boon, T.H.E Dance Company’s founding artistic director, the show is “an invitation to reflect on the identities we inherit, the ones we choose, and those that emerge through our relationships with others.”
#2 It’s a live performance to original music compositions by T.H.E Dance Company
Presented in two distinct parts, this contemporary dance production is set to original compositions.
Pán: The Notion of Transculturation is choreographed by Kuik Swee Boon and set to the music of multidisciplinary Taiwanese musician Wang Yu-Jun.
Pán: SeungMu is choreographed by T.H.E Dance Company’s resident artist, South Korean choreographer Kim Jae Duk, set to his own composition.
The collaboration of these artists gives the production rich artistic expression.
#3 A contemporary dance bringing together many different cultures and abilities
Further adding to the cultural richness of the production are guest artists Tung Ka Wai and Wheelsmith. Ka Wai is a theatre practitioner who was born with limb difference. Wheelsmith (Danial Bawthan) is a wheelchair-abled Singaporean artist, rapper and music producer. Together, they infuse the contemporary dance piece with their different levels of creativity and movement. This collaboration helps the work to continually evolve.
The epilogue of Pán 《盤》 brings all the creative forces together, culminating in a collaborative segment that highlights the synergy between the artists. The performance invites audience to contemplate on a shared humanity beyond personal identity.
Says Swee Boon, “We hope audiences leave not with definitive answers, but with a deeper curiosity about how we express our owned culture and how we connect across cultures.”
#4 It has won awards and toured internationally
Originally commissioned as a live performance by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, the show first premiered at SCCC’s Cultural Extravaganza 2021 as a livestream.
Later in the year, it screened at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 and received the Best Performance award in the Asian Arts Awards. It eventually had its physical world premiere in Oriente Occidente, Rovereto, Italy in September 2022. Since then, the contemporary dance production has travelled to Germany, China, South Korea and Malaysia in multiple forms.
Five years later, the award-winning dance performance returns to Singapore for its live premiere.
#5 It has an inclusive show that carefully considers the disabled community
The re-staging welcomes the disabled community with concession prices for the Friday 3pm matinee show. Description and creative captioning will be provided by Access Path Productions.
In addition, T.H.E Dance Company has launched Pán It Forward. It’s a ticket sponsorship initiative where individual and corporate donors have come in to support the disabled community with sponsored tickets to the Friday show.
Join the journey through this contemporary dance performance
Pán《盤》will run on 6 November (3pm) and 7 November (7.30pm) at the auditorium of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. It’s a 90-minute show and is suitable for ages six and above.
Tickets are $45 per person with concessions available; more information about concessions are available from BookMyShow.
About T.H.E Dance Company
The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company was founded in 2008 by Kuik Swee Boon. The Company’s contemporary dance productions reveal the body as a medium for exploring and celebrating the human condition. One of Singapore’s seminal contemporary dance companies, T.H.E has performed and toured at many major and prestigious festivals, from across Asia to Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.
T.H.E Dance Company is at #01-51, Block M Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Road.
the-dancecompany.com
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