Contemporary dance at Esplanade this month!

Culture buffs, mark your calendars! This month, contemporary dance takes centre stage in Singapore as “da:ns focus”, an exciting year-round series of curated dance events, returns for its 2026/27 season at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Kicking off the opening weekend (23 to 25 April 2026) is the Singapore debut of Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, performed by Belgian dance company Rosas. Read on for details and book your tickets early!

A contemporary dance classic in Singapore

Titled On Loop, the weekend marks Rosas’ return to Singapore two decades after its appearance at the Singapore Arts Festival in 2006. And it’s well worth the wait. Fase is regarded as one of the most influential works in 20th-century contemporary dance – all the more impressive that choreographer and Rosas founder Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker was just 21 when she premiered it in 1982.

The piece comprises three duets and one solo, created and named after works by American minimalist composer Steve Reich: Piano Phase (1967), Come Out (1966), Violin Phase (1967) and Clapping Music (1972). What makes the work unique is that rather than simply dancing to the music, De Keersmaeker developed a movement language built on the principle of “phase shifting”. Movements are initially in sync, then slowly, through tiny variations, begin to slip and slide apart, creating an ingenious play of continuously changing forms and patterns.

She danced the piece herself for decades before passing it on to a new generation of dancers for the first time in 2018. Since then, Fase has been presented on major stages around the world. And now, Singapore audiences finally get the chance to experience it live.

A rare masterclass for dancers

Keen to get a taste of what it’s like to dance this influential work? As part of the On Loop weekend, Fase Rehearsal Director Tale Dolven will lead a special masterclass on 25 April. This is an intermediate-level class for dancers in Singapore who are actively training and can engage with contemporary dance techniques on a deeper level. The class will begin with a short warm-up before participants learn dance material from the piece.

Ticket holders for Fase can enjoy 10 percent off the masterclass. Terms and conditions apply. Pre-register here!

Here’s what’s in store at this contemporary dance performance in Singapore:

About da:ns focus at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Having transformed from da:ns festival to da:ns focus in 2023/24, da:ns focus continues with an exciting year-round season of three themed weekends in 2026/27, each focusing on a particular theme or genre. Each weekend connects dance to important facets and expressions of our lives, with programmes, experiences and activities that offer focused explorations and opportunities for counterpoints, dialogues and perspectives.

About Rosas

Rosas is the company of the choreographer and dancer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. It was founded in 1983 during the creation of the piece Rosas danst Rosas. Since her debut in 1982 with Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, De Keersmaeker has engaged in a rigorous exploration and articulation of movement. Rosas has expanded the art of dance as an act of writing movements in space and time, and has over the years explored choreography in partnership with other compositional forces. These include music, geometry, the visual arts and language.

Get tickets to watch Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich at Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade

Don’t miss the opportunity to watch the Singapore debut of this iconic contemporary dance work, happening for one weekend only:

• 23 April 2026, Thursday, 7.30pm
• 24 April 2026, Friday, 7.30pm
• 25 April 2026, Saturday, 7.30pm

Each performance is 1 hour 10 minutes with no intermission. Standard tickets are $55 (concession tickets $46.75) and are available here.

Photography in this feature by Anne Van Aerschot

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
1 Esplanade Drive
6828 8377 | esplanade.com/dans

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