See the value of courage presented through dance, theatre and music at Esplanade -- Theatres on the Bay. 2012 is the 10th anniversary and to celebrate the Huayi Festival is offering a series of events at Singapore’s premier performance arts hub, captivating audiences with contemporary and traditional Chinese cultural acts from 27 Jan – 5 Feb. With the theme “Celebrating Life”, the series hopes to present “the best of the human spirit” through the arts, capturing our trials, tensions, and the best human existence.
Courage was chosen as a fitting theme for this year’s performances, echoing the dynamism and progressiveness of the acts. Not only does courage pertain to themes in traditional Chinese arts, it plays into the contemporary scene as well, challenging the way we approach and communicate interpersonal and community struggles. In addition to a locally commissioned play, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, dance and classical music performances, workshops and talks will bring the public into this creative dialogue.
Summing up what to expect in this year’s series, Producer Ms. Mimi Yee notes: “Huayi serves as a timely reminder for us to face challenges and undertake new endeavours in 2012 with courage and perseverance. We also hope that our artists and their diverse works of contemporary and traditional Chinese arts will inspire our audiences as they celebrate the start of the Dragon Year in a meaningful way.”
If you can’t make the whole series, we’ve have the three acts that epitomize Huayi’s message, portraying societal dynamics and cultural struggles in refreshingly unconventional ways:
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude 10.0 – Cultural Revolution
This work of cutting-edge theatre—performed completely without dialogue—features an arresting mix of image and sound, as well as video art by Hong Kong avant-garde video artist Benny Woo.
Featuring the talents of a multi-cultural cast from Hong Kong and a Kun Opera master from Suzhou, this play serves as an arresting exploration of social history covering cultural evolutions and uprisings. Inspired by the Nobel Prize-winning novel Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Zuni Icosahedron’s Artistic Director Danny Yung drives an inspiring performance.
1 Feb., 8pm Esplanade Theatre with post-performance talk (in Mandarin and English), S$35-S$45
, S$19 (limited number) for students, NSF and senior citizens, S$10 for school bookings of 10 students or more
2. Water Stains on the Wall
"Water Stains on the Wall" is inspired by a phrase uttered by Yen Chen-ching, which then came to be used to describe aesthetical refinement in Chinese calligraphy.
Internationally renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min brings us a stunning visual symphony of shadow, light and dance that is co-produced by Esplanade -- Theatres on the Bay, National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center (Taiwan) and Movimentos Festwochen der Autostadt in Wolfsburg (Germany). Emulating the brushstrokes movement used in traditional ink painting and accompanied by a contemporary score, dancers float above an elevated platform, their bodily movements creating lyrical lines on the surface beneath them.
3-4 Feb, 8pm Esplanade Theatre, S$48 to S$108, S$27-S$24
(limited number) for students, NSF & senior citizens
3. Tan Dun Martial Arts Trilogy
World-renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun leads the orchestra in famous scores from critically acclaimed films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Combining visual drama and a skillful amalgamation of famous scores from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hero”, and “The Banquet”, this martial arts offering is sure introduce strict film buffs to a new favourite art form. United by their similar storylines of love and sacrifice, the trilogies offer a soundtrack of the cello, violin and piano’s rich tonalities, personifying each character’s trials.
27-28 Jan, 7:30pm Esplanade Concert Hall, S$38-S$108, S$27-S$34 (limited number) for students, NSF and senior citizens
Tickets for Huayi are available at the Esplanade’s Box Office (Tel: +65 6828 8377), the SISTIC Hotline (Tel: +65 6348 5555) and authorised agents, and Esplanade’s website at www.esplanade.com. More information may also be found at www.huayifestival.com.
Rachel is currently a writer specializing in art, food, and lifestyle, based in Singapore. Her work experiences have ranged from auction houses and luxury retail, to sports channels and event planning, working at offices in New York and Hong Kong. Originally from Singapore, Rachel has spent nine years in Hong Kong and attended college at Tufts University. Her interests include painting, drawing, photography, live music or sports, and regular outdoor runs (before the Singapore sun rises).
