Angela Liong is a key figure in the Singapore contemporary dance scene. Trained in the USA, she developed Singapore’s first formal, structured tertiary-level dance programmes at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts, helping to cultivate generations of young contemporary dance talent. Liong also co-founded Singapore’s first multidisciplinary contemporary dance company, The ARTS FISSION Company, raising the profile of contemporary dance in performances that focused on current issues and traditional stories. In 2009, Liong received the Cultural Medallion for her contributions to dance in Singapore.

Born in Canton, China in 1951, Angela Liong grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, in a family who had strong Confucian beliefs. Her love for the arts meant she dabbled in numerous art forms before setting her sights on dance. At 17, Liong spent a year in a music conservatory in Iowa training to be an opera singer before studying dance in the ‘70s and ‘80s. She enrolled in a dance course at esteemed Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City in 1980, and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Master of Arts in English and Dance in 1982.

In 1984, Liong moved to Singapore and obtained permanent residency the following year while working as a choreographer for the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. In 1989, she was invited to set up Singapore’s first professional full-time dance diploma programme at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, which she headed till 1996. In 1997, she became the dean of the School of the Performing Arts at the LASALLE College of the Arts and established the first Singapore dance degree programme, which was offered in affiliation with Queensland Technological University, Australia. Both academic initiatives facilitated the formal and professional development of Singapore’s young contemporary dance scene.

During that period, in 1994, Liong also co-founded Singapore’s first multidisciplinary contemporary dance company together with Singapore visual artist, S. Chandrasekaran. Named The ARTS FISSION Company, the non-profit organisation was a pioneer in contemporary dance theatre, conducting site-specific performances in Singapore and other countries.

These included performances on the 35th rooftop floor of a CBD skyscraper (Urban Sanctuary: The Floating Stage Series, 2000); in a bamboo village in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Borrowed Scenery, 2002); in an open 40-foot trailer in four different community centres (Dances From the Moon, 2009); in the National Geographic store in VivoCity shopping mall (The Weather Station, 2009); and in the void deck of Aljunied Community Centre (Void Deck Theatre: The Walking Fish Story, 2010).

In almost two decades as the company’s artistic director and choreographer, Liong has choreographed more than 20 performances, many of them multimedia collaborations with Singapore and international artists such as Young Artist Award-winning composer Joyce Beetuan Koh (The Last Lumiere, 2011), Singapore sculptor Han Sai Por (Little Lee I: The Forgotten Journey Home, 2003) and French artist Philippe Laleu (Lost Light I, 1999).

Described as experimental and eclectic, Liong’s choreography characteristically uses movement to express and establish human connections with an emphasis on Asian traditions, mysticism and aesthetics within a contemporary framework. Her works often deal with current concerns from societal advancement to climate change, and are also inspired by traditional folktales. Mahabharata (1995), for example, discussed themes of spiritual nourishment and hunger in rapidly developing Asia, with rice being used symbolically in the performance.

Liong also continued her commitment to dance education with The ARTS FISSION Company, nurturing a love of dance and art in young children and students through its programmes for National Arts Council’s Arts Education Programme. Believing in the rehabilitative power of dance, she has also initiated dance projects with voluntary welfare organisations for young people and seniors.

In 2009, Liong received the Cultural Medallion for her contributions to dance in Singapore.

Today, Liong remains committed to keeping THE ARTS FISSION Company grounded in Asian aesthetics and contemporary urban concerns. The company’s recent Dance Takeout Series is a free performance series that explores the idea of creating a more liveable city with activities and events that engage communities and enrich everyday life.

Liong also currently sits on the National Arts Council’s Arts Advisory Panel for dance.