Dance en Scene

Returning for a third iteration, Dance en Scene presents commissioned films from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, featuring dance journeys that explore multifaceted identities and renewed traditions.

About Dance en Scene

Dance film—a coming together of two art forms—empowers dance artists and filmmakers alike to rethink movements and transform storytelling.

An initiative by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in partnership with arts centres in the region, Dance en Scene commissions dance films, inviting artists to express and explore themes of significance and site-specific inspirations. These dance films celebrate the diversity of culture and creative processes of artists living in different cities.

Dance en Scene features four films:

Am I Here, commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay (Singapore)

Swash, commissioned by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) (Taiwan)

tiaen tiamen, commissioned by National Taichung Theater (Taiwan)

Presence, commissioned by Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts (Hong Kong)

Am I Here?

An Esplanade Commission 
Director: Eva Tang  
Choreographers & Dance Artists: Chiew Peishan & Lim Chin Huat 
Movement Collaborators & Performers: Jo Kwek, Kimberly Long, Ng Mun Poh & Wendy Toh 
Music & Sound Designers: Ferry & Vick Low

Home, is it permanent or fluid?

Home, a place that seemingly calls for one’s return. What remains of the traces of connection between people and spaces amidst the evolving environment spurred by development?

Perhaps, the moment of one’s birth begins the exploration of an inextricable web of connections. Embarking on an introspective journey, Am I Here? reimagines childhood memories to ponder on presence and absence in exploring the notions of home and familial relationships.

Duration: approximately 25mins

Swash

Commissioned by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) (Taiwan)
Creator: Luo Sih-wei
Creation Partner: Chou Shu-yi
Choreographer: Wang Yeu-kwn
Dancers & co-choreographers: Lee Yin-ying & Tien Hsiao-tzu
Music & Sound Designer: Hsu Yen-ting

Humans are spray and sand.

Did he affect you? Did you change him?

What’s left? What’s taken?

Inspired by how waves hit the beach, this work reflects the mutual and ever-continuing influence humans exert in relationships. Zooming in on the process of how influence occurs, the artist translated this into physical movements and stories.

Duration: approximately 15mins

tiaen tiamen

Commissioned by National Taichung Theater (Taiwan)
Choreographer: Bulareyaung Pagarlava
Director: Mon Cher Ho
Music Director: ABAO
Music Arranger & Mixer: Wenna
Producer: Bulareyaung Dance Company

Zoning out, I plummet into a dream. All things thus become possible.

Hunters, hundred-pacer, water elves, and eagles are woven into this fantasy world, in which nothing needs to be defined as before. Dancers slither like a snake, dive like an eagle, and gather and disperse like water—the boundary between dream and reality melts away, and only connections between the two remain.

Choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava joines hands with music director Aljenljeng Tjaluvie (ABAO) and graphic designer reretan pavavaljung for an otherworldy and transcendent experience through movement on film. ABAO uses electronic noises to scramble into an ambience of mountains and forests, constructing another world where reality and illusion constantly intersect each other. Graphic designer reretan pavavaljung utilises the imagery of glass beads to portray a recycling view of life, in which all beings are interconnected.

Duration: approximately 11mins

Presence

Commissioned by Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts (Hong Kong)
Concept/Director/Composer/Musician: Wan Xing
Tap Dance: Eric Huynh
Contemporary Dance: Natalie Mak
Videographer/Post-production: Thomas Wong, Joshua Cheung
Lighting Designer: Victor

Life is a constant change. We cannot change the past nor predict the future, whether in the fortune or the adverse, we can only live in the moment and gain the peace of mind.

A contemporary dancer is injured and can no longer dance freely. A tap dancer has lost all performance opportunities due to the pandemic. They are each facing a struggle of their own, but the sorrow is the same. What confines our mind is not the challenges we face, but how we weigh these difficulties and allow them to burden ourselves.

Focus on the present and listen deeply. Embrace and release.

Duration: approximately 15mins