da:ns focus

The third edition of da:ns focus – EveryBody by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay returns from 9 – 13 Apr 2025, and continues to expand the ideas and conventions of the perfect dancing body and redefine what is possible in both dance and life.  

Launched in 2023 as part of the transformation from da:ns festival to da:ns focus—a season of five distinctly themed dance weekends—EveryBody presents high-quality performances and experiences centred on inclusivity, diversity and participation. We are immensely grateful for the compassion, generosity and support of various communities thus far. We remain committed to empowering everybody and every body to enjoy and experience dance at EveryBody while using dance as a force for change. 

This year, Lived Fiction, the acclaimed production by Stopgap Dance Company, makes its Asian premiere at Esplanade after captivating audiences across the UK. As part of our commitment to inclusive programming, this multi-sensory work was selected for its seamless integration of accessibility features with choreography, enhancing the experience for diverse audiences, including those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, Disabled, or neurodivergent. Earnest and contemplative, yet playful, this contemporary dance work explores the human condition with compassion, offering fresh perspectives on both dance and life through the stories and lived experiences of performers with and without disabilities. 

To ensure deeper audience engagement, we have designed multiple access points, making it easier for those new to dance or inclusivity to connect with the artists and performances. Lived Fiction features a rich series of companion programmes, including: 

• Pre-show sharing sessions where audiences can meet some of the cast and creative team from Stopgap Dance Company to learn about the dance, music, accessibility features and creative process behind this production.  

• Pre-show guides (Visual Story, Sonic Story and a What to Expect video) with details on Lived Fiction to help prepare neurodivergent audiences before they arrive. 

• Touch Tours before each performance, designed for blind or visually impaired audience members, but may also be useful for neurodivergent audiences. 

• Post-show talks after every performance with Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) interpretation available.  

• A Talk on Creative Access by Lucy Bennett, Co-Artistic Director of Stopgap Dance Company, exploring how industry professionals may conceive, devise and create performances with accessibility features at its heart and core.  

• Two workshops, one designed for individuals with disabilities (physical, sensory, developmental and/or intellectual), and another choreographic workshop for dance professionals focusing on inclusive creation.  

In addition, the ever-popular EveryBody Dance Now returns, transforming the Esplanade Concourse into a weekend dance marathon featuring 14 different dance-along sessions. Led by some of Singapore’s top dance studios and instructors, these sessions invite all bodies to move freely, learn new dance styles and have fun with friends and family! To foster inclusivity, daily accessible sessions from Friday to Sunday will feature open and adaptive teaching approaches for diverse participants, with SgSL interpretation provided. 

With over 20 performances, talks, workshops and dance-along sessions, EveryBody invites you to share in the joy of dance, experience fresh perspectives, and celebrate the beauty of diverse communities coming together in movement.    

Iris Cheung  
Producer, The Esplanade Co Ltd 

In the third edition of da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) taking place from 25 – 28 Sep 2025, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay presents three works that push the boundaries of dance to speculate new futures through the unique perspectives of artists from the Asia Pacific. The diverse artistic practices of the three featured choreographers and directors—Antony Hamilton, Choy Ka Fai and Pichet Klunchun—share a common desire to study, test, experiment and reimagine the limitations and potentials of physical bodies against a backdrop of rapid shifts in technological developments, as well as social political movements and choreographic landscapes.

Led by artistic director Antony Hamilton, Chunky Move—one of Australia’s most innovative contemporary dance companies—presents its latest work, U>N>I>T>E>D, at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade. Co-commissioned by Esplanade, the work is a major international collaboration involving Balinese experimental music group Gabber Modus Operandi, Bali-based streetwear label Future Loundry, and Australian global leaders in animatronic design, Creature Technology Co. The work is part of Chunky Move’s “speculative future” performance series and imagines a utopian world where humans and machines commune.

SoftMachine: The Return by Choy Ka Fai is a reflection on the last 10 years of dance-making in Asia. A decade after Esplanade first commissioned SoftMachine for da:ns festival 2015, we are excited to work with Ka Fai again as he reconnects with the five artists from the original work—Rianto (Indonesia), Surjit Nongmeikapam (India), Xiao Ke and Zi Han (China) and Yuya Tsukahara (Japan). Through their reflections on life and artistic practice over the past 10 years, this Esplanade commission sparks an important dialogue among these friends and fellow artists on the future of contemporary dance in Asia.

Both SoftMachine: The Return and U>N>I>T>E>D are also part of 60 Connections – At Home and Afar, Esplanade’s year-long season celebrating Singapore’s 60th year of independence (SG60). An excerpt of the 2020 docufilm SoftMachine Redux: Yuya POV Edition will also be available to watch for free on Esplanade Offstage, as part of Replay – Screenings from the Esplanade Archives, the digital component of 60 Connections.

Pichet Klunchun, another artist Esplanade has worked closely with over the years, returns with his latest solo work and an Esplanade commission, Chapter 2. Since our commission and presentation of his iconic work, No. 60, as part of da:ns festival 2022, Pichet has been researching the relationship between humans and AI, exploring embodiment, expressivity and the potential for co-authorship in a performance. In Chapter 2, he engages in live conversations with ChatGPT about human instincts, emotions and how these can be expressed through performance. Through the conversations, Pichet examines how tradition and physical bodies can co-exist and evolve alongside technology, casting a timely reflection on how AI and technology can impact our ways of living and working.

Beyond the main programmes in CAN, we continue to partner with Dance Nucleus, a company that supports the development of independent artists through programmes that facilitate dialogue on progressive ideas and practices in the performing arts. In conjunction with CAN, Dance Nucleus’ VECTOR #6 The Sound of Intimacy will explore how solitude and collectivity shape artistic encounters today.

As part of CAN, Esplanade will also host international presenters, providing a platform for them to connect with the artists and engage with the ideas presented over the weekend. In a time of global change, we value these opportunities for transcultural dialogue that enable us to circulate knowledge, perspectives and solidarity in artmaking and beyond.

We invite you to join us for a thought-provoking weekend of dance, dialogue and discovery at CAN.

Izumi Asakawa
Producer, The Esplanade Co Ltd 

We are thrilled to welcome Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT 2) back to Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay from 29 – 30 Nov 2025, as part of our year-round da:ns focus season. The company’s bold physicality and fearless curiosity left a lasting impression on audiences during its last visit in 2015. This highly anticipated return brings a powerful triple bill that showcases its signature artistry, innovation and physical brilliance.

The programme features Folkå by Marcos Morau, a surreal exploration of social rituals and collective identity, rich in theatrical imagery and stylised movement. FIT by Alexander Ekman offers sharp wit and humour that questions how we ‘fit in’—and clash—with one another. Closing the evening is Watch ur Mouth by Botis Seva, a raw and riveting piece blending hip hop, physical theatre and contemporary dance that touches on notions of critique and feedback.

Together, these works speak to the evolving and diverse nature of contemporary dance and physicality: deeply expressive, thought provoking and profoundly human. They resonate with the urgency and beauty of our time, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Iris Cheung
Producer, The Esplanade Co Ltd