Singapore arts guide (Oct 3 to Nov 1): Cloud Gate’s Sounding Light captures nature in dance

Sounding Light

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Of Taiwan returns to the Esplanade with another work by artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung, who inherited the famed dance company from founder Lin Hwai-min in 2020. 

The pandemic year was also the inspiration for this work, Sounding Light, in which a day unfolds, light and shadow chasing each other to the soundtrack of nature.

As Cheng demonstrated in 13 Tongues, the last show the company brought to Singapore as part of Huayi -- Chinese Festival of Arts in 2023, he is deeply attuned to his environment and his choreography takes inspiration from elements in his life.

While 13 Tongues drew from chaotic street life, Sounding Light taps the quietude of the forest as dancers use their bodies to generate additional accompaniment to the soundtrack by composers Lim Giong and Chang Shiuan. 

This is part of the Esplanade’s da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now weekend, which programmes distinctive works from Asian artists.  

Where: Esplanade Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: Esplanade
When: Oct 16 and 17, 8pm
Admission: $50 to $100
Info: str.sg/nqGv

A Midsummer Night’s Dream / The Artificial Lunatic’s Diary

Thai artist Natee Utarit’s mischievous wit is in full flight in his new show, which opens at Richard Koh Fine Art on Oct 3. The Singapore solo has a twin in the gallery’s Bangkok branch. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Gillman Barracks hijacks the pictorial language of English sports portraiture, which presents racehorses against verdant countrysides.

Natee messes with the standard images, presenting such surreal takes as The superior, in which an oversized white glove envelops the head of a jockey. The glove reappears in Dilettante and the exhibition notes state that this series originated in a notebook which documents the artist’s dreams. 

But Natee declines to explain his imagery, insisting in a statement that ambiguity holds a beauty equal to that of clarity. 

Certainly, the show’s central diptych, Art is for everyone…Art is not for stoopid people, is a provocative challenge which has its roots in an encounter Natee had in Singapore with a tote bag, of all things. Emblazoned with the phrase, the tote has hung in the artist’s studio unused.

Incorporated into his painting, it is now part of his own conversation with the dilemmas of the contemporary art world, which labels as art what some might not recognise as such. The artist is also disturbed by the fact that wall texts are now more persuasive than the art itself and that the viewer rather than the work is the one being judged. 

There is, of course, an ironic layer to these musings in the exhibition notes, as this context is not immediately evident in the paintings, which can be enjoyed simply as subversions of a particular genre. 

Where: Richard Koh Fine Art, 01-26 Gillman Barracks, Block 47 Malan Road
MRT: Labrador Park
When: Oct 3 to Nov 7, 11am to 7pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays). Closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays  
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/rVQN

Crack The Case: Wonderland 

Home-grown theatre company Sight Lines’ interactive murder mystery series Crack The Case is finally returning to its original aspiration of whimsical family-friendly entertainment with this latest instalment.

While previous editions have gone to dark places, Wonderland will have family-friendly experiences for its morning and afternoon sessions, which are open to guests aged six and above with an accompanying adult.

Adult fans will want to opt for the 4.45pm and 8pm sessions designed for mature players. 

Inspired by English author Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (1865), this tale invites guests to the Mad Hatter’s (Noah Yap) Unbirthday party. Other familiar characters making appearances are the Queen of Hearts (Masturah Oli), the March Hare (Tan Rui Shan), the Caterpillar (Victoria Lam) and, of course, the Cheshire Cat (Zulfiqar Izzudin).

But something is terribly wrong because someone has stolen the Madness from Wonderland, making it not so wonderful any more. Audience members have 90 minutes to figure out who is the thief and how to restore Wonderland to its original kooky condition. 

Besides the family-friendly experience, Sight Lines is also offering a Wonderland Children’s Workshop. An extra $48 buys entry to this hour-long affair before the 10.30am and 2pm shows, which includes games and craft for kids.  

Where: Goodman Arts Centre Black Box, Level 1, Block M, 90 Goodman Road
MRT: Mountbatten
When: Oct 9 to Nov 1, 8pm (Fridays); 10.30am, 2pm, 4.45pm and 8pm (Saturdays); 10.30am, 2pm and 4.45pm (Sundays)
Admission: $88 for a standard ticket, $128 for the VIP experience, $48 for the Wonderland Children’s Workshop from bookmyshow. Eligible for Culture Pass credits
Info: str.sg/5VAz

Correction note: An earlier version of the story incorrectly reported that 13 Tongues was part of the Singapore International Festival Of Arts, instead of Huayi -- Chinese Festival Of Arts.