Interactive installation explores connections between dance and other art forms
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SINGAPORE – Imagine a game of tic-tac-toe brought to life, with each of the nine squares pulsing with movement, rhythm, narrative and creative energy.
Intersections is a sensory installation staged on a nine-square grid that explores the connections between dance and other art forms – opera, music, theatre, multimedia art, Peranakan fashion, photography, wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) and calligraphy.
Produced by Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES), the performance marks the first time the dance troupe is combining the nine art forms in this unique format.
Dancers performing Dancing Puppets, their movements representing wayang kulit or shadow puppetry.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
For some of the performers – such as the practitioners of photography, wayang kulit and Cantonese opera – it is also their first time integrating their craft with dance.
The sensory installation is part of the eighth edition of Cultural Extravaganza, an annual event organised by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) since 2017. It was held at SCCC’s multipurpose hall from May 16 to 18.
Photographer Amos Poh and dancer Gong Wenxuan performing Shadow And Dance. The photographer is constantly moving around the grids to take shots, and the images are projected in the performing area.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The performance unfolds in three segments.
In the first, members of the audience can enter a given grid and immerse themselves in the performance. Some grids allow for a more interactive experience, such as those showcasing music and hosting multimedia projections. These grids respond to the way the performers move in real time, creating a dynamic exchange between sounds, visuals and dance. Visitors can dance and create music while talking to the performers.
Members of the audience can participate and immerse themselves in the artistic experience.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
In the second segment, the dancers attempt to create a different form of artistic expression, blending movement and the art form in the grid. Their fluid movement from grid to grid connects them in a line of meaning drawn in space, like playing a game of tic-tac-toe, but one that is made possible by performing cohesive artistic actions within each grid.
The last segment is Dance: Awakenings, in which dancers interact with an installation art piece called Whispers From The Woods. The performance tells of the need to learn to let go in order for one’s consciousness to evolve and life to change, and the ability to rise from chaos in society like a phoenix rises from its ashes.
In Dance: Awakenings, dancers interact with an installation art piece called Whispers From The Woods.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
For ticketing details, go to https://singaporeccc.org.sg/events/intersections-cultural-extravaganza-2025 /
There will also be a free dance performance by young dancers from DES Performing Arts Academy at SCCC’s concourse on May 17 (noon and 5pm) and May 18 (11am and 3pm).
