Despite having over 10 years of experience performing as a dancer, Mr Kirill Chastukhin was a ball of nerves when he went on stage at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival earlier this year. For the first time, he had lines to memorise and say. For the non-native English speaker, having to speak in English in front of a big audience was an added challenge.

The performance, titled Less Than Half and combining the disciplines of theatre  and dance, imagined a future where citizens have to conform to its country’s ideals or risk getting ousted.

As a dancer, the 23-year-old was used to focusing on his body movements. Having to speak on stage is an entirely new experience for him, forcing him out of his comfort zone to explore a new creative expression. The process gave him newfound confidence in his evolution as an artist.

Such new experiences are exactly what he had wanted to get when he enrolled in 2019 at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He took a three-year Diploma in Dance programme at NAFA before entering NAFA’s Bachelor (Honours) in Performance Making (BAPM) programme in 2021. The degree is awarded by the University of the Arts London (UAL). 

Focusing on dance and theatre 

The BAPM is the only degree programme in South-east Asia where students can focus on Dance or Theatre, and at the same time, get involved in interdisciplinarity as a process, which enables them to explore other disciplines while focusing on performance and creation skills.

The dean of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies and former president for World Dance Alliance Singapore, Dr Caren Carino who has an extensive background in performance making, dance and education, believes that the academy’s multi-faceted curriculum gives students a competitive edge in the job market.

“A career in the arts is not just a pursuit of passion but a strategic investment in today’s complex and interconnected landscape,” she says. “Here at NAFA, we nurture nimble arts professionals who can transcend the boundaries of their disciplines through interdisciplinary explorations. As a result, our graduates become valuable assets for their versatile skillsets and competencies in the industries of the future.” 

Offered in collaboration with the world-renowned UAL, students from the Performance Making programme will receive the opportunity to spend five weeks in the heart of London where they will learn from experienced art educators and leading industry practitioners, positioning them well as versatile performers and creative professionals.

For Mr Chastukhin, the programme is well-suited to equip him with the skills to pursue his dream of creating his own productions and setting up his own dance studio. 

“I see myself more as a creator, director and choreographer than a performer, and this degree would teach me exactly how to put together a performance – from start to end,” he explains. 

During his second year in the programme, Mr Chastukhin was given the opportunity to do so. In conjunction with the Singapore Night Festival 2023, he and his fellow BAPM peers presented INterSPACE, a platform conceived to present the students’ original works shaped through the connection of dance, theatre and other disciplines.

He explains: “Interdisciplinary performances is still a relatively new art form in Singapore but it is in a unique position to open new possibilities and creative pathways for different artistic practices to collaborate while engaging audiences.”  

Since the BAPM’s introduction in 2021, graduates have gone on to work as actors, dancers and choreographers, amongst many other roles within the arts industry. 

Developing diverse interests and talents 

At NAFA’s School of Theatre, students interact with the leading creators, producers and practitioners of today’s theatre, acquiring rigorous training rooted deeply in the classics, while exploring new forms and the cutting edge of theatrical art. 

The new Bachelor (Honours) in Contemporary Chinese Theatres (BACCT), for example, is the first Bachelor’s programme in Asia to educate students in the understanding of the history, cultures, and languages of modern-day Chinese theatre. The programme also affords students the chance to develop their own creative expressions of theatre by exploring Chinese culture through their own lens and identity.

Conferred by the University of the Arts Singapore, the degree equips students with the necessary skills to handle diverse roles – such as theatre director, performer and TV writer – in Singapore as well as across South-east Asia’s performing arts industry. The programme is open for enrollment, and will start its first semester in August 2024. 

Additionally, future students will get to perform in experimental presentations organised in collaboration with Hong Kong’s renowned avant-garde theatre company Zuni Icosahedron and visit Zuni in Hong Kong for three to four weeks to learn about its unique methods of creating contemporary performances in areas such as engaging technology for art-making, thanks to a new three-year strategic partnership with NAFA.

With Zuni's expertise on intercultural practices and working with technology, students will be guided to consider these influences in their own contemporary explorations of art and culture. 

“We are proud to kick-start our collaboration with NAFA and endorse its new BACCT programme; the first of its kind in Asia. Just as actors bring characters to life on stage, this partnership brings new possibilities in the world of arts education in Asia. Together in this endeavour, we look forward to cultivating storytellers, visionaries, and young artists who will breathe life into the narratives of contemporary Chinese,” says Danny Yung, co-artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron. 

Both NAFA and Zuni are committed to explore the development of cultural exchange and arts education in Asia. Setting the precedent through the collaboration, Zuni is planning to bring artists from diverse backgrounds together, such as the veteran contemporary dance artist Makoto Matsushima from Tokyo and performing artist Didik Nini Thowok from Yogyakarta for a series of workshops, talks and seminars. 

The triple-bill production One Table Two Chairs, co-presented by Zuni Icosahedron and NAFA to kick-start the partnership and endorse NAFA’s new BA (Hons) in Contemporary Chinese Theatres will premiere on Oct 20, 2023, at NAFA’s Studio Theatre. 

Auditions for the various programmes are now open. Learn more about NAFA’s programmes here.