SINGAPORE – Dance doyenne Yan Choong Lian and Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre received 2024’s Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award (SCCCA) on May 8.
The award recognises individuals and organisations who made extraordinary contributions to the promotion, enrichment and development of Chinese Singaporean culture.
Madam Yan, founder and artistic director of Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES), was the recipient in the individual category, while Nine Years Theatre was honoured in the organisation category.
Recipients of the award receive a $10,000 cash prize, along with additional funding for their projects. Individual recipients get up to $10,000 in funding, while organisations receive up to $20,000.
The award, launched in 2017 by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), has been given out annually except in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Madam Yan, 70, began her dance career in 1972 and ventured into choreography in 1980, experimenting with different dance styles and forms.
As a choreographer, she was involved in various local and overseas projects, and represented Singapore on cultural exchanges in places such as the United States, Europe, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Her passion and talent in dance led to the establishment of DES in 1993 and contemporary Chinese dance company DES Arts in 2004.
Under her leadership, DES has presented works that reflect the multicultural spirit of Singapore, including Chinese dance infused with Malay and Peranakan elements.
Madam Yan told The Straits Times: “I hope that this award will inspire passionate individuals to step forward and carry on the legacy. I encourage them to boldly pursue the fulfilment and joy that I have found in my journey as a dancer, choreographer, and now a mentor to students who aspire to follow in my footsteps.”
She hopes the award will help the new generation of dance practitioners whom she has mentored to showcase their distinctive dance forms to all Singaporeans, and to present Singapore’s multicultural experience on the global stage.
Nine Years Theatre, founded in 2012, believes in the uniqueness of local Chinese culture and celebrates the multicultural identity of the Singaporean Chinese through theatre.
It has staged works such as Dialects & Dialectics, which are two plays adapted and staged in local dialects. It has also constantly stretched the potential of theatre through multidisciplinary works such as Windward Side of the Mountain, which incorporates contemporary music, theatre and dance.
Besides investing in the training of actors, it offers courses for the community such as Mandarin diction, and exposes the young to local Mandarin theatre to nurture appreciation of the Chinese language.
Co-founders Nelson Chia, 52, and Ms Mia Chee, 46, said they are working on a new, original piece – Waiting For Audience – that will be staged on May 17 and 18 as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts from May 17 to June 2.
Following that, Nine Years Theatre will be presenting its very first production for children aged five to seven, titled Phinny And Wally, in July.
The two co-founders said the award is a recognition of their commitment to bring high-quality Mandarin productions to their audience and to put Singapore Mandarin theatre on the international stage.
“We hope it will help us reach more audiences, thereby helping us achieve our long-term vision of theatre being a part of Singaporeans’ everyday lives,” Mr Chia said.
“We will use the cash award to continue creating more original and transcreation work, to tell stories that remind us of our humanity.”
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling said Singapore Chinese culture and art forms are uniquely Singaporean, evolving over the years through meaningful interactions with other ethnic cultures.
“The Singapore Chinese culture reflects a harmonious melding of diversity that adds richness to our local multicultural and heritage scene.
“This really emanates from our shared values as Singaporeans – that every culture has much to learn from and offer to one another,” said Ms Low, who is also Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
Mr Lim Jim Koon, chairman of the judging panel, said 33 nominations – 21 for individuals and 12 for organisations – were received in 2024. Among them, 60 per cent were first-time nominees, the highest number received so far.
With the conferment of the 2024 SCCCA, the nomination for next year’s SCCCA has begun.
Besides the award, the SCCC will continue to work with its partners to promote local Chinese culture, said its chairman Ng Siew Quan.
The centre is collaborating with the National Arts Council to provide greater support for the capability development of opera groups. The pilot project involves working with selected groups on a Chinese opera festival to be organised by SCCC in 2025.
It is also initiating an Arts Alliance Scheme, where art groups interested in promoting local Chinese culture will receive help in audience outreach through SCCC’s platforms.
The opening ceremony of SCCC’s Cultural Extravaganza 2024 was also held at the centre on May 8, to coincide with the award ceremony.
The festival, which runs till June 30, features 10 multidisciplinary and multicultural collaborations, including a Cultural Titans series by SCCC and Singapore Chinese Orchestra to showcase the works of Cultural Medallion recipients.
In 2024, xinyao pioneer Liang Wern Fook will kick off the series with his concerts. The focus in 2025 will be on visual arts, featuring 103-year-old home-grown artist Lim Tze Peng.
