Too close for comfort

As promised, Iodine was stinging and gritty. It was not as beautiful as it was powerful. These were dancers in another light, of a raw, corporeal intensity that we do not often see in Singapore. Full review at Artzine.

For the love of pain II

I just read a post about how many Singaporeans look down on male dancers as being "gay". Aside from the stupid homophobia that makes an equation of gay = perverted + weak, I was so cross that I wanted to belt out my blog tagline. Even though the irony would probably be lost on most readers.

So many people think that dancing is frivolous and easy. We dancers are to some extent a victim of our own successes, because the whole objective of most dance forms is to make the impossible look effortless. So the ordinary person won't blink when they see 32 fouettes, a 64 count Cunningham developpe, suspended jumps, a gorgeous lift.
Would it be as good if everybody knew how much pain and technique it took? If audiences not only realised the artistic intent but also appreciated how dance stretches the limits of human possibility?


Jock Soto and Wendy Whelan. Easy, right?

Anyway, while I'm building up my own little encyclopedia on pain, I thought I'd share it here for other dancers and anybody else who wants to know:

NYU Harkness Centre: Common Dance Injuries

On ankle sprains


On rolling in, arch pain, bunions