Dear friends,
I’m back from the summer tour of Focus on the Atlantic Coast
of France, and working between Singapore and KL on my new
performance/installation/creation at the Substation, among other projects. The next few months for me will include
some performances and teaching in Singapore (I’m picking up my lecturer’s pass
at Lasalle!), and performances and labs in Sweden, Germany, Malaysia and
Taiwan. As always, I would love to catch up with you and share my work here or
overseas. Do drop me a line if
you’d like to connect while I’m in your part of the world!
Also for the first time in these updates, I’ve attached a
publication from the volunteer team that I run at Oogachaga, a counseling and
personal development organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) community. It’s not an artistic pursuit at all –
it’s about how we can support ourselves and others through emotional crises. We
had an amazing team that worked very hard on this and its associated workshop
on 18 Aug. I’m very proud of it and hope to make it available to as many people
as possible, LGBTQ or straight, who might find it useful.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have another year like this one.
I’m not sure if I should – but here goes!
love,
Sze
Contradiction
Sat 31 August 7.30pm
72-13 Mohamed Sultan Rd
Free admission
I’m part of the annual literary reading in Singapore’s pride
festival Indignation this year.
The curators have picked an interesting selection of my work from six
years ago to the present!
I’ll be
reading and probably dancing them.
Curated by Ng Yi-Sheng and Jasmine Seah, you can expect an evening of
excellent poetry, prose, spoken word and theatre script readings, often
material that hasn’t had the chance to be published. All are welcome (not just
LGBTQ folks!) but do come early to get a seat, because it’s usually packed to
capacity. Details at
https://www.facebook.com/events/669998949682641/?fref=ts
Do Gorillas Peel Bananas? with David Lim
Fri-Sat 13-14 September 8pm
The Substation
Tickets $10.
Email reservations boxoffice@substation.org
This is my labour of love for the year.
When I was selected for the Performance
Open Call programme this year, I launched myself into a foolhardy adventure
into forms and material that I have always wanted to do but never had the
opportunity to try before. It’s finally come down to a crazy and I hope funny
performance/installation/experiment on non-state censorship and control.
The piece developed out of conversations
with David on the sides of the KL Contact Improv festival (where we are
co-organisers) in the last two years. It’s the first time that I’m driving the
concept and direction for a project of this scope, and I’m lucky to have the
support of my collaborators (also Andy Lim and Brian Gothong Tan) and the
mentorship of Natalie Hennedige of Cake Theatre and Noor Effendy Ibrahim of the
Substation. It has been and continues to be a terrifying, thrilling gamble for
me. Audience size is restricted to 40 pax per night so do book early if you’re
planning to come!
You can view the
synopsis and a fruit ninja promo video here.
http://www.substation.org/event/do-gorillas-peel-bananas/
The Third Space – Explorations in Contemporary Asian Dance
presented by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Fri 11 Oct 2013 7.30pm/Sat 12 Oct 2013 6pm
The Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets $15/$10 (concession) at SISTIC
This year NAFA decided to let its alumni choreographers step
up for the Third Space platform at the Esplanade da:ns festival. Six proposals
were selected, including my new short work “II”. It’s an improvised duet for
three dancers, scored from the instructions on the back of a chopsticks
wrapper! I am dancing in this piece with Laura Tham and Farliana Ghan. The rest of the evening’s programme is
a varied mix of lyrical, spiritual and experimental visions of five fellow
graduates – Lin Juliana, Lee Ren Xin, Max Chen, Elizabeth Lee, Goh Shou Yi.
Details at
http://www.dansfestival.com/2013/next-gen/the-third-space/
All Is Divine
October/December 2013
Dansens Hus, Stockholm/Kampnagel, Hamburg
At last year’s Singapore Arts Festival I got to take part in
a workshop with Swedish director Charlotte Engelkes, who was developing a third
instalment to her Wagner-comedy-dance-theatre trilogy “A Very Wagnerian Night”.
This year the workshop segment has
developed into a fantastic full length show, where we spy into the private
lives of the German/Nordic mythical pantheon as the world is coming to an end.
At which point the gods turn out to be quite human, and quite Asian too.
Together with a team of actors, opera singers, sound artists and designers from
Sweden, Germany, and from Singapore singer Celine Rosa Tan and visual artist
Brian Gothong Tan. Details at
charlotteengelkes.com
Asia Pacific Impro!
4-10 November 2013
DPAC, Kuala Lumpur (PJ)
I’ve been invited to the first platform in Southeast Asia
for improvised performance, along with dancers and musicians from Japan,
Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.
We
will be involved in a week of research labs, but also opening the doors to
teach dance workshops and share performances. Details at
asiapacificimpro.org
Be with Me - Self Care in Emotional Crisis a publication by
Oogachaga/OC Women
