Dance at Dusk

Photos by Tan Ngiap Heng

A highlight at the Festival since 2017, Dance at Dusk is a family-friendly, free performance showcasing the many facets of contemporary dance.

As part of the Festival’s efforts to explore the accessibility of contemporary dance performances, Dance at Dusk will be adapted to encompass greater engagement and participation this year. Curated in collaboration with Access Path Productions, the shows will be made more meaningful and enjoyable especially for audiences with disabilities or sensory sensitivities.

Audience members who may require additional access support or are interested to know more about these shows can contact hello@accesspathproductions.com for more information.

Learn more here: http://the-contact.org/dance-at-dusk/

Access Pre – Performance Information below

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Welcome to Dance at Dusk, presented by M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. I am Grace Lee-Khoo and together with Seren Chen, we will be your audio-describers for the evening. This service is brought to you by Access Path Productions.  This audio description service is brought to you by Access Path Productions. 

This performance includes an audience interaction segment and lasts 45 minutes with no intermission. 

What is the show about?

This year’s event returns with excerpts from one of Kuik Swee Boon’s most contemplative works, Silence. Since it was first commissioned by Esplanade da:ns Festival in 2007, Silence has continued to evolve and was last seen in Singapore a decade ago, when it was presented as a full-length work at the Esplanade Theatre as part of The Human Expression, aka T.H.E Dance Company’s first anniversary.

Now performed by dancers from T.H.E Second Company, the timeless piece continues to deal with the concept of communication breakdown, and investigates the depths of one’s connection to the surroundings in this age of information overload.

 Choreographer Kuik Swee Boon was inspired by his life in Madrid, where he witnessed numerous street protests, such as those against the Iraq war, which nudged his social conscience. The work is also inspired by the terrorist train bombings that rocked the city in 2004.

The pace of the dance excerpts is often frenetic, rapid and intense with a feverish and obsessive quality to it. 

There are lighter moments of respite and reflection to cut the currents of tension, which reflect the work’s narratives of power and peace, an important dialogue between despair and hope.

 The Set

The stage is bare and open and there is a strong element of shadow and light interplay. The magnificent backdrop of the Marina Bay frames the outdoor stage. As the glowing sunset lights the stage and the shimmering water reflects the Singapore skyline, 8 dancers will emerge from both sides. 

On upstage left, a small mountain of chairs surround 2 long black tables propped side by side together to form a reverse L shape. The height of the taller table is about 2 metres and length of the second table is 3 metres. The life-sized chairs differ in sizes and design, some made of wood and painted white, some foldable, made from black plastic and silver metal. The chairs are either placed strategically upside down, lying on their sides, attached to table legs in mid-air or strewn messily in a heap next to the tables, forming a disjointed yet familiar landscape of domestic upheaval. The installation of displaced furniture spans nearly 4 metres in length. 

It is an abstract yet recognizable representation of the far side of the moon, where imbalance, chaos, the known and the unknown reside.

 The Dancers 

The 8 dancers, 5 females and 3 males from T.H.E Second Company are namely Eunice, Fiona, Jiayin, Lynnette, Zongqi, Jackie, Shawn and Shaun. The dancers’ heights range from 1.55 meters to 1.78 metres and they are all in their 20s to early 30s.  At different times, they will be dancing with dark green raincoats worn like camouflaged cloaks. 

Do sign up for our touch tour, which takes place 30 minutes before each performance so you can meet the dancers, learn more about the costumes and even ask questions about their creative process. 

The Team 

Festival Director & Choreographer of Silence: Kuik Swee Boon 

Associate Artistic Director of T.H.E Second Company & Rehearsal Mistress: Silvia Yong 

Assistant Rehearsal Master: Zhuo Zi Hao 

Dancers: 

Eunice Wee

Fiona Kwek

Goh Jiayin

Lynnette Png

Koh Zong Qi

Jackie Ong

Shawn Tey

Shaun Lim

Master of Ceremony: Ma Yanling

Company Manager of T.H.E: Jael Chew

Festival Manager: Athelyna Swee

Production Manager: Tennie Su

Lighting Coordinator: Woo E-hui

Stage Manager: Lee Xinzhi 

Production Assistant & Assistant Stage Manager: Brenda Lum

Technical Manager: Tang Yeow Seng

Access Information

We aim to provide an excellent experience and service for all patrons who may require additional support to access our venue and enjoy our performance.

For access inquiries, please contact us at 965 888 68 between 12pm to 7pm or email hello@accesspathproductions.com

 The dates of the free performances are:

Friday, 12 July

Saturday, 13 July

Sunday, 14 July

Nearest carpark to the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre is the Basement Carpark located at 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981. 

An alternative parking option is Marina Square Carpark at 6 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039594.

The 2 designated pick up and drop off points are:

The lobby at the Mezzanine Level along Esplanade Drive (towards Shenton Way)

And 

The driveway at Esplanade Mall along Raffles Avenue

 For Public Transport options, the nearest Bus Stop is B02061 (The Esplanade) and B02111 (Esplanade Bridge)

The nearest MRT stations are City Hall MRT  on the North-South (red) line or East-West (green) line and Esplanade MRT  on the Circle Line.

The nearest taxi stand is located at the entrance to Esplanade Mall along Raffles Avenue. 

Do note that FULL road closures will take place on Saturday, 13 July due to National Day Parade rehearsal and the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre will only be accessible via underground walkways. Vehicular pick up and drop off points at Esplanade will also be closed that day.

 The Esplanade Outdoor Theatre is assistance dog friendly.

 The nearest accessible toilets are on the first level of The Esplanade Mall, next to the ATM machines, and at the Esplanade Annexe, next to Noosh.

 The Esplanade Outdoor Theatre is accessible for wheelchair users and 4 Wheelchair spaces are available in the front row.

If you require further assistance, or would like to understand more about transferring options, please contact our team at 965 888 68 between 12pm to 7pm or email hello@accesspathproductions.com

The Access Information Booth is located next to the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre and behind the stage control booth. Say hello to our friendly Access team members and we will be happy to assist.

The touch tour will commence 30 minutes before the shows.

Please have your own mobile device and headset with you. The Access Information Booth will have limited headphones on standby if needed.

Finally, another audio clip with the audio description of the performance itself will be made available on this website the day of the performance. 

Our Access team members will also be on hand to make sure you can access the right audio clip on the performance day. Just raise your hand, wave and we will come to you! 

We look forward to welcoming you and hope you have a wonderful time with us!

Audio Description