These Local Artists Are Shaping the Future of Singapore’s Arts Scene

Singapore often gets a bad rep for being “too sanitized” and favouring academic success over culture, which had led to the misconception that our island nation lacks creativity. The now infamous Time Out City Index 2018 survey even found that Singapore ranked 31 out of 32 cities in terms of excitability. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.

Just take a look at the Singapore Night Festival and the more recent Light to Night Festival, and you’ll find crowds similar to raves and concerts. In fact, National Gallery Singapore’s exhibition of Yayoi Kusama’s work last year had consistently sold out tickets throughout its three-month run. The same can easily be said for last year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts, with its rich and extensive showcase of theatre, music, dance and visual arts.

A huge push factor has come from the top, as state funding has helped to improve education in the arts for the youth, revamp museums and cultural institutions for locals and tourists to enjoy, and profile local artists on home turf and overseas.

It’s no wonder then that more and more young people are now pursuing their passions in the arts without fear of judgement that one’s success can only be found in more conventional careers like medicine, law and engineering.

Here are three notable local performing artists who are taking the lead in shaping Singapore’s arts scene in their own way.

Tan Wei Tian

[caption id="attachment_11922" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image: A-List Singapore[/caption]

In a time where entertainment comes as easily as opening an app on a smartphone, it’s extremely rare to hear about young people passionately embracing traditional art forms like Traditional Chinese Opera.

Tan Wei Tian, however, isn’t your typical young person. Despite turning 15 this year, Tan is already considered a veteran in the opera despite her young age, having amassed over 10 years of experience and performed over 50 productions in the art form.

Tan’s love for Chinese Opera began at the age of three when she would watch performances with her maternal grandmother and imitate the actions of the opera actors. She would even adorably use her father’s long sleeve shirts as ‘water sleeves’, and her passion for the opera hasn’t stopped since.

“It was the colourful costumes, the intricate hair-do and the unique makeup that attracted and inspired the three-year-old me,” said Tan, describing how she was inspired to pursue her passion in the opera back then.

Now, the duty of continuing the traditional art form in the 21st century spurs her on, particularly when most youths overlook it.

“There is also a sense of responsibility to continue performing this traditional art form as our ancestors worked very hard to keep this tradition alive and we shouldn’t just let it fade away.”

Her journey hasn’t been without challenges though, especially when starting at such a young age. Finding success in opera requires a certain level of skill and the discipline to practise towards perfection and such demands can be taxing and even more so for a student.

It’s also not easy taking up an art form that rarely appeals towards teenagers her age, especially when being socially accepted can heavily affect one’s secondary school life.

“As for my friends, some of them do find me weird for doing something not common among teenagers but most of them are very supportive of my passion for opera and some of them do watch my performances too,” Tan added.

In order to keep her focused on her studies, Tan keeps her training and performances for the school holidays, with the odd exception of a performance or two during the school year.

With her continued hard work, Tan hopes to excel as an opera artist and serve as an inspiration for more young people to be involved in Chinese Opera, to carry on the tradition for years to come.

Lim Kah Sing

[caption id="attachment_11923" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image: Youth.SG[/caption]

While Wei Tian is able to pursue her art form with the support of her parents, street dancer Lim Kah Sing isn’t quite as fortunate in convincing his parents of his chosen career path.

Lim is a freelance dance artiste in the discipline of ‘Locking’, a style of funk dance that involves a sudden freeze of movement in a certain position. Lim belongs to a group called the Lion City Lockers, which holds community classes for anyone and everyone to pick up the dance style.

His journey began back in Secondary Three when he was encouraged to pick up an activity for the National Youth Achievement Award, and found himself picking up ‘Popping’ as his entry into the dance scene. Half a year later, Lim was introduced to locking and once he was exposed to the funky tunes of James Brown, Kool and the Gang, and Earth, Wind and Fire, the rest was history.

Recently, Lim and the Lion City Lockers were recruited to train the cast of the brand new Toggle: Originals series, Dance with Me, whipping up leads Shane Pow and Kimberly Wang into shape and giving them a crash course to make them look like pros in a short period of time.

“It was a very interesting experience as this is my first time working closely with artistes – let alone a real-life celebrity couple!” shared Lim.

Despite finding success, he admits that the biggest hurdle in his dance journey was to persuade his parents about the sustainability of his chosen career path.

“My parents tend to be a little more conservative, and hence it still takes awhile for me to show them that I am able to make a living out of dancing,” said Lim.

Lim also described how remuneration as a dance instructor or performer isn’t proportionate to the level of work put into the craft, resulting in most dancers taking up odd jobs or full-time day jobs to support their passion for dance.

This struggle, in particular, is remarkably common amongst many young artists today and is highlighted in the early episodes of Dance with Me, whereby the lead protagonist Vanessa (played by Kimberly Wang) has to choose between accepting a promotion in her day job as a curator or pursuing her passion in dance.

“I do look forward to seeing how the general public reacts to the storyline of the series because it does portray the difficulties of juggling a day job versus teaching classes at night; it does portray what is currently reflected in our society,” added Lim.

Understanding such struggles is especially important for both the public as well as aspiring dancers. In sharing his wishes for the future, Lim hopes that there’ll be a greater appreciation for street dance and an environment where Singaporeans can be proud of our local talents.

As for aspiring dancers, Lim urges them to be extremely sure of their chosen paths as the journey isn’t an easy one, but worthwhile if it’s truly their passion.

Jenny Neo

Similar to Wei Tian and Kah Sing, Jenny Neo started her craft at a young age and she hasn’t looked back since. Under the mentorship of her mother, Neo began her training in Chinese Classical and Folk Dance at the tender age of ten.

Since then, grants from the National Arts Council and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre allowed her to train at the Beijing Dance Academy in China before graduating from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2009.

Now, Neo serves as the principal choreographer and dancer at the newly-renamed Singapore Chinese Dance Theatre, earning multiple awards and recognition in the world of dance.

“Dance gives me freedom of mind to create and work,” says Neo as she describes her motivation and what she loves most about dance. She also pays homage to her mother and hopes to follow in her footsteps to push the envelope in reaching more hearts and minds towards the art form.

In her work, Neo’s inspirations come mostly from a combination of her imagination and the attention to detail required to create powerful moments on stage.

“For most productions, I am given a script to work with. Normally, I would try to understand the requirement [of the story] and study the background, the era and the living style of that period,” Neo explained.

“Of course, for a dance drama, we need to create the climax of the show, so I would discuss with the production team what would make a good set and lighting to create that wow scene for the audience.”

Her meticulousness hasn’t gone amiss, evident by her recent involvement in the Dance with Me series. Given her expertise in her craft, Neo was involved in directing several sequences, helping the director to find the best possible angles for shooting the dance scenes. She also highlighted the routine when female lead Vanessa improvised at the National Gallery Singapore as her favourite in the series.

As for the dance and arts scene in Singapore, Neo is proud of the hard work being put in across the genres and disciplines but urges for more support and participation from the public to spur our artists on.

For her personal endeavours, Neo summed up her aspiration in a simple yet profound phrase: “To nurture the passion for arts among our young Singaporeans and promote the appreciation of the unique skills involved.”

Despite her success, Neo remains humble and admits that she is still very much in the learning phase.

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Dance with Me is a brand new Toggle: Originals Series set against the backdrop of Singapore’s arts and culture scene. The drama runs for eight episodes, following the lives of a bumbling bank officer Nat (Shane Pow) and a museum curator Vanessa (Kimberly Wang).

All eight episodes are now available on Toggle.

This article is a sponsored post in promotion of “Dance with Me”, a Toggle Originals series.

This Kickstarter Campaign Needs Your Help To Bring Art To Remote Communities In Asia

Streetwear label Imperial Taels and artist network POW! WOW! Taiwan are teaming up on a crowdfunded art festival, aimed at bring art appreciation to remote communities in Asia.

Paint Asia will bring together artists from around the world to various communities in the region, and will be hosted in different cities, towns or villages every year.

The Hong Ye Village in the mountain of South Taiwan will host the inaugural edition of the festival. The home of the indigenous Bunun tribe has no arts and crafts programme following Grade 3 and living conditions are substandard at best.

With Paint Asia, the purpose is two-fold: sew the seeds of art in the community as an integral part of learning, while raising global awareness of the current situation at the village.

The Kickstarter campaign began on September 18 and is hoping to raise a minimum of US$35,000 for the festival to be viable.

Funds raised will go towards transportation, accommodation, food, paints and art materials, and the production of campaign rewards for backers. Rewards include T-shirts and prints of original artwork by participating artists.

The highest reward tier will include a trip to the festival itself including travel expenses.

To back the campaign and find out more about Paint Asia, head over to the Kickstarter page here.

Here’s Why the Civic District Outdoor Festival is the Perfect Date Night Spot this August

With National Day just around the corner, what better way to show your love for your nation and your partner by rediscovering the birthplace of modern Singapore together, in fresh and exciting ways.

Held this August for the very first time, the Civic District Outdoor Festival is a celebration of the arts across four museums at the Civic District precinct, notably housed in the country’s most historic buildings such as the former Supreme Court building and the City Hall that is now National Gallery Singapore.

Themed “When Time Stood Still”, the event is presented by the National Gallery Singapore and brings together for the first time four of Singapore’s arts and culture institutions, including The Arts House, Asian Civilisations Museum, and Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall.

So, instead of retreating to the usual dinner-movie routine, show off the cultured side in you at the Civic District Outdoor Festival. Here are some highlights you can look forward to:

1) Get trippy with 3D Projections

The outdoor projection trail at the Civic District Outdoor Festival, the largest of its kind in Singapore, is a perfect opportunity to take a hand-in-hand stroll with your partner.

In line with the theme of time, the trail will explore the tale of Hemera and her brother’s efforts in keeping the Cosmic Clock running and the eventualities that take place when time stands still.

The multimedia projections will be mapped onto the front façade of National Gallery Singapore and The Arts House, the façade and interior of the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, and the annexe wing façade of the Asian Civilisations Museum.

2) Have a picnic at the Padang

It’s not every day that you get to have a picnic on the Padang, the home of many iconic National Day Parades in Singapore’s brief history. To make the experience even more special, the open field will also play host to beautiful light art installations in the shape of rabbits, by Australian artist Amanda Parer.

Besides the Padang, there will also be a host of outdoor booths and food trucks throughout the festival, operated by notable eateries such as The Lab, Cocoloco, Satayboy, Coffee Bandits and Kerbside Gourmet.

3) Never have a dull moment with Roving Acts

If you and your partner need to take a break from all the wandering, rest assured that there’ll never be a dull moment by staying at one spot.

Roving acts will be taking to the streets, roaming around the Civic District precinct throughout the two weekends for all to enjoy.

These acts include gypsy flamenco band The Lost Hat, nine-piece brass ensemble Brass Nation and the Singapore School of Samba with Bantus Batucada.

Australia’s “The Illuminated Angels” will also be making an appearance, ensuing playfulness, hilarity and awe as they rove around the district. Trust us when we say that their act, which has travelled the world over, is simply not to be missed.

4) Chill with Live Music

Besides the roving acts, there will also be live music performances at the Padang Atrium and Empress Lawn for you and your partner to enjoy.

From indie rock and mellow acoustic to hip hop and funk, there will be a variety of acts throughout the two weekends with something for everyone.

53A’s Sara, Naz and Alvin will be taking to the stage, departing from their usual cover acts, and instead showcasing their licks as a jazz trio.

Acoustic duo Jack and Rai will also be there, as well as YouTube sensation Joie Tan, vocal group MiCappella, singer-songwriter Inch Chua and indie pop band HubbaBubbas.

If you’re looking for something a little more exotic, the Empress Lawn will be hosting various Dance x Music Nights, including a Swing Night on August 4, Latin Tropical Night on August 5, a Hip Hop Ska Night on August 11 and a Funk Disco Boogie Night on August 12.

5) Take a piece home with you from the Art Market

Some of Singapore’s most creative artists and makers will be on deck at the Aether’s Art Market on Empress Lawn.

With over 20 vendors, pick out a one-of-a-kind gift for your date while you’re there, with a slew of popular and up-and-coming designers to choose from.

Also at the Art Market are workshops where you can learn a skill or two such as candle making, arts & craft, sewing and calligraphy. The workshops will be hosted by the likes of Hush Candle, Art Nouveau Studio, Jelly Bean Attic and dora. prints and paper goods.

6) Entry is FREE!

To top it all of, while some programmes and workshops are chargeable, the festival is free to enter! So, you have no excuse not to make this a date night spot this August.

Held over two weekends on 4-5 August and 11-12 August 2017, the inaugural Civic District Outdoor Festival will take place from 5pm to midnight.

Additionally, the National Gallery Singapore and Asian Civilisations Museum will be extending their hours till midnight.

For more information, head over to

Brought to you by National Gallery Singapore.

7 Classy and Cheap Date-Night Activities in Singapore This January

With the end of year festivities well out of the way, we can all take solace in that our lives can finally return to normalcy.

After emptying the bank for all those Christmas presents and New Year parties, here’s a guide on life hacking date-nights this January without burning a hole in the pocket.

Here are seven classy date-night ideas that will go easy on the wallet.

1. Art After Dark

[caption id="attachment_2916" align="alignnone" width="753"] Image: Gillman Barracks[/caption]

Held at the Gillman Barracks, Art After Dark is a highlight of Singapore Art Week which combines contemporary art exhibitions, live music performances and amazing food vendors in one evening.

The event will also see the launch of LOCK ROUTE, an outdoor public art showcase featuring works in the form of murals, sculptures and installations by popular and emerging local artists.

This year, local musicians Charlie Lim, Riot !n Magenta and .gif will make an appearance, accompanied by pop-up food booths from Park Bench Deli and Gattopardo.

When: 13 January 2017, 7pm till late
Where: Gillman Barracks
Price: Free

2. NASA: A Human Adventure

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Treat your partner to an experience that is out of this world at NASA: A Human Adventure. The exhibition is said to be the most comprehensive in showcasing space flights throughout history, with artifacts from the U.S. and Soviet Union space programs.

The public guided tours are in either English or Mandarin where participants can learn about some of the most extraordinary innovations in space technology and scientific achievements in human history.

The exhibition runs all the way until March and will be a great way to start the New Year by learning about the human endeavour in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

When: Daily until 19 March 2017
Where: ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands
Price: S$15-19 (Singaporeans and PR), S$20-25 (Foreigners)

3. Aliwal Urban Art Festival

[caption id="attachment_2918" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image: Singapore Art Week[/caption]

In conjunction with Singapore Art Week, the Aliwal Urban Art Festival is an annual event held to celebrate the wonderful world of street art highlighting the talents of local urban artists, dancers, skateboarders and musicians.

Visitors can learn about the history of urban art in Singapore while ‘The Writers Bench’ will see urban artists collaborating to work on a 12-metre long wall.

There will be live performances from local indie bands Ant-Men and Disco Hue. Skateboarding enthusiasts can also head down to the Aliwal Car Park to witness ‘The Asphalt Challenge’, a skill competition featuring Singapore’s top skateboarders.

When: 14 January 2017, 5pm till late
Where: Aliwal Arts Centre
Price: Free

4. Fullerton Monument Tour

[caption id="attachment_2919" align="alignnone" width="1207"] Image: The Fullerton Hotel[/caption]

While all Singaporeans will recognize the iconic Fullerton Hotel, many may be unfamiliar with its history. Amidst an ever-transforming city landscape in Singapore’s CBD, The Fullerton Hotel has remained a constant, witnessing some of Singapore’s history moments.

This guided tour will reset the clocks to 1928, taking you in a journey through time from the very beginnings of the Fullerton Building to when it hosted the General Post Office, became an elite British club and exquisite hotel.

Participants will get a glimpse of exclusive preserved areas of the building with its rich history and monumental significance of Singapore’s past. The tour ends with a “Heritage” local breakfast in the hotel courtyard.

When: 22 January 2017
Where: The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
Price: The Istana Singapore[/caption]

Get a unique glimpse of the Istana this January. Held during the Istana Chinese New Year Open House, this guided walk will showcase the Istana’s rich and diverse flora and fauna.

The Istana estate is a vast parkland of greenery, with areas such as The Swan Pond, The Lawn, Japanese Garden, The Spice Terrace and The Grove.

The walk is conducted on an hourly basis between 10am to 4pm, and is open to the general public.

When: 29 January 2017
Where: The Istana
Price: $4 (Singaporeans and PR), $10 (Foreigners)

6. Story of the Forest

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Story of the Forest is an immersive installation inspired by the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings at the National Museum of Singapore.

The exhibition takes 69 drawings from the prized collection and breathes life into them through wide-scaping displays. There is also an app that will enhance your visit, making the exhibition an interactive one for all to enjoy.

The installation was setup by teamLab, the same people behind Future World, the permanent exhibition at the ArtScience Museum.

When: Daily, 10am to 7pm
Where: National Museum of Singapore
Price: Free (Singaporeans and PR)

7. ARTWALK Little India

[caption id="attachment_2922" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image: ARTWALK Little India[/caption]

From January 12 to 17, ARTWALK Little India returns with its third edition to liven up the Little India precinct, showcasing the area’s rich tradition through a variety of arts and culture.

Throughout the week, visitors can immerse themselves in art installations and live performances that celebrate the heritage of Little India. This year’s theme is Your Path To Remember, giving visitors a nostalgic journey of stories and memories through the medium of the arts.

The initiative is a collaboration between LASALLE College of the Arts and Singapore Tourism Board.

When: 12 to 17 January 2017
Where: Little India
Price: Free

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For more updates and listings of events for your date night activities, pick up your free copy of this month’s A List Singapore from City Hall, Raffles Place, Tampines and Jurong East SMRT stations. Alternatively, you can check out A List Singapore’s FacebookTwitter, and Instagram, you can follow A List Singapore on all your favourite platforms and never fear missing out on the local art scene.

This article was brought to you by A List Singapore.