Enhancing its reputation as one of Asia`s key entertainment hubs, the program for this year`s 30th Singapore Arts Festival features acts ranging from eclectic dance to cutting-edge drama, classical ballet to global music and of course, the ever-popular free public events and family-friendly activities.
As the region`s premier performing and visual arts event, running for an entire month from 25 May to 24 June, the Singapore Arts Festival offers cultural enthusiasts an exhausting schedule of world-class acts across a range of superb indoor and outdoor venues.
There truly is something for everyone, with a program supported by more than 1,900 performing artists from over 27 countries participating in 22 main productions and 400 free shows, exhibitions and special events.
“30 years on, and the Singapore Arts Festival still remains one of our main signature events. This year`s line up will continue to draw cultural enthusiasts to Singapore from our neighbouring countries as well as beyond – further cementing our position as the arts hub of the region,” said Mr Kevin Leong, Regional Director Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board.
Visitors and locals will be spoilt for choice with six productions staging their world premieres during the Festival. In addition, five Asian premieres will make their debut which includes two co-productions involving art groups from Cambodia, Scotland and Singapore.
Known for its progressive programming and emphasis on artistic innovation, the Festival is as much loved for its signature shows as it is for its popular Outreach programme which brings almost 400 free events to the public.
Unveiling this year`s exciting, confronting and inspiring programme, Goh Ching Lee, Director for the Singapore Arts Festival, said the schedule bore the Festival`s hallmarks of “quality, innovation and adventure….featuring contemporary presentations that confront and bridge different genres and traditions, an invigorating line-up of contemporary dance, re-imaginings of well-loved theatre classics, as well as new visions of music by some of the world`s leading art makers today”.
New this year is art installation Project Eden at the Raffles City Shopping Centre, where a 40-foot container has been transformed into an interactive exhibit echoing the Festival`s History and incorporating The Festival Nest – a hub where the public can find information and latest updates on the Festival.
Opening the Festival, will be Dreams In Flight, a large-scale aerial theatrical work from Spain offering a multi-sensory experience specially created for Singapore, and showcasing brilliant pyrotechnic displays.
The main programme will feature contemporary dance luminaries such as ballerina Sylvie Guillem in Sacred Monsters (France/UK), the Bill T Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company (USA) in Blind Date, and Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara and his company KARAS in Bones In Pages.
Audiences will relish contemporary renditions of some of the best-known classics in theatre, including Mabou Mines` DollHouse directed by Lee Breuer (USA), Beijing Ren (Peking Man) by the Beijing People`s Art Theatre (China), and Romeo and Juliet by the OKT/Vilnius City Theatre (Lithuania).
In another first, the Singapore Arts Festival will also inaugurate the Singapore Festival Orchestra (SFO), which will give its first performance in the Asian premiere of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, featuring award-winning music from popular video games.
Full Frontal, a new platform for local theatre is another 30th anniversary enterprise, with emerging directorial talent revisiting known texts from Singapore`s theatrical past; while this year`s Family Funfest will bring lively and educational performances and action-packed workshops for all the family.
In between revues and live acts from the Festival`s kaleidoscopic menu, visitors can enjoy the best of the rest cosmopolitan Singapore has to offer, such as: enthralling shopping, from designer boutiques to bargain bazaars; every kind of food you can imagine, from sumptuous fine dining and fusion cuisine to animated hawker stalls serving sizzling local delights; unique ethnic enclaves where time stands still and you can soak in the culture, cooking and traditional wares of the Chinese, Indian, Malay and Peranakan people; and of course as much nightlife as you can handle. From buzzing waterfront dining to internationally-renowned nightclubs, live music and wine bars, you`ll never run out of destinations after dusk.
And if you`re thinking of visiting during May or June, the Lion City has lined up a veritable smorgasbord of entertainment options, if you can fit anything else in. Check out signature events including the island-wide Great Singapore Sale, Singapore International Racing Festival, and the Singapore Food Festival.
Source: www.etravelblackboard.com (22 Mei 2007)
