Synopsis:
Frontier Danceland's mid-year production SIDES is back, with an exciting triple-bill featuring highly-anticipated works from Tung I-Fen (Taiwan), Adele Goh (Singapore) as well as Gabrielle Nankivell and Luke Smiles (Australia).
This year, SIDES 2017 brings to the stage a riveting line-up of enthralling performances – featuring the characteristic coalescence of diverse influences and styles that is the hallmark of Frontier Danceland.
Leading the team of choreographers is one of Asia's most promising independent artists, Taiwanese choreographer and dancer Tung I-Fen. A prolific creator of original dance works, I-Fen, whose choreographies have been performed in major cities around the world, brings to Singapore a thought-provoking piece centered on an intriguing experimentation of sound, harnessed as a creative tool in conjunction with movement and space. Character Game explores the relationships between physical bodies using a combination of improvised movements and set material to establish new connections between the dancers on stage; each show promises an exciting and fresh experience for both the audience and performers alike.
Back in Singapore for their third collaboration with the company artists of Frontier Danceland is the renowned Australian duo, composer Luke Smiles and choreographer Gabrielle Nankivell. They will be restaging their collaborative work Focus, which first premiered during the 2016 edition of Dancers' Locker as a companion piece to Order of Things (SIDES 2015). This year, Focus offers a fresh perspective on their interpretation of the nature of human interactions, emotions and the concept of society. With the combination of skillfully-incorporated film-editing techniques and tactfully designed lighting, this piece will surely prove to be a captivating visual experience.
Last but not least, the showcase would certainly not be complete without featuring a highly-anticipated creation from one of Frontier Danceland's very own company artists, Adele Goh. Goh, a highly-acclaimed full-time dancer with the company, has been regarded by Lianhe Zaobao as a promising artist who is one to be watched in the local contemporary dance scene in 2017. In SIDES 2017, Goh will be offering her new work, Babel. Ruminating upon notions of identity, the contemplative piece is a reflection on the place, power and erosion of the individual and collective man. Through an embodiment and accentuation of the company artists' distinctive styles, the audience can expect a creation which is not only deeply evocative, but also remarkable in its articulation of the company's unique versatility.