Synopsis:

Xtraordinary Female Solos (Asia-Europe Edition) presents 4 diversified and distinctive works by the 4 Female Choreographers - Linnea Ong (Singapore), Simona Cieri (Italy), Won Kim (South Korea) & Lo Pui Sze (Singapore). An empowering production that weaves the sensual identity of these female artists based in different countries, audiences can expect the interesting display of diverse contemporary dance works that delve into the energetic pulsing moves to moments of reflective thoughts.

AGES
CHOREOGRAPHY & PERFORMANCE: SIMONA CIERI (ITALY)
The little time of one life. The many pages written to give some meaning, the many lights switched on to make the journey as bright as possible. An open book to be left for the future.

IN STILLNESS
CHOREOGRAPHY & PERFORMANCE: KIM WON (SOUTH KOREA)
I see a woman gazing out for her love. Being held by a timeless tragedy. Who is the witness in this pathos anyway? Wind scattering thoughts on toes. Rain dropping on trembling lips. I witness a love standing solely in silence. Being transformed into motionless dance itself. Only dancing in stillness, you shall be healed. I shall be healed, only dancing in stillness. (Inspired by the old story of "Mang-Boo- Seok", the stone on which a faithful wife stood still waiting for her husband until she perished.)

A PART OF ME
CHOREOGRAPHY & PERFORMANCE: LO PUI SZE (SINGAPORE)
It depicts one's transition to motherhood. An identity shift, significant physical and psychological changes a woman experiences - joy, worry, disappointment, guilt, competition, frustration even anger and fear. It's an art of learning to tolerate and get comfortable with the discomfort of ambivalence.

AFTER I TOOK THAT POISON
CHOREOGRAPHY & PERFORMANCE: LINNEA ONG (SINGAPORE)
Bringing insights from life experiences, the choreographer questions the meaning of existence and living. Through times of loss and uncertainty, strength is cultivated; strength that translated to enlightening life lessons.

Profile

SIMONA CIERI (ITALY)
Simona Cieri started her artistic career in 1984 and has been awarded many prestigious commendations including the 1994 National Choreographic Prize (Spello, Italy), 2006 Prize Teatarfest (Sarajevo, BiH), and Official Praises of the President of the Italian Republic in 2009 and 2010. Since 1994, Simona is the director, choreographer & dancer at MOTUS. She has created a wide repertory of about 70 different works and her choreography is presented in main theatres and festivals, in Italy and abroad (USA, Singapore, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina). As choreographer, she has contributed to the works at other companies and artistes including Al Yamanouchi, Gianni Miglietta, Sabrina Cesaroni, Margherita Sergardi, Claudio Ascoli & Sissi Abbondanza.

KIM WON (SOUTH KOREA)
Won Kim studied dance at Ewha Womans University in Korea, and has been an exchange professor at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (U.S.A.), the University of Paris VIII (France), and Kinki University (Japan). She also lectured at Dancebox (Kobe, Japan), Kyoto Arts Center (Kyoto, Japan), Jin Xing Dance Theater (Shanghai, China), Studio Harmonic (Paris, France) and performed at various national and international dance festivals. She is focused on to find movements beyond formalized and predetermined choreography searching for the essence of "free and pure" movements of human body and tries to develop this kind of ideas and works the experimental performances with a deeper understanding of dance, realising the area as what is needed to strengthen. Currently, she is a Board Member of Contemporary Dance Association of Korea and the Modern Dance Promotion of Korea.

LO PUI SZE (SINGAPORE)
Pui Sze is the Senior Dance Artiste at Odyssey Dance Theatre (ODT), and holds a Master of Fine Arts (Dance) from the Queensland University of Technology (Australia). A long-standing member of ODT since 2001, she has accumulated her wealth of dance experiences with leading roles in more than 20 repertoires by Dr Danny Tan. =Since 2008, she has ventured into choreography at ODT's choreographic platform and collaborated with international artistes from Germany and South Korea. She has performed her collaborative work - "Warning" with Yu Ho-Sik in 2011 Wiz World Dance Festival held in South Korea. Praised as one of Singapore's most highly respected dancers by H.E. Mr. Doug Chester (Former Australia's High Commissioner to Singapore), Pui Sze has choreographic collaboration with many eminent practitioners such as Brian Lucas from Australia. Pui Sze's outstanding works were invited to South Korea's Mullae International Arts Festival 2012 and Italy's Move Off Festival – Winter Edition and Bangkok's International Dance Festival.

LINNEA ONG (SINGAPORE)
Linnea Ong received her Master of Creative Industries from Queensland University of Technology (Australia) in 2011. She has performed in Odyssey Dance Theatre (ODT)'s major repertoires such as 'Hi Heaven!', 'The Story Continues', 'Red Tears', 'The Story Begins', 'Wow Merlion!', 'I am Sorry' and 'Are We?'. Amassing an extensive performing and collaborative experiences with local and international practitioners, her sincere performativity through her works - 'The Art of Faking' and 'SEED' in Mullae International Arts Festival, Move Off Festival, FreeRange Festival and International Dance Festivals in South Korea, Italy, Australia and Thailand, have won her audiences' commendations. Linnea's strong choreographic creativity was witnessed under ODT's Black Box Series platform since 2008. Using unconvntional forms of staging to extend the possibilities of dance led to her 'unique' interdisciplinary creations, whilst steering active dialogues amongst audiences.