From small Sprouts great dancers grow

PUBLISHED September 11th, 2012 03:36 pm | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:24 pm

For me, there’s nothing quite like dance to captivate and enthrall. The sense of unadulterated abandonment, movements which seem to know no limits, the sheer energy..it’s just so stunning and inspiring that I always leave a dance performance vowing that I too shall dance that way someday….until that is, real life gets in the way again.

But for an hour or two, you can be transported into another land which knows no bounds, no limits, and forget about reality for a while. Oh how I wish I could be one of the lucky five in the finals for  Singapore’s National Choreographic Competition – Sprouts taking place on 15th September….

Hang on a minute…did someone just pinch me? Oh yes, sorry I think I was getting carried away with myself. We are not here to talk about how I too could have been a great dancer had I just put my back into it. You want to hear more about what is takes to be one of these wonderful, up-and-coming talents with their burgeoning dance and choreography skills, and how going head-to-head in the forthcoming competition to showcase their creativity feels.

Well without further ado, I bring you Christina Chan!

This petite and powerful dancer has been dubbed as ‘upcoming dance artist of the year to watch’. She’s choreographer for Frontier Danceland and Singapore Dance Theatre’s Passages and took first prize at last year’s Sprouts. So it’s no wonder that it is she who has had the most jaw-dropping experience of being mentored by the Artistic Director of Singapore Dance Theatre – Janek Schergen.

As a wannabe dancer, I had quite a few questions for her. And so, now over to Christina.

 

It must be pretty incredible being mentored under the Artistic Director of Singapore Dance Theatre…tell us how he has inspired/influenced you?

I’ll try not to boast too much! Janek is incredibly committed to our local dance scene. He takes time out of his busy schedule to see and appreciate so much and such varied work. I think that is the most important thing in a mentor, a real interest and love of art.

With dance flowing through your veins, do you find ever yourself dancing at home, at the bus stop or in the MRT while you’re waiting for the train?

No. I did that maybe when I was a child. Now that I am doing what I love all day I let it go when I am out of the studio. It would be really unhealthy to not stop thinking about it.

You’ll be pitting your work against the finalists and winners of the last three years. Are you nervous? And if so, how are you dealing with that?

I don’t worry about how my work compares with others. I enjoy the process very much and I may or may not land up liking my end product. Sprouts just happens to be one show where we come to gather to share one of our works. I am looking forward to seeing all the work, the more good art the better!

What kind of thoughts and themes and you going to be expressing through your work?

This is very annoying of me, but I have to say again, that it’s “open to interpretation”. In this particular I do have something clear in mind, but I prefer to let my audience experience the work rather than understand it.

And how do you chose/create each move?

Intuition really. I constantly consider the bodies I have in the space and the kinesthetic ideas that emerged and need to be developed. The concept emerges later.

I read somewhere that many choreographers are influenced by animals. Is your work influenced by animals at all and if so, which one/s?

Hmm, I guess dancers as moving artists are animals, we all are.

In what state of mind do you dance/choreograph best? Does the fact that you’re happy or sad change the game plan?

Mood and state of mind are constantly influencing everything we do. I don’t make a conscious effort to stop what it does as long as it doesn’t affect the working environment negatively. I really enjoy my work so whenever I get in the studio I’m usually happy. I trust that staying present will help me make the right decisions.

Dance still feels like quite a fledging art form in Singapore with much progress to be made – how do you feel Sprouts is helping to make waves for budding talent out there?

It gives both dancers and choreographers a place to meet our fellow creatives, not competitors, all of whom I respect and admire dearly.

Sprouts, the National Choreographic Competition takes place on Saturday, 15th September at 8pm at SOTA Drama Centre, 1 Zubir Said Dr, 227968. Tickets are $15 ($10 concessions) available from SISTIC here.