Theatre Review: Six.5’s latest production takes us through TI:ME in Singapore

PUBLISHED July 6th, 2019 05:00 am

Time is a funny thing. Often, we feel like there’s never enough of it, especially in Singapore, where efficiency runs high and keeps us dry. But oddly enough, there are also moments where time seems to run still, and seconds feel like hours. The latest production by O School’s dance company Six.5 is TI:ME, a demonstration of power and complexity of time and how it can affect individuals very differently despite experiencing the same window of time.

Eight dancers strong, the cast takes us through the lives of three Singaporeans- a white-collared adult, an insomniac teen, and an overworked mother; characters all which felt relatable, whether it was to someone we knew or ourselves. The stories were so close to home that probably every Singaporean amongst the audience were able to identify the question at hand, “are we overworked?”.

Using a unique contemporary soundscape of house beats and the sound of a ticking clock, it was a seamless journey through a wordless masterpiece, from the office hierarchy to the haunting nostalgia of an insomniac night, and the vicious cycle of a never-ending routine that drives us to our deathbeds. TI:ME unapologetically shows us the consequences of Singapore’s intense work culture and how we could very well turn episodes of Black Mirror into a reality.

The best part of the production had to be dancer An An’s extraordinary performance of what it’s like to experience insomnia – some exceedingly hard to describe. Yet TI:ME captured the moment perfectly with the use of a single overly-saturated orange spotlight and deafening silence in the acoustic soundscape of Victoria Theatre’s well-structured concert hall, as well as having two dancers intentionally hidden within the shadows to embody anxiety and paranoia. Intentional or not, I also felt that the choice of having two male members of the cast play the role of these conditions was a brilliant move in showing how An An (and us) are sometimes overpowered by the size of the “monsters” in our head.While some parts may feel unclear and at others, a little draggy, six.5 did well in delivering the message with their high-intensity and emotional choreography. A brilliant act that combines street dance with contemporary sounds and surreal visuals, six.5 has outdone itself and I look forward to see what else they have in store for the street dance community of Singapore.

TI:ME ran from 8 to 9 June 2019 at Victoria Theatre, Singapore.

Photo credits: James Chua