July-August has been an eventful month with the release of several digital productions supported by OurSGFund and Digital Grants by National Arts Council. Here is a sneak peek into select few beautiful locally produced creations that we highly recommend as must-watch: Stop & Smell the Roses by Maya Dance Theatre, Ripples by SIFAS and Crocodile Tears by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy.
Stop & Smell the Roses
By Maya Dance Theatre
Stop & Smell the Roses was premiered by Maya Dance Theatre on August 10th as a screen dance performance. Conceived and created during the Covid-19 Circuit Breaker period, the project brought the stories of 17 dancers together in a dance production created, rehearsed and filmed independently from their own homes! Stop & Smell the Roses exposes the irony of our relationship with time. In our constant searching for material bounty, we negate the one thing that is limited …. Time! Artistic Director, Kavitha Krishnan, in her post production talk during a soft launch virtual event said about her own personal reflection that “Change is constant. We should not keep catching up with time, we need to slow down.” “It’s only when the whole world shuts down and we are forced into temporary lock down that we realise its true value. Do we feel restless when presented with an abundance of time? Imprisoned in a cell? Bored in the house? Or do we indulge in this newfound luxury to stop and smell the roses?” Artistic Director, Kavitha Krishnan partnered with Sharin Johry on the concept choreography and movement direction for frames, on this production.
Credits:
Creative Producer: Imran Manaff Music: Kailin Yong with Bharathanatyam vocal nattuvangam by Ajith Bhaskaran Das (Malaysia) and voice/music by Peni Candrarini (Indonesia) Screen dance direction by film maker/multimedia artist Yahssir M. Poetry by Aishwarya Prithviraj Poetry recitation by Ashwarya Prithiviraj, Kavitha Krishnan, Shahrin Johry Post production by Millennia Motion Pictures Watch SASTR : https://youtu.be/9QsbIP07MtU
Ripples in a Storm: Reflections
By Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society On August 8th, in celebration of Singapore’s 55th National Day, Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society released a music-video that reflects on how far we’ve come, unified as a community of people battling against the pandemic. SIFAS presented this Music-Dance collaboration by bringing together artistes from Singapore’s dance institutions (SIFAS, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Bharathaa Arts and Temple Of Fine Arts) in this youth-led collaboration.
Credits:
Artistic direction and choreography (Bharatanatyam & Contemporary) by Sheejith Krishna, Music composed, produced and arranged by Dr Rajkumar Bharathi and Sai Shravanam, Kathak choreography by Aamrapali Bhandari, this video features representatives of 4 organisations: SIFAS, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Bharathaa Arts and Temple Of Fine Arts Singapore. Watch Ripples : https://youtu.be/cQyo8pRUGWM
Crocodile Tears
By Bhaskar’s Arts Academy Based on a familiar tale from the Panchatantra fables, Bhaskars Arts Academy dancers created a digital production enacting three characters of a monkey and a family of crocodile dedicated to children. This production is supported by the National Arts council funds and features company dancers Bala Saravanan Loganathan, S Hemalatha and Nandhini Sathasivam Video editing credits: Soneiya Sony. Watch the Crocodile Tears: https://youtu.be/EDtilVZFxGg
