Theatrex Asia

In late 1993, when Lt. General Romeo Dallaire received the call to serve as force commander of the UN mission to Rwanda, he thought he was heading off to Africa to help two warring parties achieve a peace both sides wanted. Instead, he and members of his small international force were caught up in a vortex of civil war and genocide. Dallaire left Rwanda a broken man, disillusioned, suicidal, and determined to tell his story. This is his story.

The basics to dance choreography revolve around understanding the form. For a young dance company like Taiwan’s all-male dance company Horse, it is apt that experimentation should start from there. They have been successful, having won the 2008 Taishin Arts Award Taiwan’s Grand Arts Prize.

It seems that the notion of being Asian is a highly problematic label. For there isn’t one Asia, but many Asias. Unfortunately, in the western stereotypical gaze, there is one. For Asians living in this highly contentious continent called Asia, there are infinite forms of Asia. As many Asians are grappling with cultural preservation, not to mention getting involved in the politics of waging cultural hegemony on each other, how does Singapore stand in this sea of conflicts. Singapore dance company T.H.E. Dance Company, founded by Artistic Director Kuik Swee Boon, seems to be interested in finding an answer to this question.

今年三月十四日（星期日）晚间八点，定居新加坡的中国艺术家们将在南洋艺术学院剧场呈现一场钢琴伴唱《红灯记》赏析音乐会。演出地点为南洋艺术学院大剧院。| Piano Accompaniment to The Red Lantern is a Chinese music appreciation concert organised by a group of Chinese immigrants under the auspices of the Singapore Chinese Opera Museum. It celebrates the diversity of Chinese opera and music, not to mention sharing their heritage and culture with Singaporeans.

Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia’s – better known as 林青霞 – or, according to others The Last Movie Star of the East (最后的明星), rendition of Tsui Hark’s （徐克）《东方不败》left an indelible image in many Asian gay men’s hearts, of how a man can successfully transform himself into a woman. But, more to that, every Asian gay man each has a story to tell; their own version of how 东方不败 is supposed to be, in their bodies.

上周新加坡见证了一场前所未有的公民社会的活动。新加坡妇女团体AWARE的旧理事会员召集了近千人到博览中心新达城，向在3月初突然到该妇女团体常年会议，以民主方式成功篡位之新理事会女会员挑战，立志要以不信任动议，将她们赶出团体。这似乎是在新加坡政府许可的范围内进行的公民社会活动，引起了社会的关注。

To director Shelly quick, departing from Beckett’s more well-known works such as Waiting for Godot is interesting, exploring shorter and more austere works that challenge actors to minimalist acting. “It is like building houses with sticks. Once you have done that, you take the sticks out and see what’s left,” said Shelly Quick. And, indeed, Beckett pieces challenge one’s ability to cut down what’s not necessary, preserving the essence of theatre.

In viewing art, the first thing an audience would look out for is “the story”, or the narrative – in more generic terms. Contact Gonzo, the Japanese dance collective currently in rehearsals with Singapore company Theatreworks on upcoming performance Revolution Per Minute, just wants to go against that.