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SINGAPORE: Since its inception 30 years ago, the Singapore Arts Festival has played a significant role in the careers of many local talents.
But as more international acts are staged in recent years, some feel that they crowd out local productions.
Now into its second year, Forward Moves features the work of three Singaporean choreographers.
The aim is to nurture emerging dance talents by commissioning their works.
It is also to push the boundaries of dance through edgy, experimental pieces such as "X-Ray", which hopes to prompt audiences to reassess everyday activity.
Ricky Sim, Choreographer, "X-Ray", Forward Moves, says: "X-Ray is actually the examination of the body and self. It is an investigation of the production and reproduction of identity."
Other than dance, the Arts Festival has also commissioned theatre and musical performances.
This year, about half of the 22 main performances at the festival are by local groups, compared to about one third in previous years.
Although the number of local productions has gone up, artists say the budget has not increased proportionately.
S$1 million was spent on their works last year and this year, the figure is S$1.2 million.
And given the number of local acts, some say it is a squeeze.
Li Xie, Director, "A Little White Sailing Boat", Full Frontal, says: "Everyone is sharing one pie. Of course you can use very little money to do good performances but I think that sometimes you have to be realistic – you need money to pay professional actors’ fees and to have the kind of set that you need."
Li Xie is one of two people selected for Full Frontal, a platform for young directors to hone their skills.
The other is Peter Sau, who feels that with a S$12,000 budget, it is hard to compete with international acts in the Arts Festival.
Nonetheless, he is glad for the support he is getting in a highly competitive arts scene.
He says: "As a first time director, normally when you are making your debut, you have to take care of 101 things, such as the rental of spaces, the getting together of a strong team to market and publicise, and of course, very expensive script royalties. But with this platform in the Singapore Arts Festival, I feel that I'm being relieved of all this stress."
These directors can also take heart that for the first time last year, local theatre performances sold better than international productions.
Even with budgets smaller than major productions in Times Square and West End, local performers have been impressing international festival directors, who are increasingly inviting Singapore artists to perform in their countries.
- CNA/so
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