The Dance Pilgrim

The Singapore Youth Festival (SYF),  launched on 18 July 1967,   was originally organized by Education Programmes Division to  encourage school-going Singapore youth to develop their artistic talents. Held each year in March and April,  the festival gained added significance in 1994, when then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong declared it a national event. Since  2012, its facilitation, and management have been led by the Student Development Curriculum Division of the Ministry of Education.                  Despite its national endorsement, the organization of the festival has not been smooth sailing. It has encountered challenges and resistance from a society driven by academic excellence and financial success, particularly in the 1970s, as a developing nation. The primary reason was many felt that devoting numerous hours to rehearsals and performances would keep the students away from their textbooks therefore affectin...

From 25 April-2 May 2009, the ASWARA dancers were in the Philippines for the 1 st International Dance XChange Workshop and Festival 2009. This event was organized in conjunction with International Dance Day, which was instituted by UNESCO in 1982 and falls on 29 April each year. This event was organized by the National Committee for Dance, which is a division of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) and is similar to the Ministry of Culture and Arts here in Malaysia. The entourage of ASWARA consisted of four male dancers and five female dancers who were students of the Year Two Diploma Programme, and myself as the Head of Delegation. This was a trip of many firsts. This was my first visit to the Philippines and I was naturally filled with anticipation, both about the country and the actual festival. I did not know what to expect as the scope and intensity of the festival were not mentioned in the letter of invitation. As always, I called on my ‘go with the flo...

Saraswati Mahavidyalaya in Perth, Australia  This article reflects on SFOL 2010 and is timely as SFOL 2020: Reimagined, the Virtual Festival is about to be launched. Further projects include ChitAmbara which aspires to initiate various interdisciplinary projects and open the possibility for professionalism. The Swan Festival of Lights is celebrated in Perth, Australia in conjunction with Deepavali, the Hindu festival of light. Launched in 2008, it aptly uses light as its overarching theme. The Festival embraces the multifaceted local and migrant communities of the city through the arts, crafts and cuisine, as well as publicising itself as a ‘smoke- and alcohol-free family-friendly event’. The festival aims to provide a space for the interaction, understanding and appreciation of multiple cultures that form the fabric of Western Australia’s society. Presented by The Temple of Fine Arts Inc. and Annalakshmi Cultural Centre of Western Australia which are sister organizations of th...