Dance in Singapore

It was founded by Goh Soo Khim and Anthony Then, whom began recruiting potential dancers for the company.

The late 1970s marked a period of social and cultural change and Hip-Hop was seen as an opportunity for creative expression as it served as a 'voice' for the unrepresented and invisible communities through music and dance.

This period also saw political awakening amongst fellow Singaporeans, who witnessed the fall of the British, and led to the struggle for self-government and decolonisation.

[12] Throughout the 1950s to 60s, tensions and conflict between different communities and ethnic groups were also increasing as life in Singapore continued to be filled with instability and uncertainty.

Thus, the government's main focus during this era was on rebuilding the economy and the priority was to provide jobs for people to curb unemployment.

[12] At the same time, after the 1959 General Election won by the People's Action Party (PAP), the government also recognised the importance of nation-building to cultivate a sense of identity amongst Singaporeans.

Then Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam was tasked to organise a series of outdoor concert that would promote mutual understanding and appreciation among the different ethnic groups.

[13] Through ground initiatives and programmes started by the Singapore government, cultural life began to develop.

[9] Tea dances were a popular social event in Singapore during the 1900s and was a catalyst for the rock 'n' roll culture.

[15] The National Theatre officially closed in 1984 due to infrastructure instability, and was subsequently demolished to make way for the Central Expressway.

[9] The population survey is mainly done through the use of representative sampling towards specific age groups who would be more interested in certain cultural activities.

This helps the government track the artistic progress of the nation so as to better curate future policies catered towards cultural development.

[20] In the 1980s, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) started Singapore's first full-time Modern Dance programme.

Her programme was delivered with strong contemporary arts references and education on top of the regular dance training.

Students also had the chance to go on an exchange programme where they were given the opportunity to attend workshops and work with many American dance artists.

Other institutions that offer tertiary programme in dance include LaSalle as well as School of the Arts (SOTA).

[27] Esplanade's da:ns festival started in 2005 to raise more awareness about dance and typically runs for about two weeks.

Studios that consists of dance workshops, battles and competitions opened to both local and international audiences.

Studios, Active Groove and Legacy Dance Co.[29] Workshops held throughout the weekend range from genres like breaking and choreography, to funk and litefeet.

[30] The format of the competition also diverges away from usual stages whereby there is only a front view, but for Super 24, dance crews are judged from all 4 sides.