Dance in Singapore has been an integral part of its culture despite having a relatively short history of creative, artistic and professional dance. The range of dance reflects the cultural diversity of Singapore, from traditional dance forms to contemporary genres.
This history of dance in Singapore can be traced back to the early 20th century when various dance forms were introduced from different parts of the world. Post-colonial Singapore marked a period of discovery of its local arts where there was a consistent struggle between the rejection and acceptance of western dance influences, and the re-emphasis of ethnic cultures from time to time. The early years of Singapore's dance scene was largely dominated by ethnic dances as immigrants brought along these traditional art forms over from their homelands, namely Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian. As the arts and education scene in Singapore developed through the years, the dance scene also grew into a vibrant mix of both traditional and modern dance forms.
While the Singapore identity through dance is a challenging one, pioneering figures of dance have spearheaded and contributed greatly to the evolution of Singapore's dance scene such as Goh Lay Kuan, Som Said and Santha Bhaskar.
Types of Dance in Singapore
Traditional
Being a multi-ethnic country, there is a multitude of traditional dance forms in Singapore. Although the predominant ethnicity is Chinese, there are also other ethnic communities present such as Indians, Malays and Eurasians.
Chinese traditional dance forms have many types such as Chinese Dance and Lion Dance which is popularly performed during the New Year festivities, among other dances performed in other cultural events. Malay traditional dance forms include, Zapin, which is popular among Malays, as well as Apin, Joget, Asli and Inang, amongst many others. Indian traditional dance forms include Bharatanatyam, one of the oldest classical Indian dance, and Kathak which is taught in many Indian dance schools in Singapore. Peranakan dance blends Malay and Chinese influences in both choreography and clothing. Peranakan music has Malay and Western influences. Eurasian communities in Singapore typically practice the Jinkli Nona, a dance commonly associated with the Branyo. Today, the Eurasian Association (EA) continues to promote and perform the Jinkli Nona at various events.
Contemporary
Ballet
The history of ballet in Singapore is a relatively short one. From the early years of rejection of western influences, developments in ballet began to grow with the establishment of ballet schools and academy in the late 1900s. These schools trained the pioneering batch of ballet dancers in Singapore, including Goh Soo Khim, who became the first Singaporean ballerina to enrol in the Australian Ballet School (ABS). As ballet flourished and grew, the government also began to embrace western performing arts in a big way as seen from the establishment of professional ballet companies, namely the Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA) in 1958, and the founding of Singapore Dance Theatre in 1987.
Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) was Singapore's first professional dance company. It was founded by Goh Soo Khim and Anthony Then, whom began recruiting potential dancers for the company. In its early beginnings, both Goh and Then had a shared vision for the dance scene in Singapore to nurture a group of dancers who were committed to a career in dance. SDT had its humble beginnings in a shared space with SBA before moving to their own studio in 1991. The company put up its first full-length classical ballet performance in 1992 with The Nutcracker. Currently, SDT's repertoire comprises both classical ballet and contemporary ballet works. It has also been renamed as Singapore Ballet in recent years, with hopes and confidence in the identity of their company, while remaining an ambassador for dance and ballet in Singapore.