Latest news with #SingaporeChineseCulturalCentre
Straits Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
BookTalk: SCCC's Alvin Tan is a fan of African writers J.M. Coetzee and Chigozie Obioma
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Who: Mr Alvin Tan, 53, chief executive of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC). The former deputy chief executive for policy and community at the National Heritage Board took over the helm of SCCC in June 2024. One of his goals at SCCC is to strengthen support for local Chinese arts and cultural groups, hence the ongoing inaugural Chinese Opera Festival 2025. The festival, which is on till July 26, showcases works by five Singapore opera troupes, each representing a different dialect.
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
S'poreans can use $100 SG Culture Pass credits for over 200 arts and heritage events: MCCY
Singaporeans aged 18 and above will be able to use their $100 worth of credits under the SG Culture Pass to participate in events such as the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre's Happy Sing-Along. PHOTO: SINGAPORE CHINESE CULTURAL CENTRE S'poreans can use $100 SG Culture Pass credits for over 200 arts and heritage events: MCCY SINGAPORE – Come September , Singaporeans aged 18 and above will be able to use their $100 worth of credits under the SG Culture Pass to participate in more than 200 arts and heritage programmes, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) announced on June 13. Currently, the confirmed programmes provide a total ticket capacity of over 700,000 and more programmes are in the works. The deadline for groups and individuals to submit applications to be part of the SG Culture Pass for the scheme's Sept 1 launch is June 30, and new programmes will be considered on a rolling basis until 2028. Confirmed programmes include The Legend Of White Snake, a theatre performance by Nam Hwa Opera Limited; Semarak Seni 2025, a dance performance by Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts; Happy Sing-Along , a monthly programme featuring Mandarin and dialect songs by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre; as well as art and heritage workshops by soya sauce-maker Nanyang Sauce and art jamming venue Artify Studio. Mr Alex Chua, co-founder of Book Bar in Duxton Road, told The Straits Times that his bookstore will also be participating in the scheme – with Singapore literature titles eligible for purchase using the credits. According to posters by Arts House Limited, tickets to the Singapore Writers Festival, which runs from Nov 7 to 16, can also be purchased with the credits. The five authorised ticketing partners for the SG Culture Pass are BookMyShow, Sistic, GlobalTix, Klook and Pelago. MCCY has not yet announced the logistics for credit redemption, and warned that any message offering redemption before September is fraudulent. Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education, said in a statement: 'The arts and heritage define who we are as Singaporeans. The Government is fully committed to develop the local arts and heritage sector, not just through direct resourcing, but also in stepping up audience development efforts, to benefit the whole sector.' A total of $300 million has been set aside for the SG Culture Pass initiative announced at Budget 2025 to encourage Singaporeans to attend local performances, exhibitions and experiences. It is the first incentive of its kind here to target the arts and heritage sector. Shawn Hoo is a journalist on the arts beat at The Straits Times. He covers books, theatre and the visual arts. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Interactive installation explores connections between dance and other art forms
Performers spent about five months rehearsing for this performance. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Performers warming up backstage before the full dress rehearsal on May 15. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Dancer Fu Guo Zhan is wearing a layer of plastic film beneath his clothing to make it easier for the calligrapher to write on and allow the ink to glide more smoothly. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Calligrapher Nancy Teo painting on dancer Fu Guo Zhan's body. The choreography is specially designed for movements to allow characters to be presented clearly. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI (From left) Actor Lim Hock Lai, representing drama, dancer Deng Chengjia and artist See Too Hoi Siang, both representing opera, at a full dress rehearsal. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI 'Intersections' is a sensory installation that explores the connections between dance and various art forms. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI SINGAPORE – Imagine a game of tic-tac-toe brought to life, with each of the nine squares pulsing with movement, rhythm, narrative and creative energy. 'Intersections' is a sensory installation staged on a nine-square grid that explores the connections between dance and other art forms – opera, music, theatre, multimedia art, Peranakan fashion, photography, wayang kulit ( shadow puppetry) , and calligraphy. Produced by Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES), the performance marks the first time the dance troupe is combining the nine art forms in this unique format. Dancers performing 'Dancing Puppets' - their movements represent wayang kulit or shadow puppetry. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI For some of the performers – such as the practitioners of photography, wayang kulit and Cantonese opera – it is also their first time integrating their craft with dance. The sensory installation is part of the 8th edition of Cultural Extravaganza, an annual event organised by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) since 2017. Photographer Amos Poh and dancer Gong Wenxuan performing Shadow and Dance. The photographer is constantly moving around the grids to take photographs and the images are projected in the performing area during the performance. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The performance unfolds in three segments. In the first one , members of the audience can enter a given grid and immerse themselves in the performance. Some grids allow for a more interactive experience, such as those showcasing music and hosting multimedia projections: those grids respond to the way the performers move in real time, creating a dynamic exchange between sounds, visuals and dance. Visitors can dance and create music, while talking with the performers . Audience members can participate and immerse themselves in the artistic experience. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI In the second segment, the dancers attempt to create a different form of artistic expression, blending movement and the art form in the grid. Their fluid movement from grid to grid connects them in a line of meaning drawn in space, like playing a game of tic-tac-toe, but one that is made possible by performing cohesive artistic actions within each grid . The last segment is Dance: Awakenings, in which dancers interact with an installation art piece called Whispers from the Woods. The performance tells us we should learn to let go if we want our consciousness to evolve and our lives to change, and that we can rise from chaos in society like a phoenix rises from its ashes. In Dance: Awakenings, dancers interact with an installation art piece called Whispers from the Woods. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The event runs from May 16 to May 18 at SCCC's multi-purpose hall. For ticketing details, visit There will also be a free dance performance by young dancers from DES Performing Arts Academy at SCCC's concourse on May 17 (12pm and 5pm) and May 18 (11am and 3pm). Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Theatre review: Home Kitchen cooks up satisfyingly hearty family drama
Home Kitchen is commissioned by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre for its annual Cultural Extravaganza. PHOTO: SINGAPORE CHINESE CULTURAL CENTRE
