Representing Asian-ness through Contemporary Dance: Case Studies of Five Dance Companies in Singapore

Abstract

The Asian values and identities discourse in Southeast Asia has been much studied in the fields of anthropology, history, geography and culture studies at both elitist and popular levels in Southeast Asian societies. However, lesser attention has been given to the unfolding of this discourse in the performing arts. This thesis examines how contemporary dance is a site for the expression and negotiation of cultural identity via the works and lives of leading artistic directors/choreographers from 1994-2005 under the auspices of five Singapore based contemporary dance companies. It will show how the creation of contemporary dance forms through intercultural, multidisciplinary and body centered approaches reveals various contemporary Asian identities centering around unresolved tensions between prioritizing cultural continuity and the uncritical acceptance of Western outlooks. If dance is understood as an expression of cultural identity, then the varied and complex constructions of Asian identity reflected in the dance forms amongst Singaporean dance artists in this study pose food for thought on a rethinking of the Asian values and identity in the Singapore context.