Events
DANCING WITH THE GHOST OF MY CHILD
Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
(Singapore)
FRINGE COMMISSION • world PremiereBook Now
a unique approach, rather bold and different
—Natya Vichara on Purushi by Ruby Jayaseelan
I know [Effendy’s work] will express a kind of pain and anger acceptable in the performance space, a pain and anger that is often delegitimised or minimised or considered “inappropriate” elsewhere—and I cherish his work for that reason.
—Corrie Tan, Jom Media on ANAK by Very Shy Gurl by fendy
I myself am an absolute abyss.
—Antonin Artaud
In the beginning, God created despair, for men to find hope within. Someone heard someone else say this somewhere before, sometime back. But no one knows who, when and where. It must have been God herself who had said this through some men. Only God could be that smart to tease men into such futility. And here, men find themselves being baited into their own despair.Conceptualised and directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Ruby Jayaseelan, Dancing with the Ghost of My Child is an experimental physical theatre performance written by Elvira Foo Jing Yun, Gregory Kong Ka-Ee, Lex (Lee Zhi Qi), and Liu Qintong (Amelia) exploring vulnerability, trauma and the desire to heal. It is devised by students from the BA (Honours) in Performance Making programme at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Co-presented with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (a founding member of the University of the Arts Singapore).
There will be a dialogue with the artists after each performance, with speech to text interpretation available upon request for the dialogue on 10 January 2025. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com by 6 December 2024.
Artist Statement
Dancing with the Ghost of My Child is an experimental physical theatre performance that interrogates the latent and inherent memory of the various states of despair and the desire to heal that are within the body of the performer-dancer, with the objective of attaining empathy, and eventually solidarity with experiences of trauma that are foreign and unfamiliar. Devised by students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts’s BA (Hons) in Performance Making programme through research and explorations on concepts and experiences of trauma and healing within contemporary society, Dancing with the Ghost of My Child is a celebration of the poetics and potency of vulnerability the body performs. In the beginning, God created despair so that people could find hope. This idea has been heard before. However, no one knows who said it first, when it was said, or where. It must have been God herself who spoke through some men. Only God could be clever enough to trick men into something so pointless. Now, they find themselves trapped in their own sadness.Dancing with the Ghost of My Child is a creative performance. It uses the way bodies can move to explore topics like:
- Sharing your feelings, even if you might get hurt
- Deep hurt from bad experiences
- Wanting to heal from the hurt
The play is directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Ruby Jayaseelan created the dance moves for the show. This performance was created by students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. They are from the BA (Honours) in Performance Making program. It is written by some of the students Elvira Foo Jing Yun, Gregory Kong Ka-Ee, Lex (Lee Zhi Qi), and Liu Qintong (Amelia).
There will be a dialogue with the artists after the 8pm performances on 10 and 11 January 2025, with speech to text interpretation available upon request for the dialogue on 10 January 2025. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com by 6 December 2024.
Artist Statement
Dancing with the Ghost of My Child is a creative performance. It uses body movements to explore hidden memories, sadness, and the wish to heal. The goal is to help people understand and care about others' pain, even if it's different from their own. This way, people can come together and support each other.The performance was created by students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. They are part of the BA (Honours) Performance Making program. The play is based on their research about trauma i.e., the deep hurt from bad experiences and how people heal from the hurt.
There is strength and beauty when we share our feelings openly, even if it means we might get hurt. This show celebrates how the body can express that in a powerful way.
Download artist biographies
Date & Duration
9 to 11 January 2025, 8pm
11 to 12 January 2025, 3pm
70 minutes with no intermission
Location
NAFA Studio Theatre
Price
$38
*20% discount for students, NSF, senior citizens and PwD cardholders
Accessibility Features
Open captions in English for all shows