FOOTWORK TICKETS ON SALE!

The very first of da:ns 09 tickets have gone on sale!

Anyway. My point is. For all of 12 buckeroos (for each class) I can learn all of this.

Footwork workshops starting from August (click for enlarged timetable) :

Click here to book!

I might be on the da:ns team but that says absolutely nothing about my ability to dance. Let's just say it's not my forte. Pure truth, not even marketing schpiel! I hold on to hope that one day I'll try something new (looking at Capoeira at the moment) and realise that I'm a latent martial arts talent waiting to be discovered. Or possess a hidden grace that I know not of. Or, if I signed up for Reggaeton I could potentially realise that my butt and arms could move in opposite directions. I am coordination-challenged, evidently.

Or I could take my dad to Merengue (that would be a scream because guess who I got my two left feet from?) Or I could just go get a good sweat out of Salsa Hip Hop and actually have a good time exercising.

Introductory dance classes on the cheap, and limited spaces only - get your tickets!

Maria Pages interview

A concise, informative interview with Maria Pages on her art and her dance.

On the evolution of Flamenco:

"Both styles have to live together. Tradition is very important because it
is the root of everything we have now but at the same time art needs to evolve
because it's an expression of our time."

On her personal process:

"When I have an idea I have a complete picture, like a film in my head. In a
flash I can see everything. I can see where the dancers are, how the lighting
works, everything. Sometimes it's so fast I don't have time to take it all in -
I've lost many flashes like that!"

For those not in the know, Maria performed Sevilla to a full house at da:ns festival 2007. It's always so good to know that we've built up a rewarding, mutually encouraging friendship.

Sevilla, da:ns 2007

WE'LL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC DREAMS

This is going down tonight:

And the da:ns team is going to be there to see which mambo kings are going to lead our massive outdoor

M A S S I V E M A M BO J U M B O come October.

I'm not even kidding!

What's Your Move is this free component of da:nsfest that has different dances every night going on at the Esplanade Forecourt, where professionals teach passers-by the moves of various dances, including Swing, Bollywood, Ballroom and Salsa. But this year, we've got the support of Singapore's very own uberclub Zouk and we're bringing Mambo out of the club and sharing all this cheesy 80's and 90's goodness (really delicious goodness) with everyone.

For those not in the know, in Singapore, there is the Merlion. And then there is Mambo Night at Zouk where Singaporeans of all ages come down and dance in sync to 80's and 90's hits from the likes of Rick Astley and Belinda Carlisle. Throw in some Love in the First Degree, dream some Electric Dreams in a Square Room and you're well on your way... in the Summer Rain. It's Singapore's own dance, choreographed, passed down, loved and treasured by many.

This is just one of the really exciting events happening at da:ns festival this year.. and you heard it here first!

PRELIMINARY FEST LINEUP

Many of you may have seen this at Esplanade during the arts festival and Flipside festival:

da:nsfest says hello!

On Centrestage (and more to come) :

The World Premiere of Dunas by Maria Pages & Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (23 & 24 Oct)

The Asian Premiere of The Re-Triptych by Shen Wei Dance Arts (30 & 31 Oct)

A World premiere and an Asian premiere - when the da:ns team found out we did something of a leprechaun jig around the office. Happy as clams, and not to mention super excited as well. These days any performance happening for the first time can be a world premiere (like the school play I put up in '96) but for one of the best and most prolific, eloquent flamenco dancers in the world (Maria Pages) to want to dance for us with Sidi Larbi of Sutra (the arts fest performance with the Shaolin monks and Antony Gormley) fame... it really is an honour.

And Shen Wei as well. Everyone remembers the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. And this:

Scroll to 2:10 and watch!

Shen Wei was the lead choreographer and chief creative consultant for the opening ceremony, directing 16,000 dancers. This beautiful piece with ink-dipped dancers swirling across the blank canvas of the stadium floor is adapted from his work Connect-Transfer. Shen Wei Dance Arts will be performing The Re-Triptych at da:ns 2009 after its World Premiere in the USA.

Watch this space for more from these artists, as well as the full lineup!

DANCE QUOTE OF THE DAY

FEW THINGS ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE ABILITY TO SPEAK VOLUMES TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT USING ANY WORDS.

MAKING A START

Welcome to the da:ns festival blog!

In the spirit of the digital age and sharing information here's something that will provide instant gratification for all you dance fans out there in the months leading up to da:ns fest 09! What's a festival team that doesn't keep it real anyway? Before we begin-

Save the date

23 October - 1 November 2009

Ticket prices have also been reduced this year - students can watch the shows from as low as $10 if they come with their schools, and for the public, the lowest ticket price for all our Theatre/Concert Hall shows is $20!

In our fourth festival you will find dance(r!)s to adore, stories to fall in love with, high-energy shows that'll get you on your feet, work that will set you thinking and lots of fun for you and your friends/family in a full celebration of the joy of movement.

This very blog will keep you up to date with all the latest news and behind the scenes action with interviews, photos, video and lots more over the next few months and throughout the festival. So keep checking back, subscribe to our feed and get excited.

Look out for Who's Coming, an introduction to the da:ns team and more in our upcoming posts!

It's Friday and I've got candy in my heels ;)