Pán《盤》is an evocative production that draws inspiration from the cultural roots of its creators, Kuik Swee Boon and Kim Jae Duk. The Chinese title, “盤,” is a word rich in meaning, commonly used across Mandarin-speaking cultures and found in the native vocabularies of the Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

At the heart of Pán《盤》is the allegorical Chinese creation myth of Pangu, a fabled being whose body fragments into various elements of nature. This myth serves as a powerful metaphor for transculturation — the continuous convergence and evolution of cultures.

The performance unfolds in two distinct parts: Swee Boon’s choreography, set to the music of Taiwanese musician Wang Yu-Jun, and Kim Jae Duk’s choreography, accompanied by his own music composition. The epilogue brings these creative forces together, culminating in a collaborative segment that highlights the synergy between the artists.

Pán《盤》is a testament to the beauty of cultural exchange and the richness it brings to artistic expression. By including two guest artists from diverse backgrounds, the production continually evolves, offering fresh perspectives and new dimensions to the work as it invites audiences to discover if a shared positionality can be crafted for our contemporary world.

Note: Originally conceived just before the Covid-19 pandemic as a live performance, Pán《盤》adapted to the circumstances, premiering digitally in May 2021 as a livestream during the Cultural Extravaganza at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. The digital performance was later screened at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2021, where it received the Best Performance award in the Asian Arts Awards.

Digital Premiere: May 2021, Cultural Extravaganza, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Germany Showcase (Excerpt): August 2022, Open Studios, International Tanzmesse NRW 2022, Düsseldorf

World Premiere: September 2022, Oriente Occidente Dance Festival, Rovereto, Italy

Video on Demand Releases: August 2021, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh, Scotland | March 2022, Stre@m – An Asian Digital Dance Platform, Singapore & South Korea | September 2022, Luminous Festival, Beijing, China; OCAT Shanghai’s Diverse As We Are (DAWA) – International Festival of Inclusive Culture

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Accessibility Feature: Creative captions and audio descriptions in English from the original performance can be provided to enhance accessibility.