Albert Tiong (Singapore)
Albert Tiong graduated from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts on full scholarship. He was a professional dancer with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Taiwan), guest artist with Hong Kong Dance Company, principal dancer with Odyssey Dance Theatre (Singapore) and represented Singapore at the World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific Dance Bridge 2007 Artist Showcase. Albert has been teaching contemporary dance and yoga extensively in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, namely at The People’s Association (PA), LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Singapore Raffles Music College (Dance Faculty). He is currently an instructor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Dance Synergy, The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company and *SCAPE.
Albert has conducted exchanges with Beijing Dance Academy and Macau Academy of Performing Arts, and was also one of the contemporary dance teachers invited to participate in Beijing Dance Festival’s teaching week.
From 2007—2011, Albert was the Resident Choreographer and training master for Frontier Danceland, and in 2012, he founded Re:Dance Theatre. He has also choreographed countless dance works, some of which have been performed at local festivals such as Esplanade’s da:ns festival, M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, M1 Fringe Festival, NUS Arts Festival and Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts. Internationally, his works have been staged at Colorado College International Dance Festival (USA), Sibu International Dance Festival (Malaysia), Fukuoka Dance Fringe Festival (Japan), CDE Springboard (Macau), DANCESTAGES Shanghai Dance Festival (China), Busan International Dance Market (Korea), Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance (Australia), SPOT Hong Kong performances, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. His work Traces won Production of the Year at the 2014 Tan Ean Kiam Arts Awards.(/p>
Andy Lee (Hong Kong)
Resident Artist, Unlock Dancing Plaza
Andy began his ballet training at the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet from the age of twelve, and graduated in Contemporary Dance from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Andy has performed in numerous Hong Kong Ballet Group’s productions: Carnival of the animals, Cinderella's Slipper, La Sylphide, Swan Lake, as well as Play Boys in the 2002 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Later, he toured with the academy to perform Patition en black and Circle song in Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, and On Table N Chairs in Guangzhou Contemporary Dance Week.
His recent works include: Boy Story. Reborn, Comfort Zone, #DANCELESS 01 - The Sound, Take 55, Alice Dream in Hong Kong, Dialogue of Space Series 2 - Did Not Kill a Single Man, Dialogue of Space Series 3 - Canton Disco, Upside down, Kaleidoscope of Dance from Yunnan, Grey Area, Room X, Solitary, and Cattle Runway.
Billy Keohavong (Singapore/Australia)
Rehearsal Assistant & Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Billy Keohavong is a first-generation Laotian-Australian artist based in Eora (Sydney). He is a scholarship recipient of both New Zealand School of Dance and Ev & Bow Full-Time Training Centre. Billy is a movement coach and improvisational specialist focusing on Character work and Sensorial work.
His experiences extend to international borders where he has returned to Singapore as the current Rehearsal Master and Dance Artist with The Human Expression Dance Company. He has performed extensively within festivals like Florence Dance Festival (Italy), Fukuoka Fringe Dance Festival (Japan), Daegu Dance Festival (South Korea) and Sydney Festival (Sydney). Billy has also worked with highly acclaimed choreographers such as Kuik Swee Boon, Kim Jae Duk, Ross McCormack, Sue Healy, Martin Del Amo, Meryl Tankard and Dimo Kirilov.
Outside of all of this, Billy is also a part of the Australian Ballroom (Vogue) community and is a member of The House of IMAN based in Aotearoa (New Zealand). He is the current Father of the Sydney Chapter.
Carmelita Nuelle Buay (Singapore/Australia)
Junior Apprentice, T.H.E Dance Company
Carmelita was born in Singapore, grew up in Sydney, Australia and trained in classical and contemporary dance from a young age. She pursued contemporary studies with Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-professional course for two years, and has since collaborated with and performed works by established artists such as Rafael Bonachela, James O’Hara, Gabrielle Nankivell and Sam Coren. Carmelita has performed in Stephanie Lake Company’s internationally toured work Colossus as part of Newcastle’s New Annual Festival.
She worked with the Australian Ballet Company as a junior artist in the professional productions of The Nutcracker and The Story of Clara, working alongside former Artistic Director, David McAllister. Carmelita also spent four years teaching and choreographing at North Shore Dance Academy Sydney, coaching contemporary, classical and commercial styles to younger dancers. She joined The Human Expression Dance Company as a Junior Apprentice in January 2024.
Chang Chien-Hao (Taiwan)
Chien-Hao is a choreographer and performer, and also one-fourth of the founding team of brothers of Chang Dance Theater. Founded in 2011, he currently sits as the company director.
Chien-Hao's choreography reflects the objects and stories of hid personal daily life. For his most recent creation, SEE, premiered in 2022, a cardboard box that served as a prop was utilised beyond its appearance and colour, extending as a layer of skin and space akin to a human body. In this way, common objects in our daily lives become a visual representation of the rearranging and disassembling of the body's memories.
Chang En (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Chang En first started dancing classical ballet at the age of 4 and through her academic years, working with established choreographers such as Jeffrey Tan, Albert Tiong and Zaki Ahmad. From 2017 to 2021, Chang En was an integral part of T.H.E Second Company, where she honed her skills and talents. This opportunity culminated in her performance with T.H.E Dance Company in February 2021, representing a pivotal moment in her career.
In January 2022, Chang En officially joined T.H.E Dance Company, embarking on a new chapter of her dance journey. Since then, she has been actively performing with the company, showcasing her artistry both locally and internationally. This includes touring to festivals such as OzAsia and performing at independent venues like Scenario Pubblico and The Coronet Theatre.
Chen Chi (Singapore/Taiwan)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
Hailing from Taiwan, Chen Chi started her training in classical ballet, contemporary and Chinese dance at the age of 9 through dance classes conducted at her elementary school. Inspired by her experiences in competitions abroad, she strove to pursue a vocational dance education abroad. Chen Chi was a handpicked recipient for the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Talent Development Programme in 2021. She has also collaborated with many reputable choreographers, such as Kuik Swee Boon, Albert Tiong, Dr Filomar Cortezano Tariao, Shen Yi-Wen, Yu Chien-Hung, and Chien Hua-Bao. She joined T.H.E Second Company in 2023.
Cherie Genevieve Wong (Singapore)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
Cherie began her dance journey with classical ballet at the age of 7, and was introduced to contemporary dance during her time at School of the Arts (SOTA). In May 2023, she graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) with a Diploma in Dance. Throughout her studies, she has worked with choreographers such as Albert Tiong, Kuik Swee Boon, Jeffrey Tan, Dan Kwoh and Jenny Neo. She is currently a dance artist with The Human Expression (T.H.E) Second Company, and teaches at DANSTUDIO.
Eunice Wee (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Eunice started dancing in Republic Polytechnic’s Modern Dance Interest Group under the guidance of Zaini Tahir and Marcus Foo in 2008, performing in its annual concerts Momentum and Muse. She joined the NUS Dance Ensemble as an associate member in 2010, participating in their concerts Evocation and The Next Wave. She was a performer with Universal Studios Singapore as a Parade Performer for 5 years. Eunice joined T.H.E Second Company in 2011, and has since performed in the Singapore Writers Festival 2012, MyDance Festival in Kuala Lumpur, cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival, liTHE, and Bedfellows for the company’s 5th anniversary.
Fiona Thng (Singapore)
Assistant to Artistic Director & Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Fiona has been a full-time Dance Artist with The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company since 2019, and was recently appointed as the Assistant to Artistic Director. Over the years with the company, she has trained with and performed in numerous works by Kuik Swee Boon, T.H.E’s resident choreographer Kim Jae Duk, and guest choreographers Dimo Milev, Jos Baker, Albert Tiong and Anthea Seah. Fiona also had the honour to tour internationally with the company to various festivals such as Tanzmesse, OzAsia, Oriente Occidente and other independent venues such as Scenario Pubblico (Italy) and The Coronet Theatre (United Kingdom). In addition to performing, Fiona also teaches, choreographs and facilitates HollowBodyTM workshops with and for the main company, T.H.E Second Company, and T.H.E Training Initiative.
Prior to joining the company, Fiona had the pleasure of working with local choreographers such as Jeffrey Tan, Ryan Tan, Zaki Ahmad and Wee Ee-Ching. She was trained in various dance genres such as hip hop, jazz and street Jazz before discovering her interest in contemporary dance. Her diverse exposure has given rise to a love for exploring and formulating unique movement phrases, and infusing different quirks into her movement. She has a deep interest in helping movers and non-movers alike to unlock the physical potential of their bodies, and connecting the community through the power of the arts.
Grace Lim (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Grace began her journey with dance at the age of 5. She studied at School of The Arts (SOTA) where she completed the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme in 2016, during which she also had the opportunity to attend the Alvin Ailey Professional Division Summer Intensive in New York. In 2021, Grace completed a BFA (Hons) in Dance with First Class Honors at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA).
During her studies at HKAPA, Grace was awarded multiple scholarships including the HKAPA Student Awards - Schools’ Outstanding Student Award (Dance) in her 3rd year. She has worked with international choreographers, including Anh Ngoc Nguyen, Yuri Ng, Corey Baker and Zoltán Fodor, and has also represented the school on tour to China for an exchange with Guangzhou University’s School of Music and Dance. Despite being a ballet major, Grace has had numerous opportunities to be exposed to different genres of dance and enjoys exploring movement with no boundaries.
Haruka Leilani Chan (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Trained in Ballet and Chinese Dance from a young age, Haruka’s formal introduction to contemporary dance began at School of the Arts Singapore. In 2017, she was accepted into the New Zealand School of Dance majoring in Contemporary Dance where she got to train with a prestigious faculty that included Victoria Colombus, Paula Steeds Huston, James O’Hara, Balázs Busa, Daniel Jaber and other guest teachers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to complete her final year at NZSD and returned to Singapore, where she joined T.H.E Dance Company in January 2021.
Since joining, Haruka has been an integral part of repertoire and original choreographies by Artistic Director Kuik Swee Boon, Resident Choreographer Kim Jae Duk, and guest choreographers such as Jos Baker and Dimo Milev. With T.H.E Dance Company, she has danced in shows at home and abroad, traveling to perform in different festivals and theatres worldwide.
Irwin Tan (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Irwin is a passionate artist who started his dance journey in 2014. He performed with Dance Ensemble Singapore in several productions and events, building a foundation in both Chinese and contemporary dance. During his junior college days, Irwin’s flair for contemporary dance deepened under the tutelage of Dan Kwoh. In 2019, Irwin joined T.H.E Second Company to seek new movement qualities and strengthen his contemporary dance vocabulary. Irwin adores contemporary dance for its versatility and boundless modes of expression. He strives to bring his own unique style to the stage.
Jackie Ong (Singapore)
Associate Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Jackie graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and holds a Diploma in Dance. He is a recipient of the NAFA scholarship and had been given many opportunities to represent the school in overseas conferences, such as the China- Asean “Red Bronze Drum” Art and Education Achievement held in Nanning, China in 2008, and the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific event and World Dance Alliance Global Dance event in New Delhi, India and New York, USA in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Jackie has been a member of T.H.E Second Company since 2009 and has toured with the main company to Poland, Guangzhou, Yokohama and Niigata. He was also part of Singapore: Inside Out, an inaugurated travelling showcase of Singapore’s artists to Beijing, London, New York and Singapore.
Jack Ng (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Jack has been dancing since 2008, training mainly in contemporary dance and Chinese dance. He has performed with semi-professional companies such as Dance Horizon Troupe, Singapore and joined T.H.E Second Company in 2017, participating in multiple productions over the years. Jack actively seeks out new ways to expand his dance vocabulary and has recently branched out into cross-disciplinary work such as dance films and performances involving live music, spoken word, dance, and live media.
James Wong (Singapore)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
James’ passion for dance started when he entered Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). He received training in various movement genres including hip hop, breaking, contemporary, and acro yoga. He has a great interest in choreography as well as in inspiring the younger generations, and has choreographed numerous times for NP dance club D3. He has also sent teams to various street and commercial dance competitions.
He finds that being able to dance is a form of freedom, whereas being good at it is a form of commitment. To enhance his skills, he competed in various dance competitions such as Super24, The Royal Dance-Off (Duet), Paradigm Shift (All-Style- Battle), D:2 Dance Chingay Competition and Get The Beat 2022. Through these, he had the chance to interact and exchange ideas with like-minded peers, contributing to his belief that dance not only shapes you as a dancer, but also as a person.
Jan Möllmer (Germany)
Born and raised in Wuppertal, Germany, Jan began dancing after being involved in the production of Kontakthof - with teenagers by Pina Bausch. He studied dance at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Jan then joined the Folkwang Tanzstudio Company and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch as a guest dancer for several years. He worked with choreographers such as Emanuel Gat, David Hernandez, Cielaroque/HeleneWeinzierl, Reinhild Hoffmann and many more.
Since 2020, he has collaborated with theatre director Dimitris Papaioannou and is currently performing in his newest production, Transverse Orientation. At the same time, he is currently a guest dancer for Blaubart with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Together with Taiwanese dance artist Tsai-Wei Tien, Jan founded the dance company Peculiar Man that produces and spreads their choreographic work.
Jhou Han-Wei (Singapore/Taiwan)
Apprentice, T.H.E Dance Company
Jhou Han-Wei, born 2001 in Taipei, Taiwan, embarked on his dance journey at the young age of 7. His passion for dance led him to pursue formal training at the Taipei National University of the Arts, where he graduated in 2023.
Throughout his training, Han-Wei has cultivated a versatile skill set, encompassing a wide range of dance styles. From the graceful movements of classical Western dance, including ballet, modern, and contemporary techniques, to the rich traditions of Eastern classical dance, such as Chinese opera, Chinese folk dance, and martial arts, he has immersed himself in diverse cultural expressions. Han-Wei's dedication to mastering various dance forms reflects his commitment to artistic exploration and his desire to push the boundaries of his craft. Han-Wei joined T.H.E Dance company in 2024, marking his first significant milestone in his dance career.
Joanna Oh (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Joanna began her dance training in classical ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus. She went on to pursue a Diploma in Dance at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She has danced in works choreographed by Larry Clark, Wallie Wolfgruber, Natalie Maria Clark and Ji Kyungmin. As a member of The Human Expression (T.H.E) Second Company, she has performed at various platforms, including the Asian Festivals Exchange (2018) and Co.Lab.Asians (2019).
Kimberly Long (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Kimberly started off with ballet at the age of 6. In 2016, she graduated from School of the Arts with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Kimberly completed her BA(Hons) Dance Degree at LASALLE College of the Arts in 2019.
Her passion to nurture the youth led her to start her journey as an instructor with Jeté Dance Studio. She also became a Dance Artist with T.H.E Second Company to continuously develop herself as an artist. Kimberly has a strong desire to develop her dance pedagogy and style that focuses on fluidity in movements. She hopes to continue carving her path as a dance artist through working with various artists in a deeper, multi-layered artistic voice.
Kim Jae Duk (South Korea)
Resident Choreographer, T.H.E Dance Company
Jae Duk has been T.H.E Dance Company’s Resident Choreographer since 2010.
As Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Modern Table Dance Company (est. 2013), his works are known for their unique dynamic curves, rapid movements, and modern reinterpretation of traditional Korean forms, making him a highly sought-after choreographer beyond Korea. Lub Dub, choreographed for Bale Teatro Castro Alves, was selected by the Brazilian magazine BRAVO as one of the 10 best shows of 2017. Another notable work, Darkness Poomba, has been invited to The Place in London in 2016, Chekhov International Theatre Festival in 2017, Yokohama Dance Collection 2021 as a masterpiece selection, and to LG Arts Center in Seoul. Jae Duk’s talents also extend to music; he composes the original music for almost all of his choreographies.
Klievert Jon Mendoza (Singapore/Philippines)
Performer, Elusive — a double bill
Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Klievert Jon Mendoza graduated from the Philippines High School for the Arts where he received the Outstanding Student Artist Award in 2015. He went on to study at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2018 where he graduated with a Diploma in Dance (Distinction), was named Best Graduate, and received the NAFA President Award. Klievert was the first Filipino to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix 2018, and was awarded the Gold Medal in the pre-professional category of the 2014 Concours International De Danse Classique De Grasse in Paris, France.
Following his graduation from NAFA, Klievert joined T.H.E Dance Company in 2018. Since then, he has graced stages both locally and internationally, captivating audiences with his captivating performances at renowned festivals such as Inteatro Festival, Cross Festival, Florence Dance Festival, and OzAsia, among many others.
Beyond being a performer, Klievert has also ventured into choreography, showcasing his creativity and artistic vision. He took the helm in choreographing the 2020–2021 editions of liTHE, demonstrating his versatility and depth as an artist. Currently, Klievert is poised to embark on a new creative endeavour, given the opportunity to create an incubation work with T.H.E Second Company for the 14th edition of cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival.
Kuik Swee Boon (Singapore/Malaysia)
Festival Director, cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival
Founder and Artistic Director of T.H.E Dance Company (est. 2008) and its annual cont·act Contemporary Dance Festival (est. 2010), Swee Boon rose from performing in Singapore People’s Association Dance Company and Singapore Dance Theatre to becoming the principal dancer of Spain’s Compañia Nacional de Danza (CND) from 2002—2007, performing in works by then Artistic Director Nacho Duato, as well as renowned guest choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin and Wim Vandekeybus.
Under Swee Boon’s direction, T.H.E has become a seminal dance company with a signature voice derived from training in his HollowBodyTM methodology, developed from 2016. This methodology informs Swee Boon’s repertoire of works for T.H.E that has toured many international festivals, including a 360° virtual reality (VR) adaptation of PheNoumenon (2019) created during the pandemic. His numerous commissions include Infinitely Closer (2022) for Esplanade’s da:ns festival, which also marked the opening of the Singtel Waterfront Theatre.
Swee Boon is a 2007 Young Artist Award recipient, a 2003 Benois De La Danse Award nominee, and a 2021—2023 fellow with the International Society for the Performing Arts.
Kwek Yixuan (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Yixuan is a creative dabbler - she holds a BA Honours (First Class) in Dance and Choreography from Falmouth University (United Kingdom), and now finds herself situated in the intersections of movement-making, writing, managing and teaching, amidst other in-betweens. As a movement artist and collaborator, she has been involved with various performances, exhibitions and research nodes in Singapore and abroad, including working with local dance companies, and she joined T.H.E Second Company in 2022. Her practice stems from curiosities and urgencies towards the self and the world around; she enjoys the keen perspectives that emerge through working with, and from, the body.
Lynette Lim (Singapore)
Former Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Lynette began to explore the world of contemporary dance in 2010 through T.H.E Second Company. In 2015, she completed a BASI Pilates mat certification with Bodylab Taipei, which sparked her interest in mindfulness and movement. In 2017, she joined T.H.E Dance Company as a full-time artist where she had the opportunity to work with Kuik Swee Boon, Dimo Kirilov, HUMANHOOD, Kim Jae Duk, as well as tour in several local and international festivals. Lynette left the company and Singapore in 2019 for Valencia, Spain where she continued to explore consciousness in movement and strength in fluidity. She is currently based in Singapore with a special interest in dance and movement education as both a dance and pilates instructor.
Manna Cheng (Hong Kong)
Resident Artist, Unlock Dancing Plaza
Born in Hong Kong, Manna Cheng graduated from the Dance Department of the National Taiwan University of Arts. She has also participated in the ImPulsTanz Festival and Tanz Company Gervasi residency on the sponsorships of the Taiwan-Hong Kong Exchange Association and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Manna is a creative performer in various disciplines. She has been involved in works such as films A Man Without A Country and Ride, drama Master vs. Expert, as well as in screendance The Sea Within and Taipei Artist Village - The Studio #203 Project. She stayed in Taiwan after graduation and collaborated with different art companies and independent artists, including Golden Bough Theatre's productions Memory Island (2020), and One Step to Heaven? (2023), KuaBo Dance Theatre's # Hashtag, and also presented Crossing (2022) at the Taipei Fringe Festival.
Her personal research and creative focus revolve around identity and observation. Some of her works include HK Body Map (2022), Name Me (2022), and Name Tag (2023).
In 2023, Manna returned to Hong Kong and joined Unlock Dance Plaza. She is currently a Resident Artist at Unlock Dancing Plaza.
Ng Pei Yao (Singapore)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
Pei Yao began dancing under the guidance of Benedict Soh in 2008. During his time in university, he joined NUS Dance Synergy under the tutelage of Albert Tiong and Yarra Ileto, and worked with them as well as other local and international guest choreographers for numerous productions. Most recently, he performed in The 11th Hour (2024) with Decadance Co.
Ng Zu You (Singapore)
Former Dance Artist, T.H.E Dance Company
Zu You started dance at the age of 13, gaining exposure to various genres of dance such as Chinese dance, contemporary dance and ballet. To further pursue his passion, he enrolled in LASALLE College of Arts, graduating with a Diploma in Dance in 2010. He performed in the 2011 edition of Sprouts, organised by the National Arts Council and Frontier Danceland, and received the Best Dancer award.
Zu You went on to complete his Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Taipei University of Arts. Upon graduation in 2017, he was a dance artist with T.H.E Dance Company till 2022, working with international choreographers including Kim Jae Duk, Rudi Cole and Julia Robert Pares (HUMANHOOD), Dimo Kirilov, and Jos Baker.
Ong Yong Lock (Hong Kong/Malaysia)
Creative Director, Unlock Dancing Plaza
Born in Malaysia, Yong Lock is currently a choreographer, a performer, and an educator. Yong Lock is a founder member of South 'ASLI' Dance Workshop (SADW) and served as the Artistic Director between 1997 and 2001. In 2002, Ong founded the Unlock Dancing Plaza with Elsie Chau. He has been the Artistic Director for almost two decades since its establishment in 2002 and has been dedicated to promoting and popularising of modern dance. In 2022, he took on the role Creative Director (Public Engagement), focusing on outreach and community projects.
Yong Lock joined the Hong Kong Dance Company and the City Contemporary Dance Company in 1989 and 1993 respectively. In 1998, Yong Lock joined the Expressions Dance Company in Brisbane (Australia) to perform in Brisbane Festival. In the same year, he was invited to teach modern dance in Japan and Malaysia, as well as choreographed for the 19th Chinese Dance Festival in Malaysia. In 2000, Yong Lock was invited to perform at the East Dragon Dance Festival and World Dance in Japan. In 2002, he won the Hong Kong Dance Awards presented by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in recognition of his lithe choreography of ballet 4 In. Since then, he has been appointed as an art advisor for dance by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. He was also the recipient of the Award for Best Artist (Dance) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2014.
Yong Lock's works have been featured in Asian Art Festival, International Sino Dance Week, Malaysian Chinese Dance Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Dance Festival and the 20th International Academy of Dance Festival. He has rich experiences working in partnership with a wide range of organisations such as Hong Kong Dance Company, City Contemporary Dance Company, Beijing Dance/LDTX, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, Xiamen Modern Dance, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and the Queensland University of Technology. Highly acclaimed full-length works include 10 Nights' Wanderings, Whispering of Love, Love Sick, Wanderer, amongst others. In particular, Wanderer received "Outstanding Achievement in Independent Production" at the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2015.
In recent years, Yong Lock has been actively promoting #danceless community engagement projects, and created a series of works which encourage public participation in dance. #DANCELESS 03 – bolero has been invited to perform in different international dance festivals, and at present, over 200 public participants have taken part in it.
Panzatti / Ticconi (Italy/Germany)
Ginevra Panzetti and Enrico Ticconi, based in Berlin and Torino, have been working as a duo since 2008. Their artistic research interlaces dance, performance, and visual art, with deepening themes relating to the historical union between communication, violence and power. They draw on ancient imaginaries, creating hybrid figures or images between history and contemporaneity. Both graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and attended Stoà, School for rhythmic movement and philosophy in Cesena, led by Claudia Castellucci.
In 2010, the duo moved to Germany and delved into individual, but mutually complementary paths: Ginevra studied Media Art at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB) in Leipzig and Enrico Dance, Context, Choreography at the Inter-University Centre for Dance (HZT) in Berlin. They gained international recognition with their choreographic work Harleking (2018) that, among some of the most important international festivals, has been presented at the European platform Aerowavers Twenty 19, the New Italian Dance (NID) Platform and by Tanzplatform Deutschland 2020. In 2019 they won the 13th Arte Laguna Prize for the site-specific performance Jardin/Arsenale, they received the Danza&Danza Prize as emerging choreographers and were nominees for the Promising Talent of the Year accoladeby the Jahrbuch Tanz.
Their lateset artistic research investigates the symbolic power of the flag and took shape through the realisation of a dyptic composed by the choreographic works AeReA, 2019 and Ara! Ara!, 2021, which was concluded with a filmic work Silver Veiled, 2021. With AeReA they won the first edition of Premio Hermès Danza Triennale Milano, while Ara! Ara! has been supported by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès within the framework of the New Settings Program. The filmic work Silver Veiled was commissioned by the Dublin Dance Festival and will be presented at the Torino Film Festival.
In 2021, they were commissioned by the Berlin based Dance On Ensemble to realize their latest ensemble work, MARMO, a choreographic response to the work of Lucinda Childs. INSEL, their most recent choreographic work for 4 performers, premiered in 2023 at Tanz Im August Festival in Berlin.
Ravid Abarbanel (Israel/Spain)
Ravid is an Israeli and Portuguese dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Barcelona. She gratulated from the Maslool Professional Dance Program, Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam and holds a B-Dance degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Her works include Underneath, ALIZA, WildHome, HomeLima, Home NC, Uprooted, Thoughts about leaving and Freeze IT. Ravid was awarded the Best Performer Prize at the Masdanza Dance Festival 2022 and a full scholarship to the DanceWEB and American Dance Festival, 3th Prize for choreography at the International Dance Theatre Competition in Stuttgart and the Best Performer Prize at the Barnes Crossing SoloDue, Cologne, Germany. She has also received the Ehud Manor Prize in support of her ongoing process, HOME.
She joined the Israeli Association for Independent Choreographers since 2019. and developed Meet the Floor and Happy Body — floorwork and improvisational based classes respectively. She currently also theaches on the Masters course in modern & contemporary dance for dance teachers, initiated by the Ministry of Education of Israel.
Shaun Lim (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
A graduate of LASALLE College of the Arts’ BA(Hons) Dance, Shaun’s first contemporary dance performance was in Dance Horizon Troupe’s 10th anniversary production performing the works of Benedict Soh and Kuo Naiyu (Taiwan). His interest in contemporary dance was further developed under the guidance and encouragement of Marcus Foo of NTU Contemp{minated}. Under NTU Contemp{minated}, he performed in Triple Bill 2014, Propulsion 2015 and The Black JukeBox, where his movement vocabulary was extended in the works of Marcus Foo, Yarra Ileto and Foo Yunying.
At LASALLE, he has performed in works by local and overseas choreographers such as Christina Chan, Kuik Swee Boon, Barbara Matijević (Croatia), Aymeric Bichon (France) and Martin Schick (Switzerland). Besides school productions, he has also performed in M1 Open Stage for the then M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival 2017. In 2018, he joined T.H.E Second Company as an apprentice, and was an understudy for T.H.E Dance Company’s Invisible Habitudes, an Esplanade commission for da:ns festival.
Shaun has performed in liTHE 2018 and Dance at Dusk 2019 with T.H.E Second Company. In June 2019, he was invited to perform with Richard Chappell Dance (RCD) in the UK for the work Silence Between Waves choreographed by artistic director Richard Chappell, which premiered at Berry Head in Brixham and toured to Exeter and Lisekeard.
Stefanie Teo (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Stefanie Teo began her dance journey at the age of 4 with the Royal Academy of Dance ballet syllabus. She has since been involved in various youth dance groups, receiving the tutelage of Melissa Ng, Fiona Thng, and Zaini Mohd Tahir.
Stefanie holds a Diploma in Dance from LASALLE College of the Arts, and has had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers such as Eisa Jocson, Ery Mefri, Rachel Lopez de la Nieta, Kuik Swee Boon, Dapheny Chen, Susan Yeung, Susan Sentler, Bernice Lee and Jenny Neo. She was the recipient of the Wu Peihui Dance Award for the 2019/2020 academic year, and joined T.H.E Dance Company’s Training Initiative in 2021. She is currently experimenting with various dance methodologies to further develop her movement articulation and embodiment.
Sylvia Ng (Singapore)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
Sylvia’s dance journey began at the age of 3 with classical ballet, evolving through exposure to contemporary dance at School of the Arts (SOTA). She has worked with many choreographers such as Silvia Yong and Jeffrey Tan. Motivated by her passion for contemporary dance, Sylvia extended her exploration beyond graduation by joining NUS Dance Synergy where she refined her skills under the guidance of Yarra Ileto and Albert Tiong. Sylvia has also taken a pivotal step by joining T.H.E Second Company.
Thanaporn Varoonchotikul (Beam) (Singapore/Thailand)
Apprentice, T.H.E Second Company
Hello, here is Beam. She hails from Bangkok, Thailand, and has been dancing since she was 4. Beginning with ballet at the pre-primary level, Beam continued with jazz and contemporary dance at Dance Guru Thailand, where she also had the opportunity to participate in various dance competitions both locally and internationally. Her passion and dream led her to the decision to further her dance education and make a career out of dance, and she is therefore currently studying at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) under a tuition grant from the Ministry of Education.
At NAFA, she was selected for the NAFA Talent Development Programme where she received support for extended training at T.H.E's Training Initiative, which led her to joining T.H.E Second Company this year. She has performed in works by Dan Kwoh, Kuik Swee Boon, Albert Tiong, Eileih Muir, Jacky Yu, among others.
Tung I-Fen (Taiwan)
Born in Tainan, Taiwan, I-Fen is a choreographer, performer, educator and curator. She works in various contexts, including dance, theater, film, contemporary music and technical art, among others, while laying her artistic practices in the agency and intersections of humanity, society and nature.
I-Fen has been an artist-in- residence at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, Colorado College and George Washington University in the USA. From 2020, I-Fen started curating programmes and hosting platforms such as Dance Park for freelance dancers, Unboxing: Live Art Arena for freelance artists, and a performing arts programme for Nuit Blanche.
Since 2006, her works have been presented in London and Paris, as well as in Spain, the USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and India. I-Fen also participated in several interdisciplinary productions, such as Dear John which won the performing award of 12th Taishin Arts Award. She has also presented several participatory performance works produced by Anarchy Dance Theatre since 2016. At present, she is a full-time lecturer at the University of Taipei.
Zeng Yu (Singapore)
Dance Artist, T.H.E Second Company
Zeng Yu first trained in rhythmic gymnastics during her secondary school days and was introduced to contemporary dance when she joined the NUS Dance Ensemble back in 2011. She joined T.H.E Second Company in 2015, and has since worked with choreographers including Sebastien Ledig, Anna Borras, Albert Tiong, Kim Bora, Ji Kyungmin, Anthea Seah, Marcus Foo, Nah Jieying, Maybelle Lek and Goh Jiayin.