Choreography: Kuik Swee Boon (Singapore)
Silence began in 2006 as a work-in-progress featured at the 8th Asian Arts Festival in Beijing, and in 2007 was commissioned to be developed as a full-length work by the Esplanade’s da:ns Festival.
Silence is a moving work that deals with the concept of communication breakdown in today’s technologically advanced society. Set against an urban landscape, a place of transience and constant movement, choreographer Kuik Swee Boon highlights the erosion of human connection. We choose to connect virtually and become increasingly foreign to physical touch. We speak but do not know what we mean; we hear but do not truly listen.
Featuring the massive electronic soundscapes of Sigur Ros and Radiohead, and the raw and spontaneous compositions from Rafael Rivero, a former principal dancer of the Compania Nacional de Danza (Spain), the work reminds us of the little things we have lost touch of. At times fast and frantic, other times poignant and filled with yearning; in spite of its title, Silence is anything
but quiet.
Commissioned by Esplanade da:ns Festival 2007, and restaged for T.H.E’s 1st anniversary celebrations in 2009.
Praise for Silence:
“Mature and complex, Silence was a delicate, intimate experience” -Tara Tan, Straits Times
Premiere: da:ns Festival 2007, 12 – 13 October 2007, Esplanade Theatre.
performance date 22-24 Jun 2017 | Esplanade Theatre Studio | Borderline by T.H.E Dance Company and Muscle Mouth
performance date 28 Mar – 6 Apr 2018 | Esplanade F.Y.I Festival | By Kim Jae Duk