Not a fan of National Day Parade, but NDP 13... is different

I have to confess I am not a fan of National Day Parade (NDP). To me, NDP has always been about visual presentations, which were attractive, but similar to the multi-cultural and colorful Chingay Parade or the large-scale shows performed at various places of interests. However, as I watched this year's NDP, I was impressed by its strong coherency and depth in the articulation of the 9 segments.

The theme of "Many Stories...One Singapore" was delivered in a concrete and focused manner with the engagement of Singaporeans from diverse sectors. Though there were no gigantic set and props as compared to the NDP of previous years, this year's NDP touched my heart and stirred my mind. The best moment of the event was the paying of tribute to our National athletes and paralympians.

With the advancement in technology, it is not difficult for us to encounter big productions with stunning visuals that attract our attention. However, some of these large-scale performances engaged our senses but left us cold in our heart. NDP 2013 was seemingly humbler in its scenic and visual presentations, but it filled my heart with a deep sense of warmth and gratitude. Overall, it was simple but filled with insights; it conveyed a huge idea formed by stories of Singaporeans from all walks of life.

(photo: National Day Parade, Singapore, 2013)

Impressions: RE: Looking at RE: Gina

Photo: Event's publicity photo

Re: Looking at Re: Gina

A Site-specific Dance Performance (18 May 2013)

RE: Looking at RE: Gina is conceptualized by Elizabeth de Roza and Melissa Quek. To me, the piece is about forgotten memories, fluidity of identities and the search of the "self". The following words summed up my impressions of the performance: Blood, Red, Face-to-face, Struggles, Dolls, Nails, Memories, Manipulation, Constructions, Reconstructions, Entrapment, Escape.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interactive, fun and creative elements in the performance. I liked the movable set which gave me the feeling of being set in a maze. At the same time, I felt that I was also one of the dancers in the space as the movable maze "danced" us around. We had to be alert and keep moving with the performers and the set. The fluidity of the set and the interactions within the space created an organic universe in the theatre. The performers were focused and skillful in executing their inner emotions and physical actions. The musician did a great job in providing the soundscape which was filled with tensions and emotions, which developed the action of the piece.

Leaping into a Jungian Journey: Preview of Leaping Fish in the City (21-22 March 2013)

Preview: 20 March 2013

A woman who embarks on a research to find out more about the city she is living in and a man who is eccentric, but throws one or two lines of wise words at moments least expected, sustained the 45-minute Leaping Fish in the City with humorous moments.

 

To me, it's a very Jungian piece, where the woman encounters the shadow, animus and Self aspects within her. According to the psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung (1990), the shadow consists of the dark elements of the personality with emotional and primitive aspects that resist moral control; the animus is the masculine aspect that a woman experiences; and the Self archetype is often a spiritual character with knowledge, insight, wisdom, cleverness and intuition, represented by a wise old man. To Jung (1964), the shadow in each individual represents the hidden, repressed and unfavorable aspects of the personality.

In the performance, the peculiar man, who does not behave within the boundary of a commonly accepted social behavioral convention, is a reflection of the woman’s inner shadow that she is rejecting and repressing. At the same time, the man is also the wise Self within the woman, which is represented by her inner voices that she hears at some points of time despite her hectic lifestyle.

After rejecting and ignoring the shadow and inner silence within her for the majority of her adult life, the woman eventually embraces the animus and accepts the shadow within her. She finally stops and listens to her heart, and starts to understand who she is. 

Dates: Thursday 21 March (SOLD OUT), Friday 22 March (Limited tickets available)

Admission: $18/$12 (concession) available from The Substation box office (63377800) 

Time & Venue: 8pm,  The Substation Gallery (45 Armenian Street, S179936).

References:

Jung, C.G. (1964). Approaching the Unconscious.In C.G. Jung (ed.). Man and His 
            Symbols (pp.1-94).  London: Aldus Books.

Jung, C.G. (1990). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious(R.F.C. Hull, 
            Trans). NJ: Princeton University Press (Originally published 1963).