This year, TheatreWorks celebrates its 25th anniversary in a collection of multi-disciplinary works inspired by the cultural ties that have bound its artistic vision over the years. One of them is Red Ballerina, a work-in-progress performance portrait of celebrated choreographer/dancer, Goh Lay Kuan. Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen walks down memory lane with us.
Who’s the Ballerina?
The ballerina is Goh Lay Kuan. This
is a performance about her life: From her childhood all through her study of
ballet in Australia, her return to Singapore and most of all her immense work as
a dance teacher, as a teacher of creativity for young people. This is for me,
the span of her life, which is a very rich life in so many different
aspects.
Why is she red?
In 1976, Goh Lay Kuan and her husband
[theatre doyen ] were among the group of young Singaporeans arrested and I
think this is a very important period of Singapore history we should not forget.
She was arrested for being associated with communism, which is the reason behind
the color red. There’s this whole area of ballet which used to be themed
“political” just because it addresses sensitive issues. It was okay to dance
Giselle and Swan Lake but it wasn’t okay if an artist also
believed in portraying her relationship with society.
She must be a very special person for you to have dedicated an entire
work to her. Why did you choose her?
The reason why I’m interested
in artists is because of the societies they come from. They reflect the growth
of the arts scene and the relationship between arts and society. I like the fact
that working on a stage-documentary allows me to work with real-life material;
to portray it in a sensitive way and share it with audiences. In a sense it
becomes more charged because it’s about someone’s life and someone well known in
the arts circle and much-loved by the local community. I chose Madam Goh as the
subject for this piece because I think she’s still very much alive and believes
very strongly about the importance of art in society.
Sounds like a very personal and touching experience. What can we
learn from the production?
It’s first of all a chronicle of her
life, but of course there are some main points to take home. One is how a love
of the arts can transform a human being. Your love and belief for your art can
develop a kind of passion in you. And of course, Red Ballerina looks at
the responsibility of artists towards society and their role in showing how
powerful art is and its importance to every human being. Hidayah
Salamat
The Red Ballerina, May 1, 8pm. 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Rd., 6737-7213. Free.