The Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) was founded in 1988 by Goh Soo Khim and the late Anthony Then. Under the directorship of Goh Soo Khim, SDT has developed into a premier professional dance company that has grown from seven to 24 dancers. Over the years, The Company performs five to six seasons, including the widely popular Ballet Under The Stars (BUTS) at the Fort Canning Park.
The Company will open the act with Piano Concerto No. 2, Opus 102, with Glow-Stop as the second piece, and Swan Lake Act II as the finale.
The Penang performance is sponsored by Crest Ultrasonics, and supported by Lee Foundation, the Sunway Group, and the National Arts Council, Singapore
Featuring Piano Concerto No. 2, Opus 102 by Edmund Stripe (UK/Canada), Glow-Stop by Jorma Elo (Finland), and classical excerpts from Raymonda and Swan Lake, Spotlight on Singapore Dance Theatre is a perfect introduction to the verve and vitality that is synonymous with SDT's unique identity as a company that is equally adept at these challenging and varied genres of dance.
Piano Concerto No. 2, Opus 102 (music composed by Dimitri Shoskatovitch) by Edmund Stripe, is a 20-minute piece that features 7 female and 9 male dancers on stage in a fast-paced and exciting work. Audiences will probably find the music of the first movement of this choreography familiar as it was featured in the Disney movie, Fantasia 2000. When it was first performed in the Company’s Ballet Under The Stars platform in 2007, this piece was described by Straits Times review June Cheong as “a sprightly affair of flashing feet and fast turns… (where) the female dancers dazzled with their fleet-footedness… (and) their male counterparts entertained with a series of quick turns.”
Created for the American Ballet Theatre, Glow-Stop has been described as "dynamic and devilish” with gravity-defying gyrations, kinetic and static from one moment to the next. Set to music by Mozart and Philip Glass, Glow-Stop engages the audience in a breathtaking flow that is reminiscent of a light that is switched on, then off, in rapid succession, in an unfettered passion of movement that is the trademark of Elo. At its Singapore premiere within the 2008 Singapore Arts Festival, Straits Times reviewer Tara Tan called it “the gem of the evening” and praised the dancers, who “evoked poetic imagery of broken dolls and at times, moved across the stage like red rose petals discarded in the wind.”
Raymonda divertissements and Swan Lake Act II are perennial favourites of ballet-lovers. With dazzling costumes, showstopping movements and music that engages the senses, these excerpts from classical ballet productions will showcase the Singapore Dance Theatre’s distinctive grace and artistry. During its Company premiere in December 2007, international publication Dance Europe reviewer Jamaludin Bin Jalil lauded SDT for “a valiant effort” that “demonstrated that it is indeed capable of competently presenting one of the classics of the ballet repertory.”
For its second staging in December 2009, Straits Times reviewer Stephanie Burridge said that “the dancers were technically strong and… the company performed creditably.” She also commented that SDT’s performance of Swan Lake was “a surprising, breathtaking ride for the audience”.
Date: 15th April 2010
Day: Thursday
Time: 2000 hours - 2200 hours
Location: Dewan Sri Pinang
Free seating at Dewan Sri Pinang (RM20 - for floor seats and RM10 for gallery seats). Call SDT Penang Hotline - 04-6467866 & 012-4072426 for reservation.
Some sneak preview on what Singapore Dance Theater is all about..their previous performances, do enjoy it :-)
For more info on the SDT Malaysia Tour, please click here
***Edited from George Town, Penang's facebook***
*We do provide transportations for those interested to go to the event in a big group (8-10 people) and the transportation fees can be negotiated. Those students who desired to go with all your friends in a big group, don't hesitate to contact us via email pgtourism09@gmail.com
