"Singapore is a tamed jungle. Everywhere this monstrous force of the jungle explodes, transformed into lawns, parks, sculptures, and orchid fields. It is the healthiest port in Asia."
Jean Cocteau
From one of the most vibrant and futuristic hearts of Asia, the city-state of Singapore, come two choreographies by one of the leading companies of the Eastern dance scene, T.H.E. Dance Company, where T.H.E. stands for The Human Expression: an ambitious project aimed at building a new vocabulary capable of addressing the past while interpreting contemporary culture, making dance the tool to represent Man and Humanity. Singapore, a crossroads city where different cultures coexist, offers the perfect setting for this exploration. For Kuik Swee Boon, creation is never the result of individual effort; rather, it coincides with the dynamics of a working group. His dancers come from China, Indonesia, and Australia, as well as Singapore, in an attempt to shape a cosmopolitan cultural richness.
Water Bloom explores the relationship between humans and nature, contrasting the lyrical femininity of the body with the explosive energy of the male physique. Thanks to the music of Darren Ng, a composer and researcher of electroacoustic music, Water Bloom moves through the many faces of this antagonistic yet harmonious relationship, where the dancers perform their movements in an environment that seems to be made of water.
As It Fades, on the other hand, is a poetic homage to tradition: a female voice hums a Hainanese lullaby, while the dancers introduce a slow waltz; then there’s a leap into modernity, punctuated by frantic, dramatic solos. A powerful testimony, made even more captivating by the contrast between the pull towards modernity and the inclination towards nostalgia.
Kuik Swee Boon, former principal dancer with the Compania Nacional de Danza in Spain (CND), has worked with Nacho Duato as well as other renowned choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, and Wim Vandekeybus. Before moving to Spain in 2002, Kuik danced with the Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) from 1991, taking on leading roles in full-length ballets such as Giselle, Coppélia, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Anna Karenina, Red Shoes, Cinderella, and Romeo and Juliet. His exceptional artistic talents earned him a nomination for the Benois de la Danse Prize in 2003. In 2007, he received one of Singapore's most prestigious arts awards, the Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council. In 2008, he founded T.H.E. Dance Company, where he serves as artistic director and choreographer.
