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.