Workshops
Performative Body: Performing Body from Randai to Performance
In partnership with Intercultural Theatre Institute (T. Sasitharan)
This is a unique collaborative project between Theatre Training & Research Programme (TTRP) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). The workshop will be coordinated by Mr T. Sasitharan, Director of TTRP and appointed coordinator of this project. His proposal includes the cooperation of Indonesia and Singapore-based performance art practitioners. This program seeks to explore the complexities surrounding the notion of Body where movements in performance art are translated by traditional aesthetics to render contemporary meanings.
Focusing on key aspects of Randai and Performance art, the main objective will be for participants to gain new knowledge and transform their experiences into contemporary interpretations. Randai is a folk theatre tradition that originates from the Minangkabau ethnic group in Western Sumatra, Indonesia, which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the silat martial art.
This five-day workshop consists of Studio practice sessions to be conducted by a Randai Master Teacher and interspersed with seminars, lectures, project discussion and demonstration. The seminars and lectures will introduce the history, culture, sociology and aesthetics of the Randai tradition and examine with some examples of how performance artists contribute to experimental theatre. Participants will also be able to work as a group to give a demonstration of a "performance event". To participate in this workshop, incumbents should have had at least a year of foundation actor/ performer training, otherwise supported by the recommendation of their lecturers.
T. Sasitharan
Sasitharan co-founded the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), formerly known as TTRP (Theatre Training and Research Programme) with the late Kuo Pao Kun in 2000. He also teaches in the areas of aesthetics, humanities, theory, and performer foundation training.
Sasi was Artistic Director of The Substation from 1996 to 2000, and now serves on their Board. One of Singapore's finest actors, he has performed in groundbreaking works directed by Max Le Blond, Chandra Lingam and Kuo Pao Kun, notably in the multi-lingual Mama Looking For Her Cat (1988). He is also a noted theatre and visual arts critic, journalist and editor, and continues to engage in international research and dialogue on arts and culture. Recently he presented papers at forums organized by Columbia University with the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, and UNESCO. He holds an MA in Philosophy, and has also taught at the National University of Singapore.
Sasi served on numerous Boards and Advisory Panels, including those of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, National Arts Council, Singapore Art Museum, and the Singapore International Foundation.
Transforming Tradition - The Role of Research in Creating "Wayang Sampur-na"
By Garrett Kam
Created in 2010, Wayang Sampur-na will be a performance (wayang) by Garrett Kam where he demonstrates how traditional Asian dance inspires new choreographies with the inclusion of personal experience and in-depth research. In this 35 minutes performance, Sampur, literally, Javanese dance 'sashes', will be the main medium for re-enacting key scenes from Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic, about devotion, separation and reunion in a sampurna (ideal and pure) manner. Garrett will be introducing this epic through animation and narration of masks and puppets representing the different characters with the use of sampurs.
With the influence of various choreographic ideas and elements from around Asia, this performance will be accompanied by Javanese gamelan music, Balinese melodies and Asian-inspired film tunes.
There will be a question and answer session after the performance followed by practical, where participants will either work individually or in groups to create their own masks and puppets from sampur and animate them with creative movements of their own.
The total duration of the performance and workshop will be 3 hours.
Garrett Kam
Garrett has a bachelor's degree in Art (1976) and a master's degree in Southeast Asian Studies (1987) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). Garrett studied Javanese dance from 1975 to 1979 at UHM, and from 1979 to 1982 under master teachers KRT Sasminta Mardawa, R Sunartomo, RM Sutamba, RL Prabapawaka and Bambang Pudjasworo in Yogyakarta. Garrett was the first non-Javanese to perform in the professional group of the Mardawa Budaya and Pamulangan Beksa Ngayogyakarta schools of court dance. Garrett has taught and performed in the USA, Thailand, Cambodia, Okinawa, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. He has also studied Okinawan and Korean dance.
Wisdom Beyond Borders: The Creative Workshop By Tulaya Pornpiriyakulcha
In a world spinning rapidly towards modernization, bits and pieces of tradition can easily be left behind. More susceptible are oral traditions as they fall prey to ever-changing urban slang and social trends. Such change is obvious in the dying art of proverbs where usage can only be found amongst older generations. Tulaya with the support of Royal Thai Embassy has brought her exhibition to Singapore for a 6 months campus tour to conduct exercises and explore traditions, enhance cultural appreciation and discover cross-cultural sensibilities.
Together with NAFA, this workshop is held in reflection of the exhibition tour. 'Wisdom Beyond Borders: The Creative Workshop' aims to introduce traditional proverbs into everyday context.
Intending to encourage a deeper level of interest in proverbs, this 3-day workshop is designed to engage participants to learn and understand the valuable nature of proverbs and explore the vast selection available in various culture across the world. Consisting mainly of teenagers, participants are required to select a proverb of their choice and propose a visual interpretation accompanied by a short story inspired from their personal accounts and experiences.
For optimal exposure to the subject, all participants are given an introductory background on proverb, and taught how to compose a short story through inspiration techniques from S.E.A Write award winning writer, Jane Vejjajiva. With the guidance of guest artist and Tulaya, learn to conceptualize a verbal message to visual art.
Tulaya Pornpiriyakulchai
Born in Thailand, Tulaya spent her early childhood growing up in Tokyo, Japan. Returned to Thailand, lived a few brief years then she followed her father's diplomatic pursuit to Hong Kong then Taipei, Taiwan. Graduating from Massachusetts College of Art with a degree in Communication Design, Tulaya returned to Bangkok in 2001 where she spent a majority of her 10 years as a creative at Lowe Worldwide. She then decided to jump boat to the client side as Corporate Director of Marketing and Communications for Dusit International before taking her leap into the art and culture scene. In 2008, she debut her first solo exhibition and produced a best-selling book ''Thai Folk Wisdom' the following year. 'Thai Folk Wisdom' book and exhibition received massive interest by the public and was a great success. Tulaya is presently a private brand consultant whilst pursuing her life-long quest to revive proverbs with her worldwide crusade 'Wisdom Beyond Borders'.
