Curators’ note
Our first exhibition, Through the Frames, began with a simple question: how do dancers see themselves, and how is that different from how others see them?
Through conversations, performances, and photographs, we uncovered a deep disconnect where audiences saw strength, grace, and beauty, dancers often saw flaws, imperfections, and not-enoughness. That project made us realise how rarely we stop to consider the emotional realities behind a performance, or the silent battles dancers fight with their own bodies.
Beyond the Frames continues this exploration — but goes deeper, and more introspective. We moved beyond observation and delved into the relationships. We asked ourselves: how can we create a space where dancers are not just looked at, but understood? And what would it mean to dissolve the distance between performer and audience to recognise that even though our lives may differ, many of our struggles are shared?
The stories in this exhibition of self-doubt, pressure, resilience, and quiet strength do not just belong to dancers. They belong to anyone who has ever stood in front of a mirror and struggled to accept what they saw. Anyone who has felt the weight of expectations, or learned to carry insecurities in silence. However, this exhibition is not about changing how we look it is about changing how we see. We wanted to create a space that gently reminds us that the flaws we notice in ourselves do not have to be erased in order to make us worthy. The parts of us we hide the scars, the softness, the imperfections — are also what make us human.
Our bodies are more than their shape. They hold stories: of injury, memory, discipline, growth, and becoming. And those stories matter far more than any ideal image of what a body “should” be. Through Beyond the Frames, we hope to invite a sense of recognition. To encourage compassion not just for dancers, but for ourselves because self-acceptance isn’t a single moment. It is a process. A slow unfolding. A shift in perspective.
To the dancers who entrusted us with their vulnerability — thank you.
To the audience who steps into this space with openness thank you. May this exhibition remind us that behind every frame is not just a body, but a journey, and that journey — with all its imperfections — is what makes us who we are.
NAFA Talent Development Award (Special Projects Unit)
Special Projects Unit
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Thank you for being part of this journey. Your voice helps shape how stories are told and remembered not just in this room, but beyond the frames.
