24 ARTS & CULTURE
Singapore American • June/July 2015
Singapore Summer Art Scene By Nithia Devan
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lanning a staycation in Singapore this summer? Here is a quick roundup of the great events taking place over the months of June, July and August. Bring out the performer in your kid Local theater companies in Singapore such as act3 International, Centre Stage and Kids Performing run drama workshops for children of all ages. These workshops cover singing, dancing, acting and stage performing. www.act3international.com.sg; www.centrestage.com; www.kidsperforming.com Catch a show There are also several theater productions coming up which are suitable for the whole family. Most of these are listed on the SISTIC website. The Honeycombers and Expat Living websites also have listings of productions. Here are a few that you can look forward to: Peppa Pig LIVE!, Treasure Hunt, Smurfs Live On Stage, The Wind in the Willows, The Jewels in a Tale. www.sistic.com.sg; www.thehoneycombers.com. singapore; www.expatliving.sg
in June. For example, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) has a special exhibition just for children called Imaginarium. www.singaporeartmuseum.sg A new place to visit is the Indian Heritage Centre as it opened its doors to the public in May. The Centre is located in Little India at the junction of Campbell Lane and Clive Street. www.indianheritage.org.sg
National Day Celebrations Of course, the main event this year will be the National Day Parade, which marks Singapore’s 50th Anniversary on August 9. The celebrations will be taking place in the Marina Bay area, from Gardens by the Bay right through to the Padang, which will host Singapore’s biggestever National Day Parade. This year’s National Day Parade 2015 will be massive. The usual aerial display will feature more than 50 different aircraft and the event will celebrate the achievements of Singapore’s military and civil service personnel from years gone by. The theme of the event will be “Majulah Singapura” (Malay for “Onward Singapore”). As can be expected during a jubilee year, there are numerous activities going on which celebrate Singapore’s 50th anniversary. For the complete listing, you can check out the government’s website. www.singapore50.sg
Spend time outdoors Look out also for free outdoor concerts in the parks by local artists, community groups and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), which are also part of the SG50 celebrations. www.nparks.gov.sg If you enjoy outdoor performances, then consider attending Ballet Under the Stars by Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT). The SDT will be presenting the 20th edition of Ballet Under the Stars from the June 12-14 and June 19-21 at the Fort Canning Green. Ballet Under the Stars began in 1995 and has since grown to be Singapore’s favorite dance event. Just pack a picnic and enjoy the performances. This year’s program consists of a spectacular medley of works including Double Contrast by Choo-San Goh, Rubies by George Balanchine and Lambarena by Val Caniparoli, all of which
will be performed on the first weekend of contemporary ballets. Concerto Barocco and Serenade by George Balanchine, as well as Schubert Symphony by Choo-San Goh are slated for the second weekend of a fusion of classical and contemporary pieces. So if you are going to be in Singapore over the summer months, you can be assured that you will find many wonderful experiences for your family and yourself. Photos by Tan Boon Seng and acroamatic Nithia Devan is a freelance marketing communications professional, copywriter and editor. She is a keen supporter of the arts in Singapore, especially theater. Her other passions are cookery, cinema, travel, art and crafts. Nithia also writes for City Nomads, a guide to what's happening in Singapore, www.citynomads.com.
For teenagers and adults, there are theater productions, concerts and dance performances. As it’s Singapore’s 50th anniversary this year, look out for productions that celebrate this special anniversary. For example, local comedy trio, The Dim Sum Dollies, is putting on a show entitled The History of Singapore, Part 1, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at Singapore’s early history. www.dreamacademy.com.sg There’s also the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) and a fringe event called Open which precedes the main festival. The events will take place between July and September. www.sifa.sg See some art The museums here often organize special children’s programs during the school holidays
Summer Reads: continued from page 10 ...After losing the love of her life, she lives with her sorrow in a small community that knows all her business. When she begins to sing again, she finds solace and new meaning to her life. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters In 1922 London, Frances and her mother take in boarders. One begins to show interest in Frances, while her mom tries to find other suitors for her daughter. The result is a deep psychological novel. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough A fact-filled biography of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright and their efforts to take to the skies. The book follows the private and public lives of the two brothers and the leap they took from bicycles to aerial locomotion. Weightless by Sarah Bannan A teenager initially finds the students at her new high school welcoming, but things begin to change when she starts to date one of the school's popular boys, upsetting the existing social hierarchy. The book looks at the phenomenon of teenage bullying through the eyes of a girl from an "uncool" group who watches as the popular group maliciously targets the new girl, with tragic consequences.