Productions
NUS Dance Ensemble has 2 major annual productions, The Next Wave and Evocation that features the versatility of its dancers and the unique styles of the choreographers.
Evocation '22
Evocation is a platform for younger artists to develop as independent choreographers, providing exposure to the rest of the company in exploring the various specific styles and body movements of different choreographers. Evocation has featured works by many new and budding choreographers, including current undergraduates and alumni.
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Evocation 2022: Affirmations
What drives growth and the pursuit of a goal? Is it fame, fortune, or validation?
NUS Dance Ensemble (NUS DE) presents Evocation 2022: Affirmations, an evening of captivating choreography featuring 8 innovative choreographers from the dance community of NUS Dance Ensemble including our Artistic Director, Zaini Mohammad Tahir, members, alumni, and guest choreographers.
Looking back on the past three decades, NUS Dance Ensemble has walked on a path that was self-forged, collecting a multitude of stories that make up the treasure trove of our identity and history. These stories are woven into a tapestry of adventure- anticipating the journey ahead of all the things that affirm, inspire, and transform.
Experience the thread that connects us all.
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The Next Wave '22
The Next Wave is an annual production in which Dance Ensemble showcases the dynamics and versatility of its dancers in pieces choreographed by many renowned choreographers both locally and internationally.
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The Next Wave 2022: Affirmations
In celebration of The Next Wave’s 30th anniversary this year, the theme of Affirmations seeks to re-evaluate southeast Asian contemporary in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing art scene. NUS DE’s southeast Asian vocabulary - its form, aesthetics and function - has evolved over the years as NUS DE embarks on a journey of introspection and rediscovery. With the blend of traditional and urban, time stills, warps, transforms space. The NUS DE dancer’s identity - what it means to do southeast Asian contemporary - becomes increasingly hard to pin down. Yet, at the heart of such uncertainty, the process and rigour - a boldness to challenge existing states of aesthetics - prevails.
In response to the questions of what constitutes southeast Asian contemporary, The Next Wave 2022 features works from Tamie Wong (President and Dance Captain of NUS Dance Ensemble AY21/22), Shahbirul Zaki Ahmad (Pioneer member of NUS DE) and Zaini Mohd Tahir (Founder, Resident Choreographer and Artistic Director of NUS Dance Ensemble since 1992). The repertoire pays tribute to the past, the tension of being on the cusp of change, and questions on identity and themes that are irrevocably Asian. In so doing, it attempts to answer the perennial question: what is southeast Asian contemporary?