Shuttle in Time

Over the last 40 years, NUS Chinese Dance has earned a reputation for excellence as an accomplished dance group through the development and performance of a highly challenging repertoire of works, from technically demanding traditional Chinese dance to fresh and evocative Chinese contemporary pieces.

As part of a continued mission to raise the standards of Chinese dance, the dancers are given a firm grounding in traditional Chinese dance aesthetics while encouraged to explore contemporary styles and choreography as part of their dance development.

Through a combination of performances within NUS and various external engagements, NUS Chinese Dance aims to foster expertise and experience not just in Chinese dance, but an appreciation for Chinese culture and to bring this unique art form to the masses. NUS Chinese Dance also regularly collaborates with overseas dance troupes, such as the internationally-acclaimed Beijing Dance Academy.

Formed in 2003, NUS Chinese Drama strives to create performances that resonate with human emotions and experiences and that provoke critical thinking.

Previously mentored by Li Xie and Peter Sau, the group focused on forum theatre and presented works including Funeral in 2012 which shed light on issues regarding traditional funeral rites and Just A Bad Day in 2014 on the theme of violence against women. Besides presenting original works devised through interactive theatre, the group has also performed scripted plays translated to Mandarin such as Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay by Dario Fo in 2013 and Dear Miss Ye, adapted from Dear Elena Sergeevna by Lyudmila Razumovskaya in 2017; where members took responsibility for directing and production work.

In 2018, under the guidance of Anne Chua from Tapestry Playback Theatre, NUS Chinese Drama presented a Playback performance sharing stories from the audience by enacting them on stage. The group also challenged themselves to present a devised piece based upon their own stories in The Child Who Loved Numbers, under the guidance and direction of Judy Ngo as part of NUS Arts Festival 2019.

Currently under the guidance of Judy Ngo, NUS Chinese Drama aims to nurture actors who are committed to learning how to express themselves through the use of theatre and wish to develop a holistic experience of theatre for themselves and their audiences.