NUS Dance Ensemble

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NUS Dance Ensemble (NUS DE) was founded in 1992 by Resident Choreographer and Artistic Director, Zaini Mohd Tahir. Since then, NUS DE has garnered acclaim and established itself as a promising dance group that explores an unconventional repertoire, incorporating ethnic elements from Asian dance seamlessly into styles such as contemporary, jazz, and ballet.

 

NUS DE seeks to redefine Asian contemporary dance with its strong grounding in tradition and culture while remaining relevant and forward-looking, highlighting this distinctive dance style locally and abroad. Ultimately, NUS DE aims to be a platform for collaborative work between dance companies and institutions in Southeast Asia.

 

Recent productions include “The Next Wave” (TNW) 2022, “Evocation” 2023, and “Momentum” 2023 in collaboration with Republic Polytechnic.

 

Key Past Events

2022 NUS Arts Festival
2021 NUS Arts Festival: Past . Presence . Future .
2019 Republic Polytechnic’s Dance Festival, Momentum
2017 NUS Arts Festival, Opening Show, Remember When…
2016 Republic Polytechnic’s Dance Festival, Momentum
2016 Macau International Youth Dance Festival
2015 National Arts Council’s Got To Move
2012 Concert tour, Manila, Philippines

Awards and achievements

2021 Production of the Year, Tan Ean Kiam Arts Awards for Past. Present. Future., NUS Arts Festival
2017 Production of the Year, Tan Ean Kiam Arts Awards for opening show Remember When…, NUS Arts Festival
2009 Best Choreography and Special Personal Award of the Director, New Prague Dance Festival

Zaini Mohammad Tahir

Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer

Zaini Mohammad Tahir started dancing at a late age of 19 when he joined the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company as an artiste. Upon graduation from National University of Singapore, he continued his passion in the performing arts and worked as a dancer and choreographer for projects in Japan, Germany, Canada, and the United States. His noteworthy performances include memorable parts in TheatreWorks’ original productions of Beauty World and Private Parts and the role of Pouncival in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, CATS, which toured Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul.

 

Trained in ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, his choreographic style is deeply rooted in traditional Asian movement, bearing testimony to his Indonesian classical training at the Bagong Academy of Dance in Jogjakarta.

 

As the Founder, Resident Choreographer and Artistic Director of the NUS Dance Ensemble since 1992, he has led the company of over 120 dancers to garner acclaim and establish itself as a promising contemporary dance company, evident in their annual concerts, The Next Wave (1995 – 2019, 2022) and Evocation (2002 – 2019, 2022-2023) as well as NUS Centre For the Arts’ Dance Reflections (1995 – 2013) and the NUS Arts Festival Opening Show ‘Remember When…’ . To date, he has choreographed over 100 works for the company. As the Artistic Manager of Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company (2001 – 2007), he directed and choreographed most of the performances and all its seasons’ repertoires, including Singapore’s National Day Parade (2001 – 2002, 2005 – 2007, 2014, 2015, 2018 – 2021)