Within and Without

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) School of Dance, in collaboration with the NUS Museum, presents Within and Without, a joint endeavour for movement and fine art to mingle and delve into the realms of identity formation and unity. A performance in two parts, the process introduced dance diploma students to the contexts and contingencies of the museum and its curatorial directives.

Drawing inspiration from figurative Nanyang paintings within Radio Malaya: Abridged Conversations About Art, Within embarks on an exploration of the intricate interplay between dance and visual art in the context of relationships, transcending the constraints of both time and space. This work intertwines the expressive power of both disciplines to weave an introspective and emotive narrative of connection and belonging.

Supporting this sentiment is the embodiment of Without – a series of contact duets composed in response to the sculptures of Ng Eng Teng: 1+1=1. Here, we turn to examining the complexities of the human body entangled within relational dependencies and separations. Dancers test the endurance of connectivity in this experience, creating physical interpretations of the human body’s capacity for coalescence, detachment and emotion.