The Singapore Arts Festival might have ended its month-long run in late June but that's hardly reason enough for us not to prod the
meager scraps of details left behind in the wake of the festival.
I
have to admit that I'm nowhere in the running of becoming an art critic
who would watch a pantomime and seek meaning in the linearity of the
actor's posture or the fluidity of his arm movements. So you can rest
assure that this article is not going to be an introductory lecture of
A Critique of the Performing Arts 101.
Instead, my focus will be on
the receptiveness of the ordinary folks in Singapore towards art
performances.
I was there at the opening of the Singapore Arts Festival on the 25th of May, restless and slightly impatient with the huge crowd and the excessive humidity of the night, goggling at the shenanigans of some colorful Singaporeans. More on that later.
But the jaded cynic in me couldn't break free, not when the enthusiasm of Singaporeans and foreigners alike was highly visible and contagious, when the pre-opening acts were sufficiently well-placed lead-ups to the main performance of the ceremony and when the highlight of the opening was well worth the wait.
What I saw got me thinking. As I was making my way from the Esplanade to the Padang earlier in the evening of the opening ceremony, I stopped to find out what the commotion was about when I saw a large crowd gathered right outside the Esplanade, along the Singapore River.
No surprise there if you're Singaporean. It was a street performance, organized in conjunction with the Singapore Arts Festival and a really entertaining one at that. A bunch of guys, attired completely in black, were banging on drums raised on movable platforms in an infectious and heart-thumping rhythm.
The crowd, largely comprising casually attired Singaporeans, was completely enjoying the performance, laughing out and clapping enthusiastically at the attempts of the European performers in speaking Mandarin.
This encouraging display of the warm and enthusiastic reception of Singaporeans to the street performances is hardly limited to the two cases mentioned above. Singaporeans have time and again highlighted their capability of being appreciative audiences who are willing to take time out of their busy lives, to brave the crowds and the congested roads to attend these performances, with their families in tow.
The only catch is that for the average Singaporean, these performances must be free. And honestly, I can't fault them for their prudent behavior as well. It wouldn't make sense for them to pay on average 50 dollars to watch a performance that they are not sure they would enjoy because of the lack of knowledge about the performers or the international acclaim that these performances have received.
So, I would encourage those of us who are quick to begrudge Singaporeans for their poor attendance of performances in the concert halls, to not overlook the overwhelming turnout in outdoor performances, courtesy of our very own locals. They are appreciating art in the ways that they see fit. As they say, To Each His Own.
Speaking of outdoor performances, there were some rather... colourful characters during the opening ceremony of the Singapore Arts Festival: (1) A mother was holding out a plastic bag for her young son to pee in, right in plain sight of everyone and within touching distance from the people who were sitting right beside them at the Padang. (2) An old man kept looking at unsuspecting young females and leering at them while simultaneously playing with his dentures.
And no, we don't have pictures. Hooked
Pictures credit: National Arts Council
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