Back with Beginner Contemporary Dance Open Classes

Movement For All (MFA): Contemporary Dance with *SCAPEdance Residents was organised by *SCAPEdance and supported by the National Arts Council (NAC) as part of NAC’s Arts and Culture Nodes Network. The programme aimed to provide youth who are interested in Contemporary dance an opportunity to learn from various local emerging Contemporary dancers, such as the seven Residents, from the inaugural *SCAPEdance Residency programme. These open classes were held physically at *SCAPE The TreeTop. Each class only had a vacancy of 10 in maximum to abide by the safe management measures imposed by the government.

Resident Li Rui Min and participants on 8 February 2021.

Over the course of four weeks from 1 February 2021, the seven Residents taught open classes for beginners. These open classes were free of charge to locals and permanent residents aged between 15 to 35. Each class had a unique and distinct focus, ranging from Contemporary Ballet to Commercial Contemporary, to movement phrases in both Chinese and Contemporary dance.

Romaine Lee, Resident, shared her thoughts on what she liked best about MFA. “I liked that the programme was for youth that did not have prior dance background knowledge. It allowed me to connect with different beginner dancers from diverse backgrounds, listen to their stories and newly discovered passion in dance. I loved talking to them as they gave me a fresh perspective on the art form. They were also very open-minded when it came to sharing feedback. The environment was welcoming.”

On another topic of how the programme has benefitted the Residents in their journey and growth as a dancer, Lee Xue Jing, Resident, says, “I have always wanted to structure a class for beginners. I thought about how I could share about Contemporary dance in a way that eases new dancers into the genre and prepare them for movement comfortably. MFA gave me an opportunity to put my plethora of ideas into practice and at the same time, allowed me to continue to work on how and what I teach.”

Resident Nicole Chai teaching an MFA open class on 1 February 2021.

At the end of each open class, a feedback form was shared with the participants to better understand their experience and how the programme could be improved.

Here are the results from the feedback form:

From the responses gathered (as reflected above), majority of the participants have not heard of and/or attended any MFA programmes prior to the classes. However, a positive 74% of the participants rated their overall enjoyment of these classes as “Excellent”. Additionally, most of the participants are likely to attend another MFA programme.

The participants also shared their thoughts on their experience:

“The class was nice and the pace was suitable for beginners.”

“The instructor (Cheryl Wee) broke down the foundation needed for the routine and gave us lots of practice to get used to the foreign movements.”

“Insightful! I discovered new ways to feel energised in dance.”

“One of the more enjoyable classes that I have attended outside of school.”

To sum up both the Residents’ and participants’ experiences, MFA was a very growth-inducing and rewarding episode. The Residents were able to hone their teaching abilities whilethe participants were able to heighten their knowledge in Contemporary dance. The learning environment was a pleasant and encouraging one.

*SCAPEdance would like to thank the participants for taking part in the programme, and the Residents for coming forward to share their expanding comprehension of Contemporary dance. We look forward to bringing more dance and movement activities for the youth community.

To find out more about MFA: https://www.scape.sg/scapedance/movement-for-all/

To find out more about ongoing dance events: https://www.scape.sg/whats-on/?category=dance

You can get in touch with our dance team at dance@scape.sg.