Cheryl Wee  

“Started as a contemporary dancer and subsequently ventured into street dance during my later years, I never thought that I would return into contemporary dance. This Residency programme offers an open door for me into the contemporary dance scene and rekindles my body for contemporary dance.”  

The beginning of Cheryl’s dance journey was fate. She entered Tanglin Secondary School, her last post-PSLE option, and discovered that the school offered a compulsory dance program in its lower secondary curriculum. Having no prior experience in dance, the program sparked her interest and that’s when the dancing began and never stopped. She furthered in Contemporary Dance under Mr Zaki Ahmad while studying in SAJC. In her university years, Cheryl branched out to Street Dance under Mr Patrick Loo in NUS Dance Blast. Through her university, up till now, Cheryl has been working as a freelance dance instructor. She believes that dance is a holistic education. It can equip the next generation with important life values that enable them to succeed in life.  

Edna Low 

“My duration in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts exposed me to the different dance styles and genres. It also deepened my perspective and showed me the possibilities of dance. My goal is to be a performer and choreographer, and I hope that through the Residency programme, I will be able to learn more about dance under the guidance of mentors Albert Tiong and Adele Goh.” 

Edna is a recent graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). She started her dance journey at the age of 3, doing ballet at Dancepointe Academy. Over the years, she auditioned and joined their competition team, junior apprentice and had opportunities to travel overseas to places such as London and Barcelona for dance competitions and immersion programmes. At the age of 15, she decided to pursue dance professionally and enrolled into City Ballet Academy where she learned ballet under Xia Hai Ying, former principal dancer of Singapore Dance Theater. There she received performance opportunities and perform in theaters like esplanade. At 16, she joined Luminous Dance Academy to learn ballet under Bertrand Berena who was a former teacher at Paris Opera Ballet School. She enrolled into NAFA at 17 to pursue dance as a full-time dance student and have since worked with many different choreographers and teachers such as Rosa Park, Ezekiel Olivera, Hwa Wei An and many others.  

Li Rui Min 

“As an artist, I am interested in exploring how different sub-genres within an art form complement each other. I enjoy pushing disciplinary boundaries and hope to allow traditional forms to remain accessible in our society. Through the Residency programme, I would like to explore cross-cultural dance-making and interdisciplinary art forms.” 

Li Rui Min graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honors) Degree in Dance, majoring in Chinese Dance. During which, she was awarded the Chinese Dance Faculty Scholarship and the William Au Arts Education Scholarship. Rui Min is also the recipient of the Singapore National Arts Council Arts Scholarship (Overseas). Upon graduation, Rui Min subsequently performed with CIE. Ismael Ivo (DE/BR) Biblioteca Do Corpo in Vienna and Brazil and was also a main dancer with the Singapore Chinese Dance Theatre, where she performed as the female lead role in many dance dramas. Rui Min took part in many ASEAN exchange projects where she represented Singapore with her cultural and contemporary background. She went on to further her study at the Beijing Dance Academy College of Continuing Education. Rui Min is currently engaged in Dance Choreography, Performance and Education. 

Lee Xue Jing

“Currently, I am in the process of questioning and re-evaluating what technique means to me. Through this Residency programme, I aim to work on my choreography skills, and I believe this Residency is able to support me in my explorations. I am glad to be with a group of supportive dancers who are each uniquely talented.” 

Xue Jing is a freelance contemporary dance artist and has trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese dance. In Spring/Summer 2019, she toured a triple bill with Transitions Dance Company. She holds a Master of Arts in Dance Performance with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (London, UK), and a Diploma in Dance with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore). She was selected for an exchange semester at SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance (New York, US) in Fall 2017, and received the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Arts and Cultural Award in 2016. Xue Jing’s performance repertoire ranges from stage productions to mass displays, interdisciplinary projects and competitions, which include practised choreographies and improvised sections. She has also been teaching and conducting dance workshops since 2015.  

Nicole Chai

“I decided to be part of the Residency programme as I was itching to create new works, especially after a long hiatus due to COVID-19. The Residency is a good platform to start conversations and dance alongside like-minded people. It is a great opportunity for me to continue developing myself as an artist after graduation.” 

Nicole started dancing at the age of 7. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at National University of Singapore, she decided to follow her passion to pursue dance and graduated from Lasalle College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Dance. Interested in being more than just a performer, she ventured into teaching, arts management and choreography. She is currently a freelance dance instructor who teaches ballet and contemporary dance. Nicole looks to empower youth through dance, inculcating values and building character through creating process-driven works and performances. 

Romaine Lee

“This crazy year has led me to face some of my toughest challenges as an artist during a pandemic. Despite these difficult moments in my journey, it has only sustained and nurtured my passion for dance. Joining the Residency programme has allowed me to put more focus and energy into honing my crafts. I cannot wait to see the amazing opportunities this Residency will provide for me and the rest of the residents, and to push the frontiers of contemporary dance.” 

Previously trained in classical ballet technique, Romaine started her formal training in contemporary dance at the age of 13 when she joined SOTA. During her time there, Romaine received tutelage from prominent dance tutors such as Ms Silvia Yong and Ms Yun Ying Foo, and performed in numerous performances annually. In 2019, Romaine was accepted into direct entry to the Contemporary Major Programme in NZSD in the ballet competition AGP. Romaine is now in Singapore, with overseas pre-professional training experience under her belt. She is now learning how to combine both ballet and contemporary concepts into her contemporary training. 

Shanica Shivani

“When I graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts this year and my goal is to continue performing. However, my goal seems impossible due to the recent pandemic.  I’m glad that I came across the Residency programme and decided to take part in it.  I hope this programme will continue to nurture me to become the performer I would like to be and eventually achieve my goal.” 

Photos By Shaun Ho (www.shaunho.com)