28 - 30 july 2021
Nanyang academy of fine arts
Nanyang academy of fine arts
Day 1Wednesday 28 July 2021, 16:00
New Collaborative learning strategies - teacher and student collaborations within confines (cyber space and physical realm)
The actor's art work is housed in the body of the actor. Manifesting the imaginary sense to the body is often seen as subjective and hard to articulate. Therefore, there is emphasis that teachers and students need to be physically present in the same learning space during movement training so that teachers are able to observe, feel, and provide feedback for improvement. Nevertheless, it is also suggested that such a mode of learning fosters a predominantly teacher-focused experience whereas the inclusion of digital spaces can engage students in more self-directed or self-managed forms of learning that mirror how theatre ensemble members learn.
This presentation will discuss how students learn to make creative decisions on the staging of imaginative narratives to synthesize Asian movement forms with Western text in the creation of characters and how video technologies supported their personal development of movement practices.
A multi-disciplinary artist and scholar, Grace Leong was trained as a dancer and later in contemporary performance practices. A post-colonial Chinese Malaysian who lives in Singapore, she is fascinated by issues of identity and multi-cultural art practices.
Her key projects focus on Southeast Asian themes, which include "Spirit of Kelantan", a documentary launched on MediaCorp's OKTO Channel in 2011 as well as "Ramayana in its Forms", "Transcend Sbek Thom" and "Encounter Hun Lakorn Lek", which were public performances which investigates collective memory and embodiment of the arts of traditional theatre.
Grace's work "Allegory of Wayang Kulit" (2014) was featured in the University of Royal Holloway Festival of New Works in London, where it was included in the list of "Creative Responses to Modernity Competition", hosted by the Centre for Modern Literature and Culture at King's College. Her most recent works include "MacBeth in Nanyang Spirit" and "Duo Duo 3", where the former was awarded a Special Prize by The Shakespeare Association of Mongolia, and the latter a sold-out performance in Georgetown Festival 2017.
Grace has a wealth of professional experience through her works and collaborations with esteemed performing arts companies as well as museums in the region. Notable collaborators include Noise Performance House, National Museum Singapore, Dance Horizon Troupe, Paper Monkey Theatre, MOCA Museum of Contemporary Arts Singapore, TCR Music Station Singapore, Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre and People's Association Talent Advisor Panel.