Performing arts groups in Singapore are reaching milestones in their own stories histories. one dance group and a theater organization are both set to mark their 30th anniversaries next year, while another dance collective and additional theater ensemble will celebrate the quarter-century mark. As the leaders of the organizations reflect back on their pasts and look toward perhaps tentative futures, all must respond to the same challenge: how to remain relevant in a rapidly changing society and world.
Many of the organizations spoke about how difficult it is to find funding. An annual outdoor Shakespeare celebration wasn’t held this year because of budgeting trouble. Next year, though, a performance will be staged thanks, in part, to an online fundraising campaign. It’s finding sources of nontraditional funding like crowdfunding websites and other resources that will become key to supporting efforts from the group.
Another dance troupe bemoaned the fact that even though they host grand ballet performances, they still lack their own, dedicated orchestra. While other groups would be surprised at this lack of a facet to the performance, the leader of the dance organization said it’s simply par for the course — when the money’s not there, it’s impossible to fund everything that would help elevate a performance to the next level.
For the other dance organization, which focuses on Malay dancing, the trouble comes from sponsors. People who do not come from a Malay background are often uncomfortable donating money to Malay dancing, an official explained, while those from a Malay background are uneasy as the organization challenges the traditional notions of Malay dancing. Arts organizations of all shapes and sizes are often responsible for simultaneously preserving traditions and histories while bringing practices into modern times. It is increasingly difficult to do, especially with a lack of funding.
Many of the leaders of these organizations view a number of obstacles as the reasons behind their groups’ challenges. Interestingly enough, one unlikely challenger to arts and culture in Singapore might be something many people around the world have access to: video and television streaming services. It is hard, one leader said, to decide whether to go see a theater performance or to stay home and relax on the couch with Netflix. That’s why officials must continue to encourage people to attend and find new and innovative ways to draw the attention of the public to the shows they are staging.
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To read more about the storied pasts and future plans of the Singapore art organizations, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/still-young-at-art.