Winners of Inaugural Dance Choreography Competition SPROUTS

The final showcase of the inaugural edition of SPROUTS: New Works Platform for
Dance Choreographers saw nine young talents take center stage in a bid to win the top
prizes of the competition.

After an electrifying showcase of creativity and dance, the National Arts Council (NAC)
and co-organiser Frontier Danceland are pleased to announce the following winners:

Most Promising Work: Duality by Gianti Giadi
Best Dancer: Wu Yixin
Most Popular Work (by audience votes): The Combination by Kelvin Koh

The winners received received trophies and cash prizes of SGD500 to SGD 2,000 from the chairman of the judging panel Janek Schergen, Artistic Director of the Singapore Dance Theatre. Winner of the Most Promising Work prize Gianti Giadi will have a chance to present the full length work at next year’s edition of SPROUTS. Finalists also received a production fee of SGD 500 each.

Said Ms Elaine Ng, Director of Performing Arts Development, NAC, “It is heartening to see young dance makers display such creativity and energy in their works. We believe that it is important for emerging talent to continue to receive the support and encouragement they need to develop their abilities. We would like to congratulate this year’s SPROUTS participants on a job well done, and hope to see even more aspiring choreographers and inspiring works in next year’s edition.”

The National Arts Council (NAC) was established in September 1991 to spearhead the development of the arts in Singapore. To realise its vision of developing Singapore into a distinctive global city for the arts, NAC provides total support to nurture artistic talent, promotes the practice and appreciation of the arts among Singaporeans, builds up capabilities and resources, facilitates internationalisation and advocates the value of the arts. Through its holistic range of programmes and initiatives to develop the entire arts value chain, the Council champions the growth of a vibrant arts sector where the arts is accessible to all, and the community of artists, arts groups and arts businesses can innovate, excel and achieve sustainability in the long term.

Co-organiser Frontier Danceland has made many efforts to drive new local contemporary dance content.

For those eagerly anticipating SPROUTS 2010, the competition will be open for new submissions from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2010.

Winners of SPROUTS 2009

Most Promising Work
Duality by Gianti Gadi

Gianti Giadi started dancing when she was 5 years old. She performed Traditional
Indonesian dances at the International Folkloreade 2001, Netherlands. She was a recipient of the ‘best dancer’ award in Namarina, Jakarta in 2003. Gianti has also trained
in RAD Ballet and CSTD Jazz technique. She choreographed for the Indonesian Arts
Festivals 2005 & 2007, where she fused Traditional Indonesian & Contemporary dance into her pieces. Gigi received her B.A(Hons) in dance studies at the Lasalle College of the Arts, and has now joined the college as a part-time lecturer. Her most recent performance was The Legend: The Journey Begins, a Ramayana story presented by Maya Dance Theatre, in which she performed the main role of Sita.

Best Dancer
Wu Yixin

Yixin graduated from the Guangdong Province Dance School in June 2001 with a certificate from the middle vocational school. From 2001 to 2003, she studied at the Administration Science department of Sun Yat Sen University, majoring in Art and Management. In 2006, Yixin graduated with a Diploma in Dance from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). During her time in NAFA, she represented the college in
the Tari Dance Festival, 2005, Kuala Lumpur. Yixin was an apprentice with The Arts
Fission Company in 2006 and performed with the company as a full-time dancer from
2007 to March 2008. Yixin joined Frontier Danceland in May 2008 and has performed
with the company in Cherish (2008), Beg Your Pardon? and Dancers’ Locker (2009).
She choreographed and performed a solo piece titled Opposing Lights for SPROUTS
2009.

Most Popular Work
The Combination by Koh Hong Yap Kelvin

Kelvin started dancing in 2000 under the instruction of Mr Derrick Ee and joined the
People’s Association Cultural Troupe (PACT) Jazz Dance in 2001 for a year. Having no formal dance training but armed with a passion for dance, he joined NUS Dance Synergy in 2001 and subsequently became vice-president in 2002. He has choreographed for NUS Dance Synergy since 2003. In 2004, he participated in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival with NUS Dance Synergy as both dancer and Production Manager.