Dancing without Touching

Taking the form of a multimedia installation, Dancing without Touching presents itself as an alternative discourse of movement and dance in the context of ‘entertainment’ worlds (often referred to as amusement parks) in early Singapore.

The exhibition presents 6 subjects immersed in deliberately constructed ‘situations’, with each character projected on the interiors of individual geometric pods. Each pod, suggestive of time capsules, resembles origami enclosures housing star images and bodies. Reflecting on themes of activation and authorship, subjects are given free rein to interpret, respond and perform within the site.

All performances are definitive in the sense that each one is for the performer, tantamount to the work itself; equally, all performances are bound to be provisional in the sense that each performer knows he/she is deepening his/her own interpretation of the work. The invitation offers the performer the opportunity to challenge traditional and preconceived notions/stereotypes associated with his/her character.

Drawing reference from the first three ‘entertainment’ worlds namely; New World, Great World, and Gay/Happy World, the exhibition space provides an experiential encounter between individuals, both physical and as image, within a shared space. The work revolves around the tension between connective pairs of characters and individual journeys. An insight into interrelated components in Choo’s process of creating, participants are situated in the inter-spaces between interpretation and negotiation, performance and chance.