Dance in Singapore

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Dance in Singapore has been an integral part of its culture despite having a relatively short history of creative, artistic and professional dance. The range of dance reflects the cultural diversity of Singapore, from traditional dance forms to contemporary genres.^[1]

This history of dance in Singapore can be traced back to the early 20th century when various dance forms were introduced from different parts of the world. Post-colonial Singapore marked a period of discovery of its local arts where there was a consistent struggle between the rejection and acceptance of western dance influences, and the re-emphasis of ethnic cultures from time to time.^[2] The early years of Singapore's dance scene was largely dominated by ethnic dances as immigrants brought along these traditional art forms over from their homelands, namely Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian.^[2] As the arts and education scene in Singapore developed through the years, the dance scene also grew into a vibrant mix of both traditional and modern dance forms.

While the Singapore identity through dance is a challenging one, pioneering figures of dance have spearheaded and contributed greatly to the evolution of Singapore's dance scene such as Goh Lay Kuan, Som Said and Santha Bhaskar.