"Openings" 

The Alliance Francaise of Singapore welcomes you to an interdisciplinary performance, "Openings" creates a vibrant dialogue between East and West—particularly between France and China—through a shared artistic language.

At the heart of the project lies a series of linocut prints. Inspired by their lines, textures and gestures, the artists will lead audiences through four distinct stages, unfolding as a powerful narrative journey: oppression, resistance, transformation, and rebirth. Each stage will be brought to life through a selection of engravings, allowing the visual world of the prints to resonate across movement, sound and calligraphy.

Throughout the performance, a calligrapher will engage deeply with the forms and gestures found within the linocuts, translating their essence into Chinese calligraphy. Abstract, symbolic and poetic, this live reinterpretation does not seek to illustrate the original works, but to transform them into a new and deeply personal expressive language.

A traditional Chinese dancer and a contemporary dancer will share the stage, creating striking contrasts and unexpected resonances between their distinct movement vocabularies. Their performances will be accompanied by music performed live, alternating between traditional repertoire and fully improvised passages that connect the different chapters of the piece.

Openings is conceived as a space of encounter between cultures, artistic disciplines, inherited traditions and contemporary creation. Through the meeting of engraving, dance, music and calligraphy, each element influences and transforms the others, inviting audiences to experience an ever-evolving journey from oppression to rebirth.

Chow Teck Seng

Singapore-born, CHOW Teck Seng 周德成, both a calligrapher and writer, has won in championships in the open category of various Singapore's National Chinese Calligraphy Competition, and is a recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize and Golden Point Award (Poetry), as well as 2024 Southeast Asian Chinese Poet Award.

Participated in multiple editions of the Singapore International Chinese Calligraphy Exhibitions both local & overseas, he held his solo calligraphy exhibition I. Calligraphy and art exhibition Like. Joy. Love in July & September 2024 at Zall Bookstore Galley.

Ryan Lim 

Ryan Lim is an undergraduate at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music, Collaboration and Production.

An active performer in Singapore's Chinese music scene, Ryan served as Concertmaster of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO). He joined The TENG Ensemble as an erhu player in 2021 and was awarded the Mapletree–TENG Academy Scholarship in 2019 and 2021 in recognition of his musical excellence and potential.

Beyond performance, Ryan is an active arranger and collaborator, creating works for mixed ensembles that bring together Chinese and Western instruments, with a particular focus on the erhu. 

Rachelle Lu Yan 

Rachelle Lu Yan is a renowned dancer. From a young age, she received professional training with a performing arts troupe, studying under Yao Xiaoming, a nationally recgonised first-class choreographer in China, while also receiving training in traditional Chinese musical instruments. Her strong artistic foundation led to multiple awards in dance.

In 2016, she joined the Tampines Art Troupe in Singapore. She currently serves as the Chairperson of Tampines Art Troupe, leading this non-profit arts organisation in promoting Chinese culture, engaging in community cultural initiatives, performances, and international artistic exchanges.

Melissa Quek 

Melissa Quek is Head, School of Dance and Theatre at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore. She is a choreographer, performer and educator whose interest lies in creating a visceral experience for the audience.

She also makes works for young audiences from birth to 12 years with The Kueh Tutus (a Collective dedicated to creating dance for young audiences). Her most recent performance in August is a collaboration with an occupational Therapist presented by contemporary dance company Raw Moves.

Karst de Jong

Karst de Jong is a Dutch pianist, improviser, and music theorist. He is internationally recognized in the field, and has published research on music theory, improvisation, and collaborative music creation.

With 35 years of teaching experience, he has held positions at top institutions in the Netherlands and Barcelona. Since 2023, he is a full-time professor at NUS YST Conservatory in Singapore.

Neil Gauthier 

Neill Gautier is a performer, teacher and composer driven by a passion for spontaneous composition.

The founder of Neill’s Jazz Lab, he is an award-winning drummer and instructor with over 20 years of teaching and performance experience. Through his travels, he has explored diverse styles—from jazz and funk to Afro-Cuban and electronic music.

In Belgium, he delved into contemporary jazz, while in Cameroon, he immersed in traditional African music. These experiences enriched his artistry, allowing him to blend influences and transcend genres.

Chen Yifan

Chen Yifan is a Singapore-based guzheng musician. A first-class honours graduate from the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS-NAFA) in collaboration with the Royal College of Music London, she studied under Madam Yin Qun.

An active performer, Chen has performed as a youth Nanyin vocalist with Siong Leng Music Association, and has performed with the group internationally in Singapore, Malaysia and China. A prizewinner of the Singapore Chinese Music Competition and Nanyang International Music Competition, Chen was the first musician in Singapore to present the Butterfly Guzheng on stage (SCMC 2022).

As a director, playwright and performer, her recent project, a multimedia monodrama “As It Was, As It Turns, As It’s Fated” positions the guzheng at the intersection of traditional and contemporary practice through extended techniques and interdisciplinary stagecraft.