Winners of Sprouts competition announced

SINGAPORE — Independent artist and lecturer at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Liu Wen-Chun, has been awarded the Most Promising Work prize at Sprouts, a dance choreography competition organised by the National Arts Council and co-presented by Frontier Danceland.

Currently in its sixth edition, Sprouts is designed for emerging dance choreographers to showcase their talents and kick-start their professional careers. Six finalists, who were shortlisted from 16 participants, were paired with established dance practitioners of their choice to undergo a four-month mentorship programme to develop their craft. The final showcase took place over the weekend, where the choreographed pieces were judged by a panel of international and Singaporean dance specialists.

“It was a very fruitful learning experience for me as a new choreographer, and I received a lot of support through the mentorship process and feedback from the judges,” said Liu, who walks away with a S$2,000 cash prize and a Capability Development Grant of S$3,000. “The experience has been a really rewarding one, and it has encouraged me to seriously consider pursuing choreography as a profession.”

Other winners include Dinie Dasuki, who won for Most Popular Work and S$1,000 in cash, and Brandon Khoo Zhi Hao, who won the Best Dancer prize and S$500 in cash.

“To me, the Sprouts platform is one that allows us to discover new talents and give budding choreographers an open playground to explore their creative side and articulate themselves through different forms of expression,” said judge Ricky Sim, who is artistic director at Raw Moves, Singapore. “I’m pleased that Sprouts has given me the chance to witness how Singapore’s dance scene has evolved and (to) play a part in the development of artistic voices within our community. Having been a judge from the prelims to the finals, it was rewarding to see the finalists take on feedback and sharpen their craft within a short period of time, finally expressing their thoughts and creativity competently and impressively.”