Singapore International Festival of Arts

Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised by Arts Festival Limited for the National Arts Council. The festival is usually held in mid-year for a stretch of one month and incorporates theatre arts, dance, music and visual arts, etc. Besides local participants, many of the events are by international artists.

Dreams In Flight at the festival opening in 2007

It began as Singapore Arts Festival, (Chinese: 新加坡艺术节) organised by the National Arts Council, in 1977, and was a biennial event until 1999. Since 2012 it has been called Singapore International Festival of Arts, run by Arts Festival Limited, and commissioned by the National Arts Council.

The Festival Director is currently Gaurav Kripalani.[1]

History

The Singapore Arts Festival started in 1977 as a national arts festival to celebrate local arts from the diverse communities in Singapore. It was a biennial event until 1999 when the Festival of Asian Performing Arts and the Festival of Arts were merged as an annual event.[2]

In 2012, an independent company, Arts Festival Limited, was set up by the National Arts Council to take over the organising of the festival and it was renamed Singapore International Festival of Arts.[3] It is commissioned by the National Arts Council.[4]

Local productions

In addition to international acts, Singaporean productions (some in collaboration with overseas partners) in previous Arts Festivals include ECNAD's Missing In Tall Pillars (2002),[5] Mark Chan's Little Toys (2003), Opiume (2004) and Dreaming of Kuanyin Meeting Madonna (2007).

Editions

2008

The Singapore Arts Festival focused on water in 2008, with both the opening and closing shows being performed on water.

The opening show of 2008, Water Fools, was performed by the French group Ilotopie. It was held from 23–25 May at Boat Quay. The entire performance was performed in the Singapore River. The closing show, Hydro Sapiens, was performed by The Lunatics from the Netherlands. It was held in Bedok Reservoir from 20–22 June.

2010

The 2010s theme, Between You and Me, was all about getting closer to the arts. For the first time, the Festival will actively reach out to everyone through an outreach programme called com.mune. Together with a stellar showcase of international performances, the Festival will truly touch you in ways you never imagined possible.

2011

Singapore Arts Festival 2011 will be held from 13 May to 5 June 2011 and its theme is 'I Want To Remember'. The opening show will be When a Gray Taiwanese Cow Stretched, by Ishinha. About the migration of people from the South Sea islands to South East Asia, Taiwan and Japan, it will be Singapore Arts Festival’s largest-ever outdoor performance at the Esplanade Park.

2019

The 2019 edition runs from 16 May to 2 June.[6][7] The festival director is Gaurav Kripalani.[1]

2020

In response to the Singapore government's measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arts House Limited and the National Arts Council announced the cancellation of the SIFA.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)". Time Out Singapore. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  2. "Singapore dance festivals". National Library Board. Archived from the original on December 15, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  3. "FAQs". SIFA. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  4. "Arts House Limited". SIFA. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  5. The Flying Inkpot Review Archived 2008-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Singapore International Festival of Arts 2019: VR theatre, multimedia dance-offs". The Straits Times. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  7. "Three new Singapore commissions at Singapore International Festival of Arts 2019". The Straits Times. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  8. "Singapore International Festival of Arts, War Horse cancelled due to COVID-19". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 2020-03-24.

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