5 things to do in Singapore this week: July 5 to 11, 2021

This coming week, ignite your creative spark with a diverse slew of film festivals, art exhibitions, and exciting performances.

A beloved art film festival returns alongside a popular rainbow-coloured cabaret. Swing down to the heart of town for an interactive urban pop-up installation and take some time off from the hustle and bustle with two emotionally resonant performances.

1. Explore Singapore’s rich history of traditional dance

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7mmIxg7XA/[/embed]

Enrich your July with ROUTES, Stamford Arts Centre’s newest exhibition on the evolution of traditional dance in Singapore. A multi-perspective reflection told through storytelling and immersive technology, ROUTES presents a new riveting way of consuming narratives.

Personal anecdotes and stories on the growth of traditional dance from Singapore’s dance pioneers and practitioners will be told through life-sized holographic mesh projections.

ROUTES by the National Arts Council is located at Stamford Arts Centre, 155 Waterloo St, #01-05, Singapore 187962. The exhibition spans from July 1, 2021 – Sept 12, 2021. Open daily 9am -10pm.

2. Painting with Light Returns for Fourth Edition

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ0hfaeJv7t/[/embed]

Singapore’s only film festival dedicated to international films on art, Painting with Light , is back offering up a robust line-up at National Gallery Singapore and online.

Celebrating the spirit of experimentation in artmaking, expect over 50 award-winning and premiering films, including the festival’s first-ever 3D film showcase and a special film anthology commission responding to the exhibition Something New Must Turn Up: Six Singaporean Artists After 1965.

We’re looking forward to Evenings on the Terrace , which introduces film screenings under the glass canopy of the Supreme Court Terrace.

Painting with Light is showcasing from July 2, 2021 – July 25, 2021 with films online and in various on-site locations. Tickets per festival section start at $8.50. For more details on the program schedule, click here .

3. Swing in harmony with SIFA’s Musical Swings

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgLjD1nHGD/[/embed]

Hop onto this whimsical set of Musical Swings and create collective music with your friends at this refreshing urban pop-up installation created by Canadian artists Daily tous les jours .

Sitting up to nine participants per session, each swing you make will set off different notes with hidden melodies unleashed only when a series of synchronised swings is orchestrated. A site for collaboration, cooperation, and connection with your fellow Singaporeans will surely strike a playful chord in you.

Musical Swings is located at Cathay Green, 93 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178897. It runs till July 11, 2021. Open Mon-Fri 2pm – 9pm, Sat-Sun 12pm – 9pm. Register a free slot here .

ALSO READ: 5 things to do in Singapore this week: June 28 to July 4, 2021

4. Every month is Pride Month with Faghag

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BiGWnYMnRbs/?tagged=wrfaghag[/embed]

Back by popular demand, Wild Rice’s Faghag returns this July in a rainbow-coloured cabaret not to be missed. Join Pam Oei and maestro Julian Wong as she tells jokes, share heart-warming tales, and prove exactly why she deserves the title of Singapore’s Number One Faghag.

This 90-minute show will also touch on Pam’s acts of allyship over the years from fighting to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code in 2007 to acting as Pink Dot’s Countdown Queen every year.

Faghag by Wild Rice will show from 1 July 2021 to 25 July 2021 at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre at Funan, 107 North Bridge Road, Level 4, Singapore 179105. Tickets start from $40.

5. Resonances evokes a reflection on humanity’s resilience

Liven up your weekend with Resonances, an exciting multidisciplinary 2-part performance reflecting on the strength of human resilience. ¿Rəsiliəncə! first looks at how resilience within the safety net of a strong social cohesion became our saving grace during this Covid-19 crisis.

Titled LOTUS FUGUE, the second part of the show is inspired by the lectures, letters, and lotus paintings by Georgette Chen. It questions Singapore’s multiple roots, its struggle with identity, and the role the arts play in this equation.

Resonances is performed at the Esplanade Recital Studio, 1 Esplanade Dr, Singapore 038981, on 10 July 10 and 11, 2021 from 8pm – 9pm. Tickets start from $25.

This article was first published in City Nomads.