Exuviation (2021) - Five Dances for violin, yangqin, and piano
Performances
2022
Soundbites: Sounding Now
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Yue Ning Foo, violin
Cheong Chi Yun, Estene, yangqin
Zi Tao Chua, piano
2022 (Dance premiere)
Grief, The Third Space
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Dan Kwoh, choreographer
Exuviation: to shed a skin or shell, moulting
This five-movement work was created for a dance in collaboration with choreographer Dan Kwok on the topic of grieving, reflecting on what it means to have lost something close to our hearts, to crumble into darkness, not knowing how to get out. A model for grieving was formulated by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in 1969, and it includes the following five stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. However, it should be noted that these stages are non-linear, and anyone going through grief can enter any of the other stages at any point and re-enter states that they previously overcame. As such, grieving can be seen as a continuous process of breaking down and picking ourselves up in different states, like individuals moulting out of their old skin. While the movements are to be played in order, each of the movements lacks a title, allowing listeners to freely interpret the states that are experienced.