The Emergence of Chinese Dance in Postcolonial Singapore, 1960s–1970s

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the pioneer generation of amateur Chinese dancers in the People's Association Dance Company and the National Dance Company, who mark the emergence of Singaporean Chinese dance in the public sphere during the 1960s and 1970s. Relying mainly on primary sources, I analyze the development of Singaporean Chinese dance, showing how Chinese dance as a hybrid cultural form is constituted through the actions of the ruling elite and individual efforts. The rise of amateur Chinese dance can be seen as an outcome of a politicized node of fusion and interaction. Discussion focuses on three aspects of the development: (1) cultural policy that served the ideology of nation building, (2) the lack of state funding for dance, and (3) the slow accumulation of cultural capital by Singaporean Chinese dance practitioners.