Dance doyenne, theatre company receive awards

Dance doyenne Yan Choong Lian and Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre received 2024's Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award (SCCCA) on May 8.

- Chin Soo Fang

The award recognises individuals and organisations who made extraordinary contributions to the promotion, enrichment and development of Chinese Singaporean culture.

Madam Yan, founder and artistic director of Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES), was the recipient in the individual category, while Nine Years Theatre was honoured in the organisation category.

Recipients of the award receive a $10,000 cash prize, along with additional funding for their projects.

Individual recipients get up to $10,000 in funding, while organisations receive up to $20,000.

The award, launched in 2017 by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), has been given out annually except in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Madam Yan, 70, began her dance career in 1972 and ventured into choreography in 1980, experimenting with different dance styles and forms.

As a choreographer, she was involved in various local and overseas projects, and represented Singapore on cultural exchanges in places such as the United States, Europe, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

Her passion and talent in dance led to the establishment of DES in 1993 and contemporary Chinese dance company DES Arts in 2004.

Under her leadership, DES has presented works that reflect the multicultural spirit of Singapore, including Chinese dance infused with Malay and Peranakan elements.