dapheny chen   

In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Singapore’s women’s table-tennis team took home the silver medal. A first for the sport, second for the country. The three-member team were full-fledged People’s Republic of China nationals adopted by Singapore under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme. This win led to a debate about Singapore’s ability in the global sports arena and the tools we deploy to make a mark. 

Ready to go Solo? takes this debate as its foundation block, to question the ideologies behind social politics in Singapore through dance. Having accumulated more than a thousand ping pong balls over 8 seasons of exploration, the work attempts to navigate the tensions of competition, representation, prestige and belonging. 

The work has seen 8 seasons of research and exploration as listed below:

Season#1 – A Woman, A bat, 6 balls, paper and pen

Season#2 - A Woman, A bat, A Table and 6 balls

Season#3 - A Woman, A Bat, A table, 6 balls and a friend

Season#4 - A woman, A Bat, 30 balls and a Dance

Season#5 - A Woman, A Bat, 30 balls and some music

Season#7 - A Woman, 156 balls, A row, 2 feet and A dance

Season#8 – A Woman, 1126 balls, A Grid, 2 feet and a ritual

Dapheny's practice and interest revolves around architectural methodology and social relevance. She finds the urge to bridge various art forms with dance to create a visceral and immersive experience for the general public as well as expand the vocabularies of contemporary performance through collaborations and artistic exchange.