CARILLON, The Human Expression Dance Company 2026
I was recently invited to preview The Human Expression’s newest work, and like a patriotic Singaporean aunty I followed the unspoken national code of ‘free things must take’ and dutifully trooped down to Goodman Arts Center.
Based on the concept of a music box, CARILLON (by Ginevra Panzetti and Enrico Ticconi) explores circularity and loops – from the 360 staging, circular formations, repeated dance and musical phrases.
They play with repetition through space and time – how does the tone of a piece change when you accelerate or slow down the same phrases, expand those circles and tighten them – and what is the effect when you break those loops. Can the same movements then shift from caricature to grotesque, to frenetic or yearning.
Or in aunty speak – how come they doing the same thing but when faster become scarier then slow down looks 怪怪1 one.
It sounds complicated, but it was in many ways very simple.
There were only 6 dancers (probably due to budgetary issues), no sets (again budget) and the only prop each dancer had was a scarf (once again, budget please support the arts)
The choreographic choices of movements, shapes and formations were also uncomplicated. Simple grooves and flows, pas de bourrées and two steps and high knee kicks – yes, high knee kicks, the kind void deck zumba aunties and uncles do.
So a piece that was ostensibly about patterns and shapes was actually one about how much you could achieve with very little.
How you could, through kinetic change, complicate simplicity of movement. How a scarf could be a flag, a floor cloth, a towel, a mask. It’s simple, but also kind of not.
There is a clear concept for audiences to understand – of being trapped in loops and patterns. But there is lots of space for people to imagine up their own interpretations – is this commentary on capitalism? Consumerism? Collectivism? Conflict?
A smaller venue (this will be staged at the Esplanade Theatre Studio) allows people to experience the performers up close, simultaneously as humans dancing and as characters.
Simple, but kind of not.
And that’s pretty much a metaphor for dance in Singapore – the exploration of what can be achieved with not a lot.
In the absence of shockbait or bloated amounts of money to fund easy big budget spectacle and razzle dazzle – although there is actual gold glitter that gets thrown at you – Panzetti and Ticconi have created a piece that is dynamic and most importantly, sustains your interest throughout.
It’s not the most transformative work you’ll ever see, but it’s like…you know, you go to hawker center then you eat the bak chor mee eh this bak chor mee is just a noodle dish but got quite a lot of things going on got vinegar got chilli got fish sauce got liver got meatball and ya la not 3 star Michelin but quite tasty, the noodles quite q, quite 划算2; the Michelin very expensive and sometimes not nice one eat too much also very jelak3.
A little more seasoning though, could be added to elevate CARILLON. Some moments of visual creativity and impact, some depth of innovation or emotion that needs to be teased out.
Because the other cardinal rule of being a Singapore aunty is – just because I got it for free doesn’t mean I’m not entitled to complain about it.
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