PROGRAMME
SYNOPSIS
Three choreographic voices — from Belgium, Taiwan, and Singapore — gather in twelve white chrysanthemums to contemplate how we part, remember, and begin again. Across cultures and bodies, the works trace the unseen shapes of grief: the silence after departure, the beauty of ritual and release, and the uneasy brightness of denial. Through movement, light, and human fragility, twelve white chrysanthemumstransforms mourning into reflection, and reflection into renewal.
twelve white chrysanthemums unfolds in three movements — each a reflection of how we confront absence, perform remembrance, and resist forgetting. Though distinct in language and form, the works share a quiet intimacy — an unspoken understanding that grief is not a single moment, but a continuum of feeling and release.
La nature n’aime pas le vide
Choreographed by Irène Kalbusch (Compagnie Irene K, Belgium)
Minimal and arresting, this opening work enters the stillness of absence — the breath just after departure. In pared-down gestures and delicate tension, it traces the contours of emptiness and the fragile space left behind by loss.
Sàng Tsáu
Choreographed by Hsu Chen-Wei (Hsu Chen Wei Dance Company, Taiwan)
Rooted in the Taoist “Farewell to the Deities” ritual, Sàng Tsáu transforms collective grief into ceremony. It moves between the sacred and the theatrical, embodying the beauty of release — where dance becomes prayer, and mourning becomes an act of grace.
Cloud 9
Choreographed by Rachel Lum (Decadance Co, Singapore)
Closing the evening, Cloud 9 bursts into uneasy brightness — a restless euphoria that conceals the ache beneath. It captures our impulse to escape sorrow through forced joy, asking what remains when we refuse to face the permanence of loss.
Together, these three works offer a curatorial journey through the emotional terrains of mourning — from rupture to release, from denial to quiet renewal.
MUSIC
“LA NATURE N’AIME PAS LE VIDE”
PAROLA - REWORK - DONATO DOZZY
WHOZA MTWANA - DOLLAR BRAND (ABDULLAH IBRAHIM)
RAIN - TONY ANN
THE HOMECOMING SONG - DOLLAR BRAND
“SÀNG TSÁU”
ORIGINAL MUSIC - YI-SHUO LIN
“CLOUD 9”
TO DREAM - MICHAEL WALL
2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY - A SPACE ODYSSEY
I LIE - DAVID LANG, ARS NOVA COPENHAGEN, PAUL HILLIER
RIPLI - RAIME
ORCHESTRAL SUITES NO.3 IN D MAJOR - JOHN SEBASTIAN BACH
TEAM (click to jump to profile)
CREATIVE TEAM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/PRODUCEREDWIN WEE
CHOREOGRAPHERIRÈNE KALBUSCH - LA NATURE N’AIME PAS LE VIDE
CHOREOGRAPHERHSU CHEN-WEI - SÀNG TSÁU
CHOREOGRAPHERRACHEL LUM - CLOUD 9
LIGHTING DESIGNEREDWIN WEE
PAPER CRAFT/ SET DESIGNWAN-YING ZHANG
“LA NATURE N’AIME PAS LE VIDE” CAST
PERFORMERFABIO CAVALERI
PERFORMERPOL VAN DEN BROEK
“SÀNG TSÁU” CAST
PERFORMERCHI-CHENG CHAN
PERFORMERZENG SIANG-FU
“CLOUD 9” CAST
PERFORMERRACHEL LUM
PERFORMERJOANNE SEOW
PERFORMERPAOPA-NGA KARUNNARAPORN
MARKETING TEAM
PRODUCTION TEAM
STAGE MANAGERRACHEL CHNG
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGEREILEEN CHEA
TECH CREWJOSEPH CHUA
FRONT OF HOUSEEILEEN CHEA
SUPPORTEDBY
NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL - TWELVE WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUMS is a recipient of Performance & Participation Grant
ARTS FUND - TWELVE WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUMS is a recipient of Arts fund
NATIONAL CULTURE AND ARTS FOUNDATION
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS TAIPEI CITY GOVERNMENT
BUREAU OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS KAOHSIUNG CITY GOVERNMENT
OSTBELGIEN, GERMAN -SPEAKING COMMUNITY OF BELGIUM
SPECIAL THANKS
VENUE SPONSOR - MIZUMA GALLERY, GILLMAN BARRACKS
VENUE SPONSOR - MIND + MOVE SPACE
VENUE SPONSOR - NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
WINE SPONSOR - GOH SENG HENK
HANDLEBAR
THE BLACKBIRD
SUPPORT US
Please consider supporting us! You can do so by following us on our social media accounts (Facebook or Instagram), attending our dance classes, volunteering as an usher, or spreading the word about us to your friends and community. You can also do so with a donation. We are a non-profit company focussed on collaborative applications of contemporary dance, and every little bit of support helps our company continue our mission.
EDWIN WEE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / PRODUCER
Edwin graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2008 with a Diploma in Dance. Upon graduation, he was invited to present his graduating choreography, The Shaman's Cat, at the da:ns Festival 2008 at Esplanade. He was part of Generations Spotlight: Moscow (2008) directed by Ivan Heng, where he performed for the President of Russia, Dmitriy Medvedev, and Singapore's Senior Minister, Goh Chok Tong. He later performed for His Excellency President of Singapore SR Nathan at the Singapore Design Awards 2008.
He joined Arts Fission in 2008 ad has been actively choreographing and performing since. He was appointed Rehearsal Director in 2011 and Artistic Director for the company’s annual young people environmental dance-theatre productions since 2012. He has directed, curated, designed and choreographed more than 20 staged and site specific original productions.
With Arts Fission, he was involved in all productions and community projects. Some notable performances include, and not limited to, The Rite of Spring: A People’s Stravinsky (2013), Temple Reimagined (2013): a dance film, Future Feed (2014): a collaboration with Irene K Compagnie and presented in Belgium, In the Name of Red (2015): a site specific performance commissioned by National Gallery Singapore, Fire Monkey: a site specific performance under the arts festival of Mapping Melbourne (2016), and again at Northcote Townhall, Melbourne (2018).
IRÈNE KALBUSCH CHOREOGRAPHER
In 1977, she founded the Compagnie IRENE K.
She created many pieces for theatre, pieces for children.
She organizes the “Dance and Industry” festival and the” Dance in the City” Festival.
She coordinates workshops and pedagogic projects. She creates also performances for site specific work that she likes particularly. She likes to open her creation to the world and to have to take account of environment and architecture by integrating it, by opposing or ignoring. This work creates a relationship not only with the wall, the door, a bench or tree but with the inhabitants or passers-by. So it is a social event that takes place. Art dares to invest places that are not reserved for it at first. A particular relationship emerges: art hits, surprises, amuses or irritates but never lets indifferent. She regularly works on interdisciplinary projects.
CHEN-WEI HSU CHOREOGRAPHER
Chen-Wei Hsu is a Taiwanese choreographer and the artistic director of Hsu Chen Wei Dance Company. He holds an MFA in Dance from Taipei National University of the Arts. His artistic practice centres on the body as a vessel of life experience, exploring themes of life and death, ritual, belief, and existence. His works are known for their strong spiritual presence, poetic physicality, and the integration of Taiwanese folk culture with contemporary movement language. Major works include Sàng Tsáu, That Shore, Sunboom, and Deadline. His creations have toured extensively across Asia and Europe and have been presented at major international festivals. He has received support from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, and other major institutions, and is also deeply committed to body-based education and community practice.
RACHEL LUM CHOREOGRAPHER / PERFORMER
Rachel Lum graduated with a Diploma in Dance from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in year 2011. Upon graduation, she joined Frontier Danceland as an apprentice. Rachel then joined Re:Dance Theatre (RDT) as a founding member where she actively performed in all of her core and external productions such as M1 Contact Dance Festival, M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, Singapore Night Festival and NUS Arts Festival. Rachel was also the training mistress for Re:Dance Theatre 2. In 2017, she joined The Arts Fission Company as a movement artist. In addition, she has created numerous dance works and one of them, No Corners, was invited to perform at Lift Off Dance Festival in Bracknell, United Kingdom. As a freelance artist, she has performed in M1 Contact Dance Festival, CDE Springboard Dance Festival Macau and DANCESTAGES Shanghai.
FABIO CAVALERI PERFORMER
Fabio Cavaleri is a Belgian dancer and choreographer whose work moves between physical intensity, embodied memory, and sensitive dramaturgy. He began dancing at the age of eight through Latin dances, before entering the pre-professional program of the Académie Grétry in Liège, where he developed a foundation in classical and contemporary dance. His journey continued through the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen and the Conservatoire National de Lyon, where a decisive encounter with choreographer Kilina Cremona shaped his artistic path. He is currently completing a master’s degree in pedagogy and transmission of contemporary repertoire at the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden.
As a performer, Fabio has collaborated with various companies and projects across Europe, including Cie Irene K (Eupen), Cie Egribianco (Turin), and Cie Corpus (Belgium), as well as guest projects in France, Germany (Theater Ulm), and Milan.
POL VAN DEN BROEK PERFORMER
Pol Van den Broek, born in Belgium, started to train in rock ‘n’ roll acrobatics at the age of seventeen, and developed his interest in contemporary dance shortly after. He received his education as a contemporary dancer at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp, and worked simultaneously with the Leuven based production house fABULEUS as a performer in Everland. After graduating from the Conservatoire of Antwerp, he took part in a year-long research cycle at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels. He got involved in many different projects with companies and artists such as Theater Tol, Tuur Marinus, Dimitri Leue, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Iris Bouche, Ann Van den Broek and with Irene K compagnie.
CHI-CHENG CHAN PERFORMER
Chi-Cheng Chan graduated from the MFA Program in Dance Performance at Taipei National University of the Arts. She is now an independent professional dancer and movement practitioner, with ongoing training in contemporary movement and body dynamics, and is a certified Animal Flow instructor. Her performance experience spans numerous international festivals and exchange projects across Europe and Asia. She is a core dancer of Hsu Chen Wei Dance Company and has performed in works including Sàng Tsáu, Sunboom, Kidult, Deadline, and oh! . In 2025, she toured with Sàng Tsáu to Rome and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her dancing is recognised for its grounded presence, refined energy control, and strong ritualistic quality.
ZENG-SIANG FU PERFORMER
Zeng Siang-Fu is a contemporary dancer dedicated to physical research, creative performance, and interdisciplinary practice. His work is characterised by a powerful physical drive combined with fine internal sensitivity, allowing him to shift fluidly between explosive movement and quiet intensity. In recent years, he has participated in numerous dance productions, international touring projects, and festival performances across Asia and Europe. He is currently a performer with Hsu Chen Wei Dance Company and participated in the European tour of Sàng Tsáu. His stage presence is marked by strong kinaesthetic awareness, precise control of energy, and a compelling physical expressiveness.
JOANNE SEOW PERFORMER
Joanne embarked on her dance journey with the Royal Academy of Dance ballet program at the age of five. She later pursued her professional training at LASALLE College of the Arts, graduated with Distinction in 2021.
During her time at LASALLE, Joanne stepped beyond the classical realm, immersing herself in genres such as jazz and street dance, allowing her movement vocabulary to grow in texture and breadth. Her training placed her in close collaboration with numerous local and international artists such as Rachel Lopez de la Nieta (UK), Leah Morrison (UK), Ery Mefri (Indonesia), Eisa Jocson (Philippines), Susan Sentler (UK/Singapore), and Jenny Neo (Singapore). These experiences extended beyond dance into disciplines like fine arts, fashion, film, and animation, enriching her artistic perspective.
Currently, Joanne is a full-time dance artist with Decadance Co, performing in all major productions and touring with the company at numerous dance festivals.
PAOPA-NGA KARUNNARAPORN PERFORMER
Pao born and raised in Chiangmai, Thailand. Her journey in dance began at young age in Thailand. Pao's dedication to dance led her to numerous classes, workshops, and competitions in Thailand, as well as international stages in Macao, Manila, and Singapore.
At age of 18, she decided to pursue in dance career and join diploma in dance at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Pao's dedication to excellence earned her the Dean's List Award from the School of Dance at NAFA. Beyond school performances, Pao's talents graced the stage at Emergence presented by Singapore Chinese Dance Theater, Singapore Night Festival ,and University of Arts Singapore Symposium. She is currently joining decadance co as project artist