Bridge Café Project
Photo Credit_Yohta_Kataoka
Dance is an art form that combines more than just visual, audio and performance. It is a timeless expression that defines trends through different generations.
As a child of the 80s, dance was defined by Dirty Dancing, Michael Jackson and Madonna. But now it is Lady Gaga that’s taking centre stage. With the evolution of dance trends, one will forget that what is now old-fashioned, was once a huge trend.
So with the new generations hitting the dance floor with their hip hop and break dancing moves, fast moving fashion trends and latest gadgets, how do we remind them that their parents and/or grandparents used to be young and trendy like themselves? How do we bridge these different generations together?
Choreographer Kim Itoh premieres the Bridge Cafe Project, a dance showcase by middle-aged men and youths from the community, at the Singapore Arts Festival this year. This project evolved from Itoh’s original Oyaji Cafe (“oyaji” refers to middle aged man) at Festival/Tokyo and Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center in Japan. The men, or performers, recruited and trained through an open call, do not just serve as café waiters but also performed and danced during show time. The Oyaji Café gave the middle-aged men an opportunity to recapture their youths and lead the life they want. Themed “Connected”, thirteen local youth participants and seventeen local “oyajis” from diverse backgrounds discover not only a new self but a bridge that leads them into new possibilities and a new world.
Don’t miss out on this at the Singapore Arts Fest 2012 taking place during 18 May – 2 June! Catch free performances of the Bridge Café Project from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at the Festival Café located within the Festival Village at the Esplanade Park.
For more information, do check out the official Singapore Arts Fest 2012 website. Or “connect” with other like-minded arts lovers at www.facebook.com/ArtsForLife
You too can help connect the arts
Visit give2arts.sg and donate to an arts or cultural charity of your choice. Your contribution will allow the arts to connect with more people around you.
