Singapore Arts Now | About the speakers

About the speakers

  • Emma Porteus | Co-Creative Director, Assembly 197

    Portrait of Emma Porteus

    Emma has over 17 years’ experience working as a performance-maker and producer of dance, community, and festival projects throughout Australia and internationally, including with Vrystaat Festival (South Africa), ANTI Festival (Finland), Sydney Festival (NSW), Dancehouse, FOLA, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Next Wave (Vic), Tracks (NT), Dark Mofo, Mona Foma, Tasdance, Ten Days on the Island, Festival of Voices, Junction Arts Festival, and Tasmania Performs (Tas). In her current role as Co-Creative Director of Assembly 197 and Executive Producer of Situate Art in Festivals, she is really interested in performance and art-making models that connect people and places. She helps artists create and produce tourable live, visual art, and festival events that can be delivered in any community, in any country, to produce rich experiences that speak directly to the place, the people, and the communities who help create it.

  • Adam Wheeler | Co-Creative Director, Assembly 197

    Portrait of Adam Wheeler

    Adam Wheeler is Artistic Director and Co-Creative Director of Assembly 197. He has performed for Chunky Move, Jo Lloyd, Circa Nica, 2NDTOE and Opera Australia. Adam has made work for Lucy Guerin Inc (Pieces for Small Spaces), Stompin, QL2, Steps Youth Dance Company, fLing Physical Theatre, Tasdance and Chunky Move. Adam is curious about interdisciplinary making, providing pathways for artists to develop practice, and getting the community moving – all from his regional home of lutruwita/Tasmania.

  • Jenni Large | Creative Associate of Tasdance

    Portrait of Jenni LargePhoto: Pedro Greig

    Jenni Large is an independent dancer, performer, choreographer, teacher and rehearsal director based on unceded palawa country in lutruwita/Tasmania. A 2010 graduate of WAAPA and TNUA/Taipei exchange program, she has collaborated extensively throughout Australia and performed across the world with artists and companies including; Tasdance (2012–13 and 2019–present performing works by Jo Lloyd, Larissa McGowan, Anna Smith, Byron Perry & Tanja Liedtke), Dancenorth (2015–2020 performing works by Kyle Page, Amber Haines, Lee Serle, Alisdair Macindoe, Lucy Guerin, Gideon Obarzanek, Stephanie Lake, Ross McCormack and Jo Lloyd) as well as Legs On The Wall (‘Thaw’), Leigh Warren & Dancers, GUTS Dance, Ashleigh Musk, Aimee Smith, Sue Peacock and Isabella Stone. Jenni has performed in Canada, Mexico, Japan, throughout America, Europe and New Zealand as well as every major Australian Festival and many regional Australian festivals. Recent engagements include choreographer and performer in ‘Faux Mo House Party’ – Mona Foma and ‘Wet Hard’ – winner of the 2022 Keir Choreographic ‘People’s Choice Award’.  In 2022, Jenni was commissioned to choreograph ‘Flesh Net’ for WAAPA, ’S U C K E R’ for Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed Season and was a recipient of the Chloe Munro Fellowship. Her new independent work ‘Body Body Commodity’ Premiered at Mona Foma in February 2023.

  • Dance Nucleus

    Dance Nucleus is a centre for practice-based research, creative development and knowledge production for independent/contemporary performance in Singapore. It was conceived by Daniel Kok, the Artistic Director, and is an initiative of the National Arts Council of Singapore.

    dancenucleus.com

  • Shaifulbahri Mohamad | Artistic Director, Bahri & Co

    Portrait of Mohamad Shaifulbahri

    Shai is a creative producer and arts educator based in Singapore. He is the Artistic Director of producing company, Bahri & Co and an Organising Member of Producers SG. He has produced work in Singapore, Malaysia and the UK and is currently developing new projects with Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea.

  • Pat Toh | Performer and Performance Maker

    Portrait of Pat TohPat Toh makes performances that unfold at the intersection of theatre, dance and the live arts. She works with the body as site, resource and medium to reveal the corporeal materiality beneath social politics and ideology. Her works have been presented in cont.act Contemporary Dance Festival (Singapore), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Liveworks Festival of Experimental Arts (Australia), CROSS Festival (Italy), Indonesia Dance Festival, NDA International Dance Festival (Korea), HDX Dance Exchange (Hong Kong), FMK International Dance Festival (Laos) and Machol Shalem Dance House’s Jerusalem (Israel). She is currently an associate artist with Dance Nucleus (Singapore). 

    pattoh.com

  • Stephanie Jack (卢恩典) | Performer and Writer

    Portrait of Stephanie JackStephanie Jack (卢恩典) is a Singaporean-Chinese/Australian actor, writer and singer, recently recognised as one of 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians. Stephanie holds an MFA in Acting from Harvard’s A.R.T Institute and her credits include The Maids (Archipelago Productions) and Deadloch (Amazon Prime). As an interdisciplinary artist creating across video and music, Stephanie’s work offers playful insights into personal acts of cultural reclamation. Her debut play as co-writer, A Mouthful of C Words, received critical acclaim at Mona Foma 2023.

  • Sim Yan Ying “YY” | Director

    Portrait of Sim Yan Ying

    Sim Yan Ying “YY” is a theatre creator based in Singapore and New York. She strives to create art that is experimental, accessible, and reflective of a diversity of lived experiences. Her works have been presented by WILD RICE, T:>Works, Ars Nova, Mabou Mines & New Ohio Theatre, and she is presently in the Esplanade TRIP Directing Programme. BFA: NYU Tisch.

  • Cui Yin Mok | Producer

    Portrait of Cui Yin Mok

    Cui is an in(ter)dependent producer and facilitator who has produced for independent artists across disciplines, and organisations including Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, The Substation, Asia Network for Dance, Dance Nucleus, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, Asian Film Archive, Arts House Limited, and the National Arts Council.

  • Kate Kent | Deputy Secretary, Culture, Arts and Sport – Department of State Growth, Tasmania

    Kate Kent is a highly experienced State Service leader with a particular passion for regional economic development and community engagement. She has held senior roles in the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Communities Tasmania, and is a former Board Director of the Theatre Royal and former Director of IXL Design. Kate works in the Culture, Arts and Sport Division at the Department of State Growth. This division includes the government business units of Active Tasmania, Arts Tasmania, Events Tasmania, Screen Tasmania, the Tasmanian Institute of Sport, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and the Silverdome.

  • Kate Mackie | Manager – Special Projects and Industry Development, Arts Tasmania

    Kate Mackie has extensive experience working in policy, project and management positions in the Tasmanian State Service. At Arts Tasmania she is part of a team that manages the Tasmanian Government’s arts and cultural heritage grant programs, public art programs and other industry development initiatives. Kate works in the Culture, Arts and Sport Division at the Department of State Growth. This division includes the government business units of Active Tasmania, Arts Tasmania, Events Tasmania, Screen Tasmania, the Tasmanian Institute of Sport, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and the Silverdome.

  • Sam Lay, CMP | Director, Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, National Arts Council Singapore

    Portrait of Sam Lay. He is wearing a black suit and white shirt and rectangular glasses.

    Sam Lay is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement with the National Arts Council of Singapore. Together with his team of partnership enablers, he works closely with various art disciplines to activate key collaborations across the people, private and public sectors. Prior to this, Sam spent more than 20 years driving commercial growth and business development in the tourism and hospitality industry. Aside from his corporate career, Sam is also a visual artist and an exhibition curator.

  • Dr Pippa Dickson | Director, Asialink Arts

    Portrait of Pippa Dickson

    Pippa Dickson is the Director of Asialink Arts at Asialink, University of Melbourne. She is committed to facilitating true partnership and cooperation between Australia and Asia in the arts and creative industry sectors. Pippa has extensive arts leadership experience both nationally and internationally.