MEET THE CREATIVES

Audrey is a Singapore-based producer of arts events and festivals. She founded and directed the Singapore edition of the world music festival WOMAD for several years, and went on to produce other festivals, including Made in Singapore! and Play It Back!

In 2018, she directed the first True Colours Festival (TCF), presented by The Nippon Foundation & amp; UNESCO in Singapore. The event comprised a live concert and a festival village of performances and interactive activities designed to deepen understanding of disability. TCF Singapore 2018 presented more than 200 artistes with disabilities from more than 20 countries and was attended by more than 10,000 people.

Since 2019, Audrey has worked to evolve TCF into a long-running hybrid festival series which brings people together to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Its offerings have included documentaries, music videos, hybrid film festivals, workshops, dialogues and a live and livestreamed global concert in
Tokyo, which presented a line-up of almost 100 diverse singers, dancers and musicians from 14 countries.

Most recently, Audrey produced COLONY – A True Colors Project, a dance-music-film production commissioned by the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. Performed at the Drama Centre Singapore, it presented 13 diverse dancers from six countries and earned rave reviews from audiences and media for its bold take on the meaning of inclusion.

Shahrin Johry, a recipient of National Arts Council Postgraduate Scholarship, graduated from Roehampton University, UK, with Master of Arts in Dance, Politics and Sociology in 2019. He did his Bachelor of Arts degree in Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore (2012).

Shahrin is unique with various embodiments of cultures in his body that come from Bharathanatyam (under the tutelage of Kavitha Krishan), Javanese and Balinese dance as well as Western dance like Urban forms, Ballet and Contemporary dance. He has been the principal dancer/ assistant choreographer in a local dance company Maya Dance Theatre since 2007.

Through the company, he has worked with many choreographers and collaborators: Oliver Tapaga (USA/Burkina Faso), Janis Brenner (USA), Liz Lea (Australia), Rachel Arianne Ogle (Australia), Ruth Osborne (Australia), Eko Supriyanto (Indonesia), Rianto (Indonesia), Danang Pamungkas (Indonesia), Dr. Sun Ock Lee (South Korea) and Ajith Bhaskaran Das (Malaysia).

He has also independently created several short works, and full-length productions performed locally and toured internationally: 'The conference' (2012 - 2016), 'Sweet lips' (2014), 'KA' (2017), 'Re: Path' (2018), ‘A phase in the sun’(2020)‘, Re:Memori’(2021), ‘Under the bridge series: social constructs’(2022).

In 2019, Shahrin initiated a collective “Under the bridge”. He creates art that value interculturalism, hybridity, and addressing/commenting on social issues. He aims to initiate cross-cultural works that explore the relationship between dance and society, and the body as a political statement, using the arts as a vehicle for positive impact.

Shahrin was one of two Creative Enablers/Assistant Choreographers for COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production featured 13 dancers with and without disability from six Asian countries. It was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented amount and level of positive audience feedback.

Gianti Giadi is a choreographer, a performing artist and the owner & artistic director of Gigi Art of Dance Studio, Company and foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia since 2009.


She graduated from Lasalle, Singapore with Bachelor in Performing Arts. Her choreographies are showcased in different events such as concerts, site-specific performances, Ad/commercials, contemporary festivals and musicals in Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, USA and Europe. 

Her work explores the theme of human life through storytelling, emotional journeys and body experience. She enjoys creating multidisciplinary works that speak about social, personal and environmental issues and making arts that are impactful.

Gigi has dedicated her life to providing platforms for youth to find their voices to advocate, express and find their superpower through the performing arts for the past 16 years, including an inclusive program for Down Syndrome & special needs for the past 11 years.

She believes that through the performing arts, she is able to make a positive impact for youth and bring about social change.  

Shruthi has been a student of Bharathanatyam for 23 years and counting. Since setting foot on stage at the age of 5, she has staged over 300 dance performances on various stages and platforms; commercial projects, dance productions, competitions, and on stages overseas. As a disciple of Mrs. Ambujah Thiru at Singapore’s Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society, Shruthi has also successfully staged her Arangetram in August 2019 under their guidance. Together with learning Bharathanatyam, she has had formal training in other genres such as Classical Ballet and Contemporary, and the opportunity to pick up skills such as Contact Improvisation and Choreography at School of the Arts, Singapore, from which she graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2015.

As an artist, Shruthi sees her dance-making as a process that is in constant flux. She embraces learning, un-learning and re-learning, especially through the keen interest she has taken in Neo-Bharatham or Indo-Contemporary choreography. Through genre-bending choreography, Shruthi aims to challenge the supposed fixed boundaries across dance genres, and her recent works and performances have been exemplary of how she wishes to continue to be a Neo-Bharatham dance innovator in Singapore. She creates dance work that weaves the threads of Bharathanatyam, Contemporary, and some facets of Street genres into one seamless fabric, while preserving their technical nuances and sanctity to present choreography that is true to her being.

As a full-fledged freelance dance artiste and choreographer, Shruthi invests time into diverse choreographic projects and training, and hopes to continue growing not just as an Artiste, creator, and performer, but also as a student of Dance.

Kim Socheat is a 32-year-old contemporary dancer who uses a wheelchair. He works at Epic Arts Cambodia, advocating for the arts for people with disabilities. He has resided in Kampot for nine years. Encouraged by an artist at Epic Arts, he joined their dance program in 2014.

Through the Inclusive Arts Course (IAC) at Epic Arts, he spent two years learning various art forms. He graduated in 2016 and began training with Epic Arts’ professional dance company. In 2017, Socheat showcased his dance skills on Cambodia's Got Talent with a solo performance, marking a significant milestone in his career and allowing him to demonstrate his abilities to a national audience.

He is passionate about altering the perception of people with disabilities in Cambodia. In 2018, he was awarded a scholarship to enhance his skills and study English, supported by an NGO in Phnom Penh (Cambodia Live Arts). In that same year, he performed at the inaugural True Colors Festival, held in Singapore.

Through his work with Epic Arts and as a solo artist, he has performed across Cambodia and internationally, including at community events, for NGOs, schools and hospitals, advocating for people with disabilities. Socheat has experience inleading dance teams and conducting workshops to inspire youth. In 2024, he received a grant to choreograph his own performance about his story, culminating in a final show in November 2024.

Continuing on his journey with True Colors, Socheat was in the 13-dancer cast of COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented amount of positive audience feedback.

Eve is a dancer whose work blends dynamic movement with compelling storytelling.

Primarily trained in open-style choreography, she draws from a foundation in hip hop and contemporary dance, enhanced by a background in gymnastics that brings agility and athleticism to her performance.

Recently, her artistic curiosity has led her to explore Chinese classical and folk dance, weaving cultural textures into her evolving movement language.

Alton Tian is a renowned creative, instructor, dance artist and community leader.

Over the years, Alton has competed in battles and showcase competitions, and has performed/choreographed for recitals, theatre shows and commercial events, in Singapore and abroad. Competitions include The Phaze International Malaysia, World Supremacy Battleground Singapore, Choreographers’ Cup in Philippines and WSUP in China. Events include Formula 1 Singapore 2022, Project Home: Once And For All, FULLOUT! by Esplanade and Hermés Fit, to name a few.

Alton’s style is based on his foundation in breaking, contemporary and various street styles. A combination that is powerful, impressive, yet graceful and understated.

Arif is a one-legged dancer who usually favours breakdance. He is 38 years old. He started breakdancing in 2005 when he had both legs. In 2007, an accident led to his right leg being amputated. Just one year later, he started dancing again, then began to compete,  participate in arts projects and participate in a motivational talk show.

He was chosen to participate in This Is Hip-Hop! A True Colors Digital Event which brought together a panel of diverse hip-hop dancers, signers and creators to talk about the power of this genre, considered the most inclusive dance form in the world. Arif was one of 20 dancers – from Singapore, Jakarta, London and Tokyo – who recorded themselves freestyling to a beat composed by Singaporean music producer and composer, Wheelsmith.

Continuing on his journey with True Colors, Arif was in the 13-dancer cast of COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented level of positive audience feedback.

Ka Wai is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans theatre, text, and the

body.

Recent projects include Dance a Dance From My Body by Chou Shu-yi (Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts Weiwuying), QUIDDITY with Madam Data (MIAO DANCE), and Body QUARTET with Liang Chun-wen (as part of 12.ance by Sigma Contemporary

Dance).

Beyond performance, Ka Wai is an educator in Chinese, drama, and creative writing, working with local schools and institutions. He has collaborated with UFM100.3 on the Script It Right Chinese Radio Drama Script Writing Competition, organized by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language

Learning.

For more about Ka Wai’s work, visit: tungkawai.wixsite.com/website
 

Weng Jiaying is a principal dancer and co-trainer of the Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC), a community initiative by Maya Dance Theatre (MDT). She joined DADC in 2018 as one of its pioneering members with Down Syndrome and a passion for dance. Since then, Jiaying has grown immensely as a dancer and mentor, showcasing her dedication and agility through numerous performances both locally and internationally. Jiaying is employed part-time as an assistant arts administrator at Apsara Asia Pte Ltd, a social enterprise where she supervises in housekeeping and supports the training of new administrative trainees under the guidance of her supervisor, Imran Manaff.

In 2023, she was honored with the SG Enable Goh Chok Tong Promise Award, recognizing her commitment to developing her skills and pursuing her passion for dance. With experience as a former TV actress, Jiaying brings confidence and stage presence to her performances. She has been featured in TOTE Board's 2024 annual report and a CNA interview and Our Better World feature of DADC highlighting her achievements and journey with DADC as a pioneering member.

Among her notable performances are the World Down Syndrome Congress 2024 in Brisbane, Australia, and DADC’s SEEDS film (3rd edition), where she collaborated with choreographer Adel Goh.

Jiaying was in the 13-dancer cast of COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented amount of positive audience feedback.

Following that, Jiaying participated in MDT’s BHUMI project, a three-country collaboration premiering in Singapore and Jakarta in 2025. Her most recent performance was with her peers from MDT at NDP 2025.

Beyond performing, Jiaying uses her dance skills to connect with others, especially seniors, as the lead facilitator of the Body in Movement, Pulse of the Beat outreach programme, engaging nursing home residents and seniors from senior care settings through movement.

Jack is an experimental dancer with over 13 years of experience. His movement language blends threading, intricate floor-work, and textural isolations shaped by a foundation in breaking, contemporary, and other dance genres.

He has directed and performed works with unconventional narratives, such as Snail Goat at *SCAPE’s comma Art Festival 2025, and the award-winning movement film Rock Sink Into Big Ocean 《石 沉 大 海》 at Lion City Dance Film Festival 2024.

As a solo artist and a member of the experimental dance collective bonsai, he carves an unorthodox approach to movement that explores street dance as an abstract art form and the rhetorical nuances it can evoke.

Beyond dance, his practice extends into tattoos, illustrations, movement films, and the occasional graphic design — constantly finding new ways to express and expand his artistry across multiple disciplines.

Jack was in the 13-dancer cast of COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented amount of positive audience feedback.

“The oud should not only be looked upon as just a musical instrument. It is an instrument of expression with the capability to convey your inner emotions.” - Azrin Abdullah

Azrin Abdullah started learning the acoustic guitar at the age of six. He gave his first musical performance when he was nine and never looked back since. He began his love affair with the oud, an Arabic lute-type stringed instrument, in 1999 when he was tasked to learn the exotic instrument as part of an endeavour to master traditional Malay music.

Although he has faced considerable challenges and difficulties in learning to play the oud, Azrin continues to believe in sharing his valuable knowledge so the oud can be made accessible to all. In 2014, Azrin was sponsored by the National Arts Council to pursue an advanced course at the National Conservatory of Arts in Kuala Lumpur to further his knowledge of the oud. After completing the course, he went on to produce the first Singapore Gambus Conference, which was held at the Malay Heritage Centre from 25-30 October 2016 in conjunction with the Malay Culture Festival. The well-attended event saw speakers and gambus enthusiasts from Singapore and around the world gather to share their knowledge of the instrument.

Azrin was also instrumental in forming Singapore Oudists (SGOudists), an online oud community that provides local oud players from all walks of life with a platform to get together and share techniques and playing styles. Azrin is currently an adjunct teacher with School of The Arts (SOTA) & President of Oudists Association of Singapore.

Azrin was the Music Director for COLONY – A True Colors Project which was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025. The dance-music-film collaborative production was critically-acclaimed and received an unprecedented level of positive audience feedback. Azrin’s stunning music score was composed ‘live’ and in tandem with the choreographic and dramatic development, in an unprecedented approach to deep creative collaboration.

Sann began his dance training in 2014 with Epic Arts, where he immersed himself in movement, creative expression, and disability-inclusive arts. After three years of intensive development, he graduated into the Epic Arts Dance Company in 2016.

His practice is rooted in contemporary dance and shaped by artistic influences from Khmer traditional movement, contact work, and drama-based storytelling. As a talented and passionate dance artist, Sann engages with physical dialogue and connection, bringing depth and intention to every performance.

A passionate advocate for disability inclusion, Sann believes that everyone deserves opportunity, access and respect. He uses dance to amplify stories and challenge societal barriers — promoting the rights and visibility of people with disabilities. Sann is deaf and uses Cambodian Sign Language to communicate.

Sann has shared his work with communities throughout Cambodia and internationally, touring with Epic Arts Dance to Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Japan, and Hong Kong. He is a dedicated and dynamic member of the Epic Arts team, whose energy and compassion resonate on and off the stage.

Outside of dance, Sann enjoys caring for his son, fishing with friends, and playing football.