“Great art transcends culture and touches upon the eternal,” said American author Madeline L’Engle. One of the oldest performing arts institutions of Singapore faithfully follows these ideals.
The Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society, popularly known as SIFAS, plans to enrich lives and build communities through aesthetic appeal and art contribution ?as a premier Indian arts institution in the Lion City, which it has been carrying out since before Singapore’s independence. It recently announced the launch of its production arm.
SIFAS Productions is making its big debut at the iconic Esplanade Theatre with a show called Triveni on August 14, presenting the great Ustad Zakir Hussain as the crowd puller, as part of India’s 75 Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.
Not new to producing shows, SIFAS in its 73-year history, has presented hundreds and thousands of shows across performing arts.
“SIFAS is globally known for promoting the arts through training, capability development, and performances of our exceptional homegrown talent. It is broadening its spread, by reaching out to the very young, as also the silver generation.” K V Rao, President, SIFAS, told Connected to India.
The new arm of the leading performing arts institution will take Singapore’s home grown institution to new vistas. SIFAS Productions is being launched as an independent production and performance arm of SIFAS to promote the development of artistic talents as well as create and present productions of a wide range of Indian classical arts forms.
SIFAS supports and is supported by statutory boards such as the National Arts Council, National Heritage Board, Indian Heritage Centre, National Library Board and Hindu Endowments Board, and actively works together with regional community organisations to engage the wider community.
“SIFAS Productions aims to create world-class productions and offer a platform for budding artists to trailblaze the arts in Singapore and globally. The company also intends to reach out and share its love of the arts with the larger diverse, multicultural, and under-represented communities, strengthening our bonds and celebrating inclusivity,” Sabanitha Shanmugasundram, Chairman, Marketing and Communications, SIFAS, said.
Rao added that SIFAS Productions seeks to collaborate and partner with local and international art organisations, community groups, and philanthropic institutions to build an exciting and vibrant future for the Indian arts in Singapore together. The institute aims to continue engaging its online audiences through the medium of art.
With a curriculum of 18 disciplines reflecting the cultural diversity of the nation’s rich and ancient heritage, SIFAS has fostered many homegrown talents and become a cornerstone of arts and culture in Singapore and the region.
Embracing technology, SIFAS has been a forerunner in the artistic world, by offering a wide variety of digital productions, and releasing the SIFAS app for its members, to access exclusively curated content at their fingertips.
The ability to create digital content provides a platform for SIFAS tutors, students and alumni to present their narratives in the form of music-dance videos.
It held an Open House at SIFAS Campus and SIFAS Annexe earlier this year, which was very well attended by both the Indian and non-Indian communities.
Beyond training students in the performing arts, SIFAS serves as a platform for convergence and integration of communities through the medium of arts. It is also beginning to make strides in developing digital learning resources to reach a wider audience globally.
“SIFAS has a long, distinguished legacy of imparting knowledge and promoting the growth of the Indian Classical Arts in Singapore,” Sabanitha said, signing off.
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