International Storytelling Festival Singapore 2020
Adult Audience Performance

A Dance of Stories

The Young Storytellers Showcase

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The Young Storytellers Showcase will bring you on a journey from the luscious jungles of the Indonesian peninsula to the mystical lakes of Vietnam and all the way to the scorching deserts of Persia. You might even get to ride on a flying horse! Throughout your journey you will encounter loyal monkeys, forbidden lovers and even a demon or two. Deception, bravery and love will intertwine, and you will be sure to be entertained.

A Dance of Stories is a series of 5 videos celebrating Asian folklore and mythology.

Lutung Kasarung (Javanese folktale)

by Zac Denver Lee

A tale of two sisters, Purba Rarang and Purba Sari. Purba Rarang hated her younger sister Purba Sari with a passion, enough to curse her and banish her to the jungle. There, Purba Sari met Lutung Kasarung (The Lost Monkey)… what fortune will befall her?

Traditional Central Java folk song: Gambang Suling (The Flute & The Drum)

 

The Silly Brahmarakshasa (Indian folktale)

by Rohshini Thiagarajan

A landlord thinks he’s struck gold when he recites the mantra for a Brahmarakshasa and gets a servant to help him work on his lands… little does he know, his new servant might just eat him up!

Traditional Tamil folk song: Onnam Padi Eduthu ஒன்னாம் படி எடுத்து (By Taking the First Step)

 

Mirza Sahiba (North Indian folktale)

by Saher Hashmi

The tale of beautiful Sahiba, who entranced the renowned archer Mirza with her dance and her gentle nature, ends tragically as the star-crossed lovers realise that romance is not enough to overcome tradition.

Original Music by: Ishvinder Singh @vinderish ('Mirza Sahiba' was filmed by the artist while under stay home guidelines)

 

The Princess and the Fisherman (Vietnamese folktale)

by Charlotte Elizabeth

There once lived a princess who did not wish to marry until she had seen all the wonders of her father’s kingdom. But destiny brought her to a poor fisherman and all is not well… A Vietnamese origin tale of the lake that formed overnight.

 

The Magic Horse (Persian folktale)

by Daisy Mitchell

The Sultan is gifted a magic horse that can fly great distances. In return for this gift he pledges his daughter the Princess to the maker of the horse. Outraged at his father’s act, the Prince steals the horse to save his sister! But the horse leads the Prince to strange lands and a tale of kidnap, love, revenge and much flying ensues.

 

Zac Denver Lee

Zac Denver Lee is a recent graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts, Diploma in Performance and has extensively performed in local and international festivals and productions. During his time in LASALLE, Zac was featured as Sultan Alam Shahbana in Musang Berjanggut, puppeteer in iDream and Bobby in A Part. His dance credits include company dancer in Deruma, Karya and Melentur Buluh productions by Azpirasi. He hosted in events such as Officer Cadet School Commissioning Parade and LASALLE events such as Open House and Orientation.

Apart from being on stage, Zac was also nominated for Best Performance for the short film Abang during Singapore Short Film Awards 2014. He has had numerous experiences in technical theatre as well as video production and was recently featured in a Mediacorp Suria series, Aksi, as a scriptwriter for a short film featured in the programme. Zac aims to continue his studies in Musical Theatre in the upcoming year.

Rohshini Thiagarajan

Rohshini grew up with her mother’s and grandmother’s stories which lead her to her fascination with Indian mythology and folktales. She believes that such stories are not only highly entertaining but also play a vital role in passing along moral values and character traits. At the tender age of 6, she picked up Bharathanatyam and her love towards performing has been increasing ever since.

She started acting in primary school and explored Tamil Rap during high school. She graduated with a Diploma in Performance from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2019 where she discovered her love for devised and physical theatre. Passionate about preserving cultural heritage, Rohshini aspires to be a bridge that connects the Tamil language and culture to the future generations. Recently, she played the role of Sangeetha in Singapore Indian Theatre & Film Explorers (SITFE)’s bilingual theatre production Thuyil (Sleep). Apart from performing, Rohshini is a talented graphite pencil artist.

Saher Rida Hashmi

Born and raised in Singapore, Saher Rida Hashmi has established herself predominantly within the local South Asian entertainment industry. Recognized as a jack of all traits, Saher is a host for stage and television, a dancer and choreographer for local as well as international events, an actor, director, producer and writer, as well as a teacher in all forms she practices.

Saher produced her own theatre production entitled AYESHA in 2018, which was a movement-based performance, telling the story of a young South Asian girl and her journey through life, dealing with societal pressures. Saher credits her success to her teachers at LASALLE College of the Arts where she completed a holistic programme under the tutelage of Harris Jahim and Dayal Gian Singh – Diploma in Performance. She has been taught by respected veterans such as Kamini Ramachandran, Paman Iskandar and Adrian Poon. Currently, Saher is pursing her Bachelors of Arts at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and also teaches Dance, Drama and Phonics at various academies.

Charlotte Elizabeth

Charlotte has been on stage since the age of 8 and to this day she has been acting, singing and dancing in front of an audience. She has performed in a wide variety of shows, from immersive theatre productions such as Andsoforth’s Alice in Wonderland and Tales of Grimmsneyland to storytelling for children at StoryFest 2018. She told stories to adult audiences during Storytelling Speed Dating for Goodman B-Sides. She was also part of a tandem storytelling roving experience for A Night of Terrifying Tales produced by Moonshadow Stories at The Arts House as part of TEXTURES 2019. A recent graduate of the Diploma in Performance at LASALLE, she is an active Young Storyteller at The Storytelling Centre Ltd.

Daisy Mitchell

Daisy has always had a knack for theatre. She studied in the School Of The Arts (SOTA) for four years, where she majored in Theatre. A recent graduate with First Class Honours from the BA Musical Theatre programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Daisy is also an Associate Young Storyteller at The Storytelling Centre Ltd. Her storytelling credits include The Hidden (dir. Kamini Ramachandran) for SIFA 2018, Terrific Tales at The Artground, and TEXTURES 2019 at The Arts House. Some of her performing credits include Hunyak in Chicago, Mayzie LaBird in Seussical and Nachum in Fiddler on the Roof.