Dancing with the Inanimate

How do we respond when an inanimate object becomes our duet partner? How do we listen to stillness, attend to the unpredictable, and choreograph the ordinary? This workshop invites participants to explore how we encounter, embody, and integrate the inanimate into our dancing.

Using inanimate objects as movement collaborators, the workshop reimagines how we perceive dance, movement, and the body itself. In particular, the ping pong ball will serve as a focal point, inviting participants to explore movement through a playful yet challenging dialogue with this small but dynamic object. Through this collaboration, participants will step beyond traditional notions of dance, discovering how stillness, unpredictability, and spontaneity can become choreography.

The workshop encourages participants, especially those without formal dance experience, to reframe their everyday movements and interactions. By doing so, they transform mundane actions into expressive dance sequences. Structured in three key stages—Authenticity, Clarity, and Duetting—participants will heighten their awareness of time, space, and the relationship between their bodies and the ping pong ball. Through observation, experimentation, and improvisation, they will cultivate a unique partnership with the ball, allowing it to influence and inspire new choreographic possibilities.

Please note:
- Participants need to register with a valid mylibrary ID account or else your registration will be invalid.
- Due to limited slots, please come on time as your slot will be given to walk-in participants if any.

This programme is suitable for:

- Participants age 17 years and above

- Participants who are considered physically fit to do a movement class.

Attire Notes:

1) Bare feet, no shoes required.

2) Fitting & stretchable attire (T-shirt & pants) which allow you to move freely, even level changes.

3) NO jeans, skirt and dress, but socks are allowed if you really need.

4) Bring along your own bottled water.

5) A towel for yourself, as you may sweat during training.

About The Performer's Body Series

Central Arts Library’s “The Performer’s Body” is designed for participants with little to no performing experience, providing them with essential skills, and understanding of their body’s potential. This workshop series focuses on fundamental techniques, gradually building participants performing vocabulary. By exploring the basics of physicality and expression, “The Performer’s Body” equips participants with a foundation to begin their artistic journey.

About Dapheny Chen

Dapheny Chen is an independent dance artist navigating the roles of choreographer, performer, and educator. Her practice prioritises the dancing body, revisiting archived movement within the living body to re-frame, re-inform, and re-educate the way dance and choreography are made, viewed, and engaged with. She explores labour practices, questioning the value, sustainability, and economics of artistic work. By examining how dance is produced and consumed, she advocates for equitable practices in the field. Collaborating with inanimate objects, technology, and alternative documentation processes, she seeks to develop actionable research through performance and academia, fostering global dialogues on dance labour and value.

Host or Publisher GoLibrary | National Library Board, Singapore