Source: True Colours Festival website. Some of the featured performers.
This coming March, twenty artists and groups will come together in Singapore for the first and largest event in the Asia Pacific region to showcase performers with disabilities. From March 22-25, 2018, Singapore will host True Colours Festival – the Asia Pacific Celebration of Artistes with Disabilities.
True Colours is presented by UNESCO and The Nippon Foundation (TNF), two global organizations that advocate for the rights of people with disabilities (PWDs). The festival is produced by Very Special Arts Singapore (VSA) with support from partners including Platinum Partner DBS, Venue Partner Singapore Sports Hub, and the Asia Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD).
The festival includes a ticketed multimedia concert experience at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, a free outdoor festival village, and an international conference on arts and disability. The impact of True Colours is expected to lay the groundwork for a global festival coinciding with the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
Multimedia indoor concert experience
Taking place over three evenings, the concert will feature musicians, singers, and dancers from the Asia Pacific, as well as guest artists from Canada, the UK, the US, and Chile. They will perform for an anticipated audience of over 12,000 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
True Colours has commissioned original works for the festival, including new pieces by the contemporary inclusive dance troupe DAZZLE from Japan; wheelchair dancer Rodney Bell from New Zealand; and a collaborative theater production by Singapore’s Very Special Theatrics and Australia’s No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability. On the outdoor Festival Village stage, Japanese contemporary dancers Kazuyo Morita and Natsumi Sadayuki will perform a specially commissioned piece, and No Strings Attached will debut their new work, I Forgot to Remember to Forget.
Other highlights include Canadian violin virtuoso Adrian Anantawan; Australian vocalist Tony Dee, featured in the 2016 Rio Paralympics trailer We’re the Superhumans; ILL-Abilities, an internationally recognized street dance crew; Drake Music Scotland’s Digital Orchestra; and Alienette Coldfire from the Philippines, who placed second in France’s Got Talent 2016. Ma Li and Zhai Xiao Wei, the first dance partners with disabilities to appear on China’s CCTV national dance competition, will also perform. They took home the silver medal and the audience popular vote in 2007.
True Colours Festival Village
This free outdoor festival will run from March 23-25, 2018 and will feature a variety of activities for all ages and interests. In addition to interactive opportunities to learn about different disabilities, the village will offer short film screenings about disability, theatrical performances, Paralympic Sports demonstrations, and art exhibitions, as well as merchandise, food, and beverages for sale.
Arts and Disability International Conference 2018
The Arts and Disability International Conference 2018 is co-organized by the National Arts Council (NAC) and Very Special Arts (VSA) Singapore. It will be held on March 22 and 23 at Marina Bay Sands & Enabling Village. The conference aims to provide insight into innovative methods for improving accessibility in the arts and to facilitate the exchange of best practices. International and local guest speakers and arts groups from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and the UK will present to approximately 400 attendees including social service providers, artists with and without disabilities, and policymakers. (Visit the URL for more information).
Ichiro Kabasawa, Executive Director of TNF, shared, “Our foundation has supported individuals with disabilities in Japan and around the globe for over half a century. With a growing global population, including an increase in aging populations, greater effort is required to break down barriers and guarantee accessibility so that everyone is respected and empowered to actively participate in society.”
UNESCO’s Dr. Indrajit Banerjee, Director of the Knowledge Societies Division in the communication and information sector stated: “Government policies, legislation, and development plans contribute to more inclusive and equitable environments, but art possesses a unique power. Celebrations of the performing arts like the True Colours Festival are instrumental in driving change within the social and cultural landscapes of society.”
Sim S. Lim, Group Executive and Country Head, DBS Singapore, explained that the bank’s participation in the True Colours Festival aligns with their vision to help create a brighter future for Asia by cultivating a more inclusive society. “At DBS, we believe that the True Colours Festival is a celebration of the power of the human spirit. Through the arts, DBS can help bring people across the region together as one community, united by a shared appreciation for the perseverance and inherent strength within each of us. By supporting these remarkably talented artists, we empower the community to pursue their aspirations and help shape the next generation’s understanding of interacting with people with disabilities,” Lim remarked.
The True Colours Festival will also introduce other inclusive “firsts,” such as:
• A more inclusive seating plan at the indoor concert, where ground-level seats will be arranged to allow wheelchair users to sit with or near their companions.
• A ticket sales initiative called MyTreat will allow individuals and organizations to buy concert tickets through the True Colours website. These MyTreat tickets will be pooled and distributed (through disability organizations) to people with disabilities who would not otherwise be able to attend.
• A festival website designed for accessibility, including screen reader compatibility for the visually impaired, alternative navigation for people with limited mobility, closed captions and English subtitles for video content, and customizable font sizes and color contrast to assist those with low vision or other visual needs.
“VSA is incredibly proud to host and produce this landmark event. The scale and ambition of this Festival is unparalleled in the Asia Pacific, and its success will help establish a new perspective on ability over disability in Singapore and the greater region,” said Andrew Liew, Chairman of VSA.