WHAT'S IN MY PORTFOLIO

What’s In My Portfolio: Janek Schergen

13 Feb 2020

Director, Singapore Dance Theatre

I was a professional dancer for a long while before I became a ballet master, which I always aspired to do. 

Eventually, I was offered a position as artistic director of Singapore Dance Theatre, which I have been involved in since it was established 32 years ago. Seeing the whole arc of the company – the dancers, the productions and its development in Singapore – feels like an achievement. 

SDT was established to give professional performances to an audience in Singapore by a local company. Through the years, we've brought forth adventurous productions of classical and contemporary works, as well as world and company premieres.

Sharing them with an audience is a way of communicating what Singapore has to offer. It is important because we're a cultural city.

Three pillars that hold up the company: classical ballets, contemporary works and world premieres. This year, we have four choreographers coming in to create world premieres for the company, and another one who has worked with us for numerous productions to create a new ballet.

We've got “The Nutcracker” at the end of the year and a new full-length “Cinderella” that we're planning to bring out in two years’ time. There’s also the repertoire that we do on a continual basis in performances like Ballet Under the Stars and Masterpiece in Motion.

I've always felt, by seeing the company through the years, that I've witnessed something that creates a memory that lives on much, much further past the performance. I encourage everybody who wants to share an experience that will create a memory to come to see Singapore Dance Theatre. It will be worth it.