Image adapted from: @ill_abilities and Nina Gastreich
A new festival’s coming to town and it’s not the usual carnival with fairground rides and Instagrammable food. Instead, it promises to be the most meaningful show of the year starring more than 20 acts with disabilities. Drop by the True Colours Festival from 23 to 25 March, where you’ll be blown away by the talent of local and international artistes.
Held over three evenings, the True Colours Concert will be a multimedia explosion of colour. Expect exhilarating dance performances and beautiful voices that’ll send shivers down your spine. From wheelchair dancer Rodney Bell to blind singer Aliènette Coldfire, here are a few artistes you should keep a lookout for:
Ballet’s all about beauty and grace, and there’s no doubt that dancers Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei have got it all. Even though Ma Li lost her right arm at 19 and Zhai Xiaowei lost a leg as a child, their pointe technique is still completely on point. Their dancing’s certainly breathtaking, but their steadfast determination? Even more so.
Singing at France Got Talent. Image credit: @alienette787
It’s no easy feat to place third on France’s Got Talent, especially as a small-town blind Filipina girl. Aliènette Coldfire rose to social media fame in 2014 with her rendition of Mariah Carey’s I’ll Be There – racking in half a million views. Applaud Aliènette’s voice but also her passion: she adores French songs and taught herself to speak fluent French by interacting with her online friends.
Image credit: True Colours Festival
Practice lets you hit each note perfectly, but Adrian Anantawan does more than that – he tells a story through his music. Although Adrian was born without a right hand, he picked up a violin at the age of 9 and has since performed for crowds at the White House and the Athens Olympics. By using a spatula, a plaster cast put together with velcro, he plays by moving his elbow back and forth.
No limits when it comes to ILL-Abilities’ hip-hop moves. This breakdancing troupe’s made up of b-boys from all over the world – they might have physical limitations but they certainly know their way around the dance floor. Catch Tommy Guns, who had his leg amputated, in one of his many head-spins, or Redo’s airflares even though he’s missing a right hip.
Image credit: Nina Gastreich
It took a while for Rodney Bell to get into dance — he was initially a wheelchair basketballer after being paralysed from his chest down when he was 20 years old. Hailing from New Zealand, he brings his Maori culture into his dances — you can expect moves like Kiwi Thunder, where he drops to the ground and catches himself, or Taniwha Whips Its Tale, where he drops on one arm and does a slight flick.
True Colours Indoor Concert
Date: 8PM – 10:30PM, 23 March | 6PM – 8PM, 24-25 March
Address: Singapore Indoor Stadium, 2 Stadium Walk, Singapore, 397691
Admission: $30 for standard admission | $25.50 for Concession/ PAssion Card
Members/ DBS/POSB Cardholders (Purchase tickets online here)
If you were moved by the awe-inspiring performances of the three-day True Colours Indoor Concert, there’s more waiting for you just a short stroll away at the outdoors True Colours Festival Village.
From 23 to 25 March, catch screenings of short films and inclusive theatre performances, visit the art exhibition, or even try a paralympic sport. If you’re feeling peckish, there’ll be food and drink stalls and you can also take home a souvenir from one of their art and merch booths.
True Colours Festival Village
Date: 4PM – 8PM, 23 March | 11AM – 9:30PM, 24 & 25 March
Address: OCBC Square, Singapore Sports Hub (Stadium MRT Exit A, in front of Kallang Wave Mall)
Admission: Free
Making sure that everyone can attend! Image credit: @truecolourssg
The Singapore Indoor Stadium is wheelchair-friendly, with dedicated areas on the ground floor so that wheelchair users can be seated in their own wheelchairs — their friends and loved ones will be seated right behind them or close by.
You can purchase your own tickets here or tickets for others here.
Redeafination is a hip hop dance troupe with deaf dancers. Image credit: Redeafination
Everyone’s welcome to join in at True Colours Festival. With an indoor and outdoor concert, there’ll be plenty of dance and music performances where you’ll be marvelling at the talent of these artistes. Thanks to their hard work, we can enjoy kick-ass performances like intricate ballet performances and Maori-influenced wheelchair dancing.
This post was brought to you by True Colours Festival.
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