Collaborating Artists: Alecia Neo, Claire Teo, Germaine Goh, Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon, Zhuo Zihao, Chong Li-Chuan
What’s the vibe? Is there a dress code? Who else is invited? “The Usual Party” is a participatory performance that highlights how environments and systems can simultaneously include and exclude different individuals. It addresses the ways in which personal needs for safety and belonging can both clash and be met. Through mingling, party games, and an eclectic musical excursion led by two first-time party hosts, participants are invited to reflect on what it means to truly listen to and see one another beyond stereotypes and preconceived notions.
Performed by Germaine Goh and Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon, two neurodivergent artists, and conceptualized by a collective of interdisciplinary artists, this work draws from their lived experiences of disability. It explores the tension between self-reliance and community, confronting societal notions of normalcy and inclusion. As the performance unfolds, the party becomes a potential space for connection, vulnerability, and the courage to embrace authenticity.
Love music? Pick a song you'd enjoy listening to at our party! Your choice will be featured in our show:
https://tinyurl.com/TheUsualPartymusic
Performing Normal: The Usual Party is a culmination showcase of the ART:DIS Emerging Artist Residency Programme in partnership with Temasek Foundation and supported under the Dance Nucleus’ ARTEFACT Creation Residency from January to March 2025.
This programme is an extension of a series of performance workshops presented at the Singapore Art Museum. Performing Normal is part of Care Index, an ongoing artistic research project that seeks to understand care through movement, dialogue and collaborative practices.
About SAM Art Dose
Take some time out and join us on a journey to connect, explore, and reflect alongside artists and newfound friends. SAM Art Dose integrates art into the larger conversations about wellbeing. For more information, visit our website: https://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/
Access Showcase 2025 – common languages
Thu, 27 Mar 2025 – Sun 30 Mar 2025, 10am – 7pm
This inaugural Access Showcase 2025 – ‘common languages’ speaks to the work that SAM has done over the past few years centered on
‘commoning’ through art, co-developing resources and initiatives to engage and support constituents who would have traditionally encountered barriers in going to the museum and connecting with visual art.
This includes neurodivergent individuals, those who are Deaf and Hard of hearing, visually impaired persons, and communities from various socio-economic backgrounds. Through our initiatives and engagements, SAM aims to foster a sense of shared ownership in cultivating art as a ‘language’ of care and empowerment, enabling diverse communities to connect and thrive. The plurality inherent in the title proposes this inclusive environment where differences are celebrated and interconnected.
Accessibility Information
SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark is accessible to wheelchair users. An accessible washroom is available on the first floor.
Photography
By attending this programme, you consent to being photographed, filmed and/or video-recorded. These materials may be used by SAM for publicity and publications.
Cancellation
We reserve the right to cancel or rearrange the organised event. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information on this programme. However, changes are sometimes unavoidable and SAM reserves the right to make modifications to programmes without prior notice. Please visit our website for the most updated information.
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About the Artists
Alecia Neo, Artist
Alecia Neo is an artist and cultural worker. Her collaborative practice unfolds primarily through installations, lens-based media, participatory workshops and programmes that examine modes of radical hospitality and care. Her recent exhibitions include Performing Care (2023), Between Earth and Sky, presented at the Anyang Public Art Project, South Korea (2023) Scores for Caregiving (2023), a participatory installation commissioned by ArtScience Museum, Power to the People (2022), a site-specific art installation presented at Karachi Biennial 2022 and ramah-tamah (2020), a dance film commissioned by the Asian Civilisations Museum.
Care Index has been recently presented at The Esplanade: Theatres by the Bay, The Listening Biennial, Assembly for Permacircular Museums (ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe), New Season of Care (Asia-Art-Activism) and Presence of Mind (Gallery Lane Cove, NSW, Australia). She is the co-founder of Brack, an art collective and platform for socially engaged art and Ubah Rumah Residency on Nikoi Island, which focuses on ecological practices. Active since 2014, her ongoing collaborations with disabled artists currently manifests as an arts platform, Unseen Art Initiatives. Alecia was the recipient of the Young Artist Award in 2016, and the Singapore Youth Award in 2019.
Germaine Goh, ART:DIS Artist
Germaine is a talented and devoted dancer who has successfully completed the Artist-In-Training level programme, Very Special (VS) Dance, with ART:DIS in the year 2022. Throughout her training, Germaine has a profound understanding of various dance techniques, and creativity in her dance expression. Her dance vocabulary has significantly expanded over the years, and she has developed a diverse perspective on dance that goes beyond techniques, incorporating the body's possibilities and beauty. Dance has always been a medium through which Germaine could confidently express herself, and it has provided her with opportunities to develop relationships through movement with trainers and friends.
She strives to cultivate more meaningful relationships with people through movement. Germaine's dance education also includes Crestar School of Dance from 2011 to 2021, Merit for Advanced Foundation Royal Academy of Dance in 2021 and a Distinction for Grade 8 Royal Academy of Dance in 2020. Germaine has performed in various programmes , including ART:DIS Theatre Production Welcome To My World: Chachambo: Taking Flight in 2023, , Singapore Writers Festival in 2022, Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation, Asia Pacific Autism Conference and Purple Parade.
Jaspreet Sekhon, ART:DIS Artist
Jaspreet is an actor, dancer and a passionate advocate for persons with intellectual disabilities. Jaspreet is a member of the Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC), where she continuously refines her artistry through performing and teaching. She has collaborated with an Australian multi-disability group where she not only performs but also co-trains pre-schoolers in dance and movement. Jaspreet is an active member of the joint self-advocacy project 'Our Lives, Our Voices' by Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) and MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore). She spends her days doing advocacy work, including having discussions with organizations on inclusivity for people with Down Syndrome. Jaspreet is passionate about speaking up on issues that matter to her and has had the opportunity to make a keynote presentation at a United Nations event in New York in 2014 on 'Health and Wellbeing', which was a highlight for her. She presented at the “Having a Say” Conference 2018 in Australia, and at the “We Are Able” 2018 seminar organised by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore where she shared about the importance of
empowerment.
In 2022, Jaspreet received the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards (UBS Promise) 2022 for her advocacy work with the disabled community in Singapore. Jaspreet was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth, and her family faced difficulties navigating the world due to misinformation and a lack of research. However, Jaspreet's family persevered and gathered more knowledge to support her, eventually starting the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore). Jaspreet believes that education is the key to overcoming the limitations and barriers created in the community. She dreams of attending university as she is a firm believer in lifelong learning and wants to ensure that others realize their own abilities too. Jaspreet moves gracefully to her own rhythm, on stage or in real life, and it's a joy to witness her zest for life.
Claire Teo, ART:DIS Artist
Claire Teo is an actor and artist-educator whose practice involves using performing and literary arts as a medium to bridge communities. Her versatility allows her to take on various roles as a performer, director, and writer and spearhead many disability-led and informed projects that have become milestones in the disability arts scene. Some notable works include:
Welcome To My World 2023: Cha Cham Bo! Taking Flight
Light To Night Festival 2025: Through The Looking Glass
MONSTRESS: The reclaiming of Medea and Medusa 2025
She teaches drama and singing in mainstream and special needs contexts, at senior citizens’ activity centres, and within social service organisations. Additionally, Claire has served as a Programmes Executive at a girls’ residence, supporting youth who have faced adverse childhood experiences. Her work integrates stage performance with educational practice and community outreach, using the arts to promote self-discovery, resilience, and practical skills development.
Zhuo Zihao, Movement Consultant
The Young Artist Award (Dance) 2012 recipient is a highly accomplished dance artist, boasts over 23 years of industry experience. Zihao graduated from the LaSalle-SIA College for the Arts with a Diploma in Dance (2002) and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Dance (2008) from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. His journey began with Odyssey Dance Theatre (2000 - 2004). As a founding member of The Human Expression held an Associate Artist position after transitioning into an Independent Dance Artist upon (T.H.E) Dance Company, he contributed from 2008 to 2016 and has since leaving T.H.E in 2016. His Site-Specific work “Being”, with Dance In Situ (DIS), earned recognition as one of the “Best of The Year” pieces by Straits Time Life! in the same year.
Notably, Zihao’s iconic creations include “Felt. Sense” (2013), a collaboration with Bani Haykal’s sound composition that explored the sensation of trauma through a blend of 3D video projection and live performers. Beyond the stage, Zihao actively engages in digital media and social work. In 2020, he produced 10 dance episodes for the National Arts Council’s “From the Living Room” Facebook series. In 2021, he embarked on the “C.R.A.M - The Prologue” research and development project, delving into his performance philosophy and principles with support from Raw Moves. Most recently, Zihao starred in the collaborative dance film “Half”, commissioned by the Esplanade Theatre by the Bay for the Huayi Festival 2022. The film, conceptualized and directed by award-winning Royston Tan, features music by Chong Li-Chuan and cochoreography by Yarra Ileto and Zihao himself. In summary, Zhuo Zihao remains a visionary dance artist, consistently pushing boundaries within the industry.
Chong Li-Chuan, Sound Designer
Chong Li-Chuan (b. 1975) is a Singaporean composer and sound artist who is passionate about philosophy, culture, and the arts. He began his career as a composer and sound designer in the 1990s through collaborations with artists and performers working in various fields, including theatre, dance, filmmaking, and design. His creative output includes music composition, sound design, field recording, soundscape composition, site-specific art, installations, free improvisation, and collaborative work exploring different modes of expression and the poetics of sound. Li-Chuan has worked on projects in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Singapore.