- AECFest
- ASEF
- Dance
- Decolonial Narratives
SoftMachine: The Return
A decade after their first encounter, two Asian artists reunite. Through a blend of dance, documentary, and monologue, Surjit (India) and Rianto (Indonesia) explore how their bodies and homelands have evolved. From political resilience in India to the complexities of gender in Indonesia: SoftMachine: The Return is an honest, radical self-portrait. It captures a generation growing old together while redefining the future of Asian contemporary dance.
Press
“Softmachine: The Return felt like a gift (…) Choy’s project resists easy closure, inviting us instead to sit with vulnerability, to value the labour of friendship and the act of returning to the body as a site of knowledge.” – Bakchormeeboy ★★★★☆
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Choy Ka Fai
Credits
Concept, Visual Design, Direction and Documentary: Choy Ka Fai
In collaboration with: Surjit Nongmeikapam and Rianto
Dramaturgy: Tang Fukuen
Scenography, Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Ray Tseng
Music and Sound Design: Mo’ong Santoso Pribadi and Chaoba Thiyam, with selected composition from Heisnam Shantanu Singh and Augustine Shimray
Project Tour Management: Mariko Mikami
SoftMachine: the Return is commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Presented as part of da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) The Development of the project is supported with Residency at Studio Plesungan, Indonesia and Dance Nucleus, Singapore
This performance is a part of AECFest, a multidisciplinary public arts festival that alternates annually between Asia and Europe. In 2026, it will be presented as a festival-in-a-festival within SPRING, taking place from May 14 to 23. This edition marks the third consecutive year that AECFest is hosted within a major international festival platform, following editions in Italy (2024) and China (2025).
The Asia-Europe Cultural Festival (AECFest) is organized by Asia Europe Foundation with the financial support of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
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