SDT's fundraiser to take company to next level

SINGAPORE Dance Theatre has been chalking up one milestone after another. The 2014 company premiere of Don Quixote was not only featured on the front cover of Dance Europe magazine, it was also selected as one of the best premieres of the year, with SDT's first artist Zhao Jun awarded "Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer" in his role as the Gypsy King.

Set to return to the Esplanade Theatre next month, Don Quixote tells the funny adventures of a middle-aged Spanish nobleman who wants to bring beauty and justice to the world. The ballet was the first new full-length work in seven years to be added to SDT's repertoire, which has been expanding at the rate of four new works every year.

Now determined to take its vision on to the next level, the country's national dance company is starting an annual fundraiser called The Moon and The Stars to secure funds to "help develop SDT to a fully international standard ... (as) no arts organisation can survive and thrive on ticket sales alone", says artistic director Janek Schergen.