Arts Central

EPISODE 1
Salsa

In the opening episode of the series, Singapore Dance Theatre ballerina Cheah Mei Sing warms up to a hot latin dance, Salsa. She signs up for some lessons with Gupson Pierre, a ballet dancer turned salsa instructor himself. Intimidated by Gupson's no-nonsense teaching style , she struggles as she prepares for a public performance with him at a dance club. Salsa is a lead -and-follow dance but it is following the partner that Mei Sing finds the hardest. For a ballerina who prides herself on knowing her steps at all times, the lack of an advance agenda is distressing. To look her part for her performance, the salsera-in-training also checks out the saucy salsa dance scene and pick up a few tips on how to dress like a sexy salsa dancer. Tune in to find out how Mei Sing does on the night of reckoning with the master salsa dancer.

EPISODE 2
Lindy Hop

Jeffrey Tan trades in his ballet leotards for brightly coloured Zoot suits from the 1930s. Tutored by enthusiasts from Jitterbugs Swingapore, Jeffrey has to throw and catch his dance partner in mid air, executing what the Lindy Hoppers call the air-steps. Not only must he swing to Big Band music, he has to pull off a performance in front of accomplished Lindy Hoppers. Can he live up to the test? Join Jeff as he discovers the legacy of this wildly joyous Afro-American dance.

EPISODE 3
Line Dance

Ballet dancers, Cheah Mei Sing and Jeffrey Tan, take a ride to the Wild, Wild West. Here they meet a whole army of cowboys and cowgirls who have been bitten by the line dance bug. At the country line dance association, they discover that line dance is not just a dance for older people, some young people and even children are also getting a piece of the country western action . To entice the young, some dance studios even do line dance to pop and latin music. Mei Sing and Jeff try turning their young ballet students into cow girls as they head for their line dance face-off at Far East Square, a place where line dancers do their yee hah every Sunday.

EPISODE 4
Belly Dance

This week, ballerina Cheah Mei Sing enters the Aladdin's cave of veils, chiffon skirts, coin laden belts and sequinned bras that is belly dance. But she finds that no costume, however glamorous, could disguise her fundamental shortcomings. Like most ballet dancers, she has no belly to speak of and is short on stuff to shimmy. Having always held her hips firmly as a ballet dancer, she now has to coax them into a frantic shimmy. Despite her jitters, she is welcome into a world inhabited by women who have left their inhibitions at the door , women who simply love to belly dance. Fat or thin, sexy or plain, these women do not fit neatly into the stereotype of a belly dancer. With their coaching , Mei Sing gears up for her public belly dance showing at a Middle-eastern restaurant.

EPISODE 5
Hip Hop

From the women-centric universe of belly dance, Mei Sing finds herself thrust into the world of hip hop, a world where boys would be men and bravado and breakneck stunts are the rule of the day. Though it is now taught in the studios, the original hip hop belongs to the streets. Mei Sing tries not to break any bones while she learns the dance but what she finds most elusive is the devil-may-care hip hop attitude. She sets off on a quest for the true spirit of hip hop and uncovers different facets of the dance culture, like its music and its visual art form which is graffiti. Armed with her new found attitude, Mei Sing tries to pull off her solo performance at a hip hop competition. How will she fare?

EPISODE 6
Para Para

This week, ballet dancer, Jeffrey Tan, learns a dance from Japan, the country of Kabuki, cherry-blossom viewing, and now the country of Para Para. He meets a group of enthusiastic young people, members of the Para Para Committee of Singapore. They take it upon themselves to tutor him on the fine points of para para, from mastering the basic moves to keeping count to the unusual metre of Eurobeat music. To become a para para hunk, Jeff tries every method in the book.. He plays the Para Para Paradise arcade game and copies the moves from the Para Para vcds. But what he finds hardest is understanding why these youths are so keen on a dance that many people think is just a lame, uncreative fad. As he journeys into the heart of Para Para, Jeff also comes closer to understanding the passions and dreams of these young people.

EPISODE 7
Classical Indian Dance

This week , SDT ballerina, Cheah Mei Sing encounters a pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses as she learns Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance form. While she grapples with the rhythmic and expressive elements of this ancient dance form, she is also initiated into the culture and traditions associated with the dance. An outsider to the tradition, she seeks creative ways of connecting to the dance culture as she prepares for a performance in celebration of the Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of dance. She found help in unexpected quarters, from a seven year old dancer who has already made her solo debut, a Chinese man who has a passion for the dance form and a young indian woman who has crafted her modern re-interpretation of the Bharata Natyam. Catch Go Tutu Go to see how a modern ballerina attempts to master the basics of an ancient dance form.

EPISODE 8
Tango

In the final episode of Go Tutu Go , Singapore Dance Theatre ballerina Mei Sing takes on the sexiest of all ballroom dances, tango. She finds that the popular image of tango-all dramatic head turns, arching backs and roses clenched between teeth is not exactly the real thing. Tango had its humble origins as a form of dirty dancing in the slums of Bueno Aires, Argentina. But ballroom tango is different. Respectable and formal, it is a dance sport that draws the upper crust of society. Mei Sing rub shoulders with the social elite in the Raffles Hotel Ballrom and discovers why they have fallen head over heels for tango. She also tries Argentinian tango, a variation of tango that is uncensored and smouldering with sensuality. Both ballroom and Argentinian tango dancers speak to her about tango with intensity and passion. Mei Sing is about to experience that all-consuming passion herself as she does her tango at the Raffles Ballroom. Watch this final episode of Go Tutu Go to see if Mei Sing smoulders on the tango dancefloor.