FIFTH WALL continues its mission to challenge traditional spaces with “Time Out”, a site-specific performance as part of the International Dance Day Fest Opening Night Gala on April 23. Upon arrival at the venue, guests will witness its escalators subtly transform into multiple vertical stages inhabited by dancers; seemingly stuck in place on their way up to the auditorium. The main feature of the Opening Night Gala will be the multi-award-winning British choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor and his acclaimed Company Wayne McGregor. The festival, happening at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater until April 27, is expected to draw creatives, cultural changemakers, and new audiences to the dynamic landscape of dance.
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“Time Out” is an introspective approach to the quiet rebellion lingering within the modern workforce. Nuances within corporate life will be explored through contemporary movement, revealing moments of predictability and uncertainty. The piece also encourages audiences to reflect on their own roles within structured systems, in the hopes of inspiring them to find pockets of creativity and personal agency in their daily routine.
The performance is set to original music by Aries, the moniker of Manila-based producer Ram Alonzo. Known for his emotionally textured, high-energy sound, Aries curated an exciting score of his own creations to mirror the choreography’s investigation of tension and release.
Costumes for the performance are supported by UNIQLO, with their LifeWear clothing perfectly encapsulating the themes of “Time Out” through its simplicity, high quality and purposeful design. Layers of clothing will represent the everyday dance between conformity and expression, making wardrobe a key element in the storytelling.
With the escalators acting as both metaphor and medium, “Time Out” invites its viewers to confront transformation—of space, self, and society. It is dance as commentary, but also as a call to move and live more freely.
“We wanted to reimagine something as ordinary as the escalator—something we tend to move through mindlessly—and reveal its potential for meaningful engagement,” said FIFTH WALL Founder Madge Reyes. “It’s about finding charm in the mundane and reclaiming the rhythms of corporate life not as soulless or robotic, but as something that can be reinterpreted and even celebrated through dance. Our performance is also significant because the Samsung Performing Arts Theater is where we launched FIFTH WALL FEST in-person in 2022, after two (2) previous editions online. We’re honoured to be part of this year’s International Dance Day Fest and be amongst a great lineup of local and foreign acts.”
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FIFTH WALL’s performance of “Time Out” is part of the festival’s Opening Night Gala on April 23. Attendees can enjoy this and the rest of the International Dance Day Fest’s programme until April 27. Explore the full lineup of performances and events here.
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