Photo credits: Tan Ngiap Heng
A graduate of the Diploma in Fine Art in 1991, and Diploma in Dance in 1994, Lim Chin Huat is a cross-disciplinary artist and a recipient of the prestigious Young Artist Award conferred by the National Arts Council, Singapore in 2000.
Chin Huat is a familiar name in Singapore’s dance and theatre scene. He is the former co-founder and artistic director of ECNAD (1996 – 2013) and has an oeuvre of over 70 creative works, mainly full-length dance since 1993. Chin Huat’s original training in fine art at NAFA has a profound impact on his creative endeavours with ECNAD. Other than his stunning visual theatrical and site-specific creations, his creative directing works have been showcased locally and abroad such as at the Singapore Arts Festival, Belgrade International Theatre Festival, Wiener Festwochen 2009 Asia Village, Festival of Asia (New Zealand), Asia Interaction (Indonesia), Esplanade’s RAW series, Gardens by the Bay opening ceremony, Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award, Artwine Festival, Singapore River Festival, Mediacorp Star Awards, Fireball, NUS Arts Festival, Teochew Festival, SPH Zaobao 90th and 95th Anniversary production, and most recently at the Quanzhou Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s 2019 Cultural Extravaganza!《华彩 2019》. His works have also been presented at the Asian Civilisation Museum, Chaoyang Cultural Centre (Beijing) and The Actor's Studio (Kuala Lumpur).
Chin Huat has worked in various capacities, as a creative conceptualiser, visual artist, performer, dancer, choreographer, director, production designer, movement director/coach, educator and creative mentor. He was appointed the National Day Parade choreographer in 2007 and 2008, and was also commissioned to develop the programme for the festival finale for Gardens by the Bay’s opening in 2012 and the Teochew Festival in 2014.
Chin Huat was a part-time lecturer at NAFA’s Theatre Department in 2008 and co-directed the 2008 graduation play Descendants of Eunuch Admiral. He was also a guest lecturer for Dance at NAFA. In 2017, he conceptualised and mentored the 30 Years dance production for the NAFA Dance Alumni Chapter. In 2018, Chin Huat was invited to be a guest performer in NAFA’s 80th Anniversary operetta production of Die Fledermaus – The Revenge of the Bat.
Since 2015, he has been a faculty member focusing on shaping intercultural theatre movement training at the Intercultural Theatre Institute. He continues to work as an independent cross-disciplinary arts practitioner with local dance, theatre and music companies as a creative production collaborator and conceptualiser. Chin Huat also shares his experiences in art making, taking on the role as creative mentor and movement advisor for many young practicing artists.