Timothy Lee

Timothy is 21 years old and living with Down Syndrome. He is the youngest recipient of the inaugural Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards (UBS Promise Award 2019) and has participated in the President Star Charity Show 2019 and sang “Majulah Singapura” at the National Anthem 60th Anniversary. He performed in Something About Home, as part of the Light to Night Festival 2020 commissioned by National Gallery Singapore. Dancing weekly with non-profit organisation, D’Artistes, he also practices the Cajon with ART:DIS Singapore. He is the first person with a disability to be seen on national TV, acting in the television series Kin since 2018. Timothy hopes to always be a spark of light to illuminate the world with joy.

Watch Timothy’s performance, commissioned by ART:DIS Singapore for Singapore Writers’ Festival 2020.

Stephanie Esther Fam

Stephanie defines Art as “an ongoing expanse of multifaceted expression” and uses her innate flair with words to create original poetry that reflects her lived experiences, thoughts, and viewpoints. Her decade-long experience on the public speaking platform of Toastmasters International allows her to educate and inspire live audiences through meticulously crafted speeches. In 2018, she ventured into theatre-making. She performed a self-written monologue MUM at Centre 42 as part of Project Tandem’s Making a Stand, and was cast in And Suddenly I Disappear: The Singapore ‘d’ Monologues, the first disability-led theatre collaboration between Singapore and UK. Onwards, she strives to be a voice advocating for disability-led practices within the artistic community. 

Watch Stephanie’s performance, commissioned by ART:DIS Singapore for Singapore Writers’ Festival 2020.

Parvinderjeet Kaur

She was born with a congenital hearing disability. Fitted with a left hearing aid at 6 years old, she had her cochlear implant surgery for her right ear in 2009. She was among those in the third year to enter Singapore Soka Kindergarten (SSK). In 1995, the kindergarten welcomed SGI President Ikeda, the founder of SSK and he encouraged the students by playing the piano. Even though Parvinderjeet couldn’t hear the notes clearly, her body felt the piano’s vibrations. That experience moved her tremendously and became the turning point in her life. She began taking piano lessons at the age of eight and worked hard to improve her skills by practising as hard as she could. Since then, she has attained a diploma in piano and has been teaching in a music school.

Watch Parvinderjeet’s performance, commissioned by ART:DIS Singapore for Singapore Writers’ Festival 2020.

Grace Ng

Grace is a Deaf person who has a tremendous desire to hone her acting skills in non-verbal screen and stage acting.  Grace attended short film-making courses with Sinema, August Pictures and Zoom Academy.  Since then, she acted in independent short films, For A Reason, My Everyday, Savage Love and Love Returns Home and continuously writes, directs, and performs her short films with a group of enthusiasts.  This is her first foray into writing and performing a dramatic monologue and she is proud to be using Singapore Sign Language to perform her artistic creation.

Watch Grace’s performance, commissioned by ART:DIS Singapore for Singapore Writers’ Festival 2020.

Claire Teo

Claire graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts with a Diploma in Performance in 2019. In 2009, she received a Distinction in the Trinity Guild Hall: Initial Text Examinations and a Grade 3 in Classical Ballet. She has performed in notable productions including Cake Theatrical Productions’ Rubber Girl on the Loose, The Second Breakfast Company’s The Old Woman and The Ox, Pink Gajah Theatre’s Alter Egos, Project Tandem’s Making a Stand and has represented Singapore in the World Martial Arts Festival, Purwakarta in 2017. She is also developing speech and drama curriculums and is the scriptwriter for several school assembly show programmes. As a visually impaired person, she wishes to champion the disability arts scene in Singapore towards true inclusive practice.

Watch Claire’s performance, commissioned by ART:DIS Singapore for Singapore Writers’ Festival 2020.

Dawn-joy Leong

Dawn is a researcher, TEDx speaker, author, music composer, visual artist, and specialist consultant. Dr. Leong holds an MPhil in music composition and a PhD in Autism, Neurodiversity and Multi-Art Praxis. Her art-science transdisciplinary research and material practice feature immersive and multi-sensory mind-body experiences with soundscape, video, photography, installation, narrative, poetry, and performance. Dr. Leong is Autistic, and a Board Member of the Disabled People’s Association Singapore. She is a passionate advocate for disabled leadership, equity and representation, believing firmly in “Nothing About Us Without Us” in all areas of life involving the disabled. Dr. Leong’s work has been published and presented in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore.

Click here for Dr. Leong’s website. 

Wan Wai Yee

Wai Yee is a talented and experienced singer who has been performing for private events since 1995. Her repertoire consists of popular music and Broadway musical songs. She has also done musicals, voiceovers and numerous concerts by The Purple Symphony.

In 2019, she underwent her first vocal examination in Musical Theatre Grade 5 conferred by the London College of Music for which she earned distinction. She is currently in her third year of a scholarship funded by the Purple Symphony Award Training Program, learning vocal techniques.

She co-created a busking band StrawberryStory with fellow visually impaired musician, Ivni Yakuub. From the streets to ballrooms and the virtual realm, they are making their presence felt.

Mohammad Ivni Bin Yaakub

Ivni has a Grade 5 in Drums (Pop Rock) from the Trinity College of London in 2014 and his range of music performances includes Pop, Rock, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Musical and Orchestra. 

He was one of the lead performers in online concerts BuskerLife Project by Music Theatre Limited, featured and performed in Tutti Singapore, a community music project involving 55 percussionists. Having accumulated much experience, he started a busking band StrawberryStory with visually impaired music partner, Wan Wai Yee, to raise awareness of their artistry.

At the sports advocacy front, he is founding committee member and Vice Chairman of Running Hour Co-operative Pte Ltd, an inclusive and integrative running club, and has completed 5 races thus far.

Ammar “Ameezy” (Muhammad Ammar Nasrulhaq)

A visual creator both on the dance floor and through the lens, Ammar “Ameezy” spends most of his time creating magic. Driven by adrenaline, Ammar loves pushing and transcending boundaries and believes in experiences more than certificates.

He was born hearing but due to a high fever when he was an infant, he gained deafness. Growing up in both Deaf and Hearing worlds, he has witnessed and identified many differences and similarities. Being part of the Redeafination dance crew since 2011, the experience has taken his passion for dance to greater heights. As an artist, Ammar’s focus is to integrate the relationship between the Deaf and hearing to spread a message that both worlds can work together.

Watch his direction and choreography of Signing Hands, a music video commissioned by Purple Parade 2020.