Dancing on escalators at International Dance Day Fest
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 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 multiaward-winning British choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor and his acclaimed Company Wayne McGregor. The festival is happening at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater until April 27.
“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 curates 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.
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.”
