Joavien was born in Singapore, 1973.
She began her creative career in 1997.
Joavien examines the world from multiple perspectives through an experiential framework. Drawing on her own experiences of being simultaneously an Asian and a global citizen, she delves deep into human nature and the construction of one’s identity and its accompanying volatility. Diversity in interpretation and perceptions are both important and interesting for her as she questions the norm and the accepted.
Joavien treats all body movements as a form of art, even if they do not fall neatly within a particular dance style. She is passionate about contemporary dance because it expresses how real bodies move, with its natural instincts and clumsiness.
Joavien graduated from LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore. Her works have since been presented locally and internationally with TheatreWorks (Singapore), Esplanade Theatre (Singapore), Singapore Arts Festival, Kampnagel (Hamburg), Alkantara (Portugal), Rimbun Dahan (Kuala Lumpur), Contemporary Dance of Fort Worth (USA), Little Asia Dance Exchange Network (Taipei, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore), Singapore Art Museum.
As an arts educator, Joavien Ng has 20 years of pedagogic experience in arts education. In 2000, Joavien founded Creative Tree. As the artistic director, she co-wrote, co-choreographed and co-directed all 11 theatre and dance AEP shows. She also co-develops enrichment syllabus with a team of dance instructors, and provides mentorship to young dance instructors. To date, Creative Tree has evolved to a body of collaboration with a vast network of artists, educators, instructors, dancers and actors.
Her latest works were, Atoms (2024) - a dance work for La Salle Dance Graduation, The School (2023) - a participatory theatre commissioned by SIFA and Colours (2022) - a sound and video project conceived by Neo Kim Seng and Joavien Ng, and developed in collaboration with the project’s 12 participants.
Other notable works include - Intrusions (2016) commissioned by Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, Singapore; Incarnation of the Beast (2015) produced by Theatreworks, Singapore; a LIFE performance (2012); My Superhero (2012); LAB (2008); Body Inquire (2008); Dream (2006); Victoria (2005); and collaboratives - The Diary of Alice with Paloma Calle, Madrid (2011); and Body Swap with Dani Brown, Hamburg (2009).
In 2014, with Singapore International Festival of Arts - Ways of Wandering (2014), Joavien choreographed and collaborated with 30 members of the public to create a mass installation of moving bodies interweaving the green outdoor public spaces. In the same year, Joavien also collaborated and performed in Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy at 7213, Singapore. She also served as Associate Artist with Theatreworks in 2011, where she initiated a choreographic Lab with German artist, Jochen Roller - The Screw of Thought.
