New ‘lifestyle studio’ The Faculty is like high school; you get to try out different artistic disciplines – dancing, singing, theatre – before heading off to specialise at performing arts college. Except here age doesn’t matter, which goes to show you’re never too old to learn something new. Located in the rentable pagoda space in Thian Hock Keng temple on Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown, The Faculty offers classes ranging from jazz ballet, tango and belly dancing to vocal lessons and acting basics; hours are flexible to suit the nine-to-five crowd. The institute also provides consultations for people who consider themselves out of touch with the local arts scene. Should a specific request arise, the institute will refer members to the appointed tutors for advice.

Personalised curriculums are perfect for those who don’t know whether they’re thespians, dancers or artists. Classes are typically made up of six to eight people, with a list of tutors that already includes Liza Katzoff (previously of LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, New York) and representatives from Infinity Dance Studio (Hong Kong) and Beatbox Studio (Tokyo). At The Faculty’s launch on 31 July, an art installation featuring the work of two graphic artists – Momorobo (Singapore) and LA-based Italian Simone Legno of Japanese lifestyle brand tokidoki – emphasised the ‘East meets West’ philosophy that collaborators and founders Don Tsai, Sabrina Li and Kerrie Li envision for The Faculty. 

Unit 2, 168 Telok Ayer St (6227 7036, www.thefaculty.sg).