Sweet Symphony

Hanie’s job isn’t something we come across every day — she works as a programmer for the Esplanade theatres, which means she plays a part in planning and organising a range of performances and activities. It sounds like an exciting job, and Hanie confirms it. “I get the opportunity to meet creative people — musicians, singers, dancers, choreographers, actors, set designers, visual artists, etc, and to get to know them and their body of work is really exciting,” she says. “And when the audience truly enjoys the works of these artistes that you have programmed for them, that truly is the icing on the cake.” She loves her job, and if there’s one thing she’s learnt about making work life even better, it’s the importance of communication. “Good communication helps in avoiding a breakdown, which is the source of a lot of issues,” she says. “Get to know your colleagues and understand the support system you have at the office. It will come in handy.” Even outside of work, Hanie still finds herself involved in the performing arts. “I am one of the co-founders of a Brazilian percussion social group, called Bloco Singapura, and have been running the group since 2008. I don’t play any of the instruments, unfortunately — I tried to learn but failed miserably,” she says. “The group has over 300 members. We do performances for various national and music events, play at festivals overseas, organise percussion and music festivals locally, conduct education outreach to schools, and even do volunteer work through our music. It is always an amazing feeling when you listen to the music and watch people dance and enjoy themselves.” It might sound like Hanie’s life is packed, but she tries to always squeeze in time for her family and for some yoga, cycling, netball, or some simple “me time” by going for a massage or staying in bed for a TV marathon. “I was always rushing around and always wanting to do a lot of things at one time,” she says. “But I have learnt to slow down, which was something that was not easy for me to do initially. My current philosophy is to take time to do what makes your soul happy.”