By Jowell Ling (19S07B), Chairperson
From singer-songwriters JJ Lin and Jay Chou performing their own original songs on stage to actresses Song Hye-kyo and Fan Bingbing demonstrating their superb acting skills in dramas – these talented and charismatic artistes often leave us in great admiration. Many of us aspire to be like them someday, but often we laugh these dreams off, thinking that they are unrealistic.
Admittedly, RI CLDCS cannot help give you international fame. But what we, as a Performing Arts CCA, CAN do is to train and unleash YOUR potential in songwriting and drama, all of which culminate in an annual showcase where you can sing your own original compositions and act in a drama in front of your fellow schoolmates.
What is CLDCS? We are like a “spork”, a 2-in-1 combination of both a spoon and a fork. CLDCS consists of 2 sections:
- Drama
- Songwriting
Members can choose to join either section or even both!
Faced with a limited budget (time) and can’t decide whether to get a fork or a spoon? Why not get both for the “price” of 1? Most CCAs have sessions at least twice a week, but with this amount of time you can get to experience both drama and songwriting in CLDCS, with each section having training sessions only ONCE a week.
Drama
Session timings: Highly flexible (subject to instructors’ availability)
Frequency: Weekly, ~1.5h each on non-rehearsal days
Conducted by our highly experienced Drama instructor Mr. David Wong, who has been with the CCA for almost 2 decades, all members’ Oscar-winning potentials will be unearthed, regardless of whether they have any drama background.
Regular sessions consist of theatre games, a way of picking up acting tricks and skills through fun, as well as impromptu challenges where members have to put up a short skit centered around a keyword or even a picture given by our instructor. Each session is full of fun and laughter, and is bound to put smiles on everyone’s face after an exhausting day in lectures and tutorials.
Songwriting
Session timing: Tuesday 4.30pm – 6.30pm (Tentative)
Are you a budding lyricist, melody composer or singer? No matter where your area of expertise lies, there will definitely be a place for you in the Songwriting section.
Fret not if you have no prior songwriting experience, for our highly talented and experienced songwriting instructor, Mr. Keith Kwok, will be on hand to guide everyone along. Having worked with Mandopop King JJ Lin before, he is definitely one who can help to turn all your ideas into complete songs that you’ll be proud to call your own.
Every year, members will also get an opportunity to head down to our instructors’ recording studio to get their original songs recorded into an album, which not only serves as a physical keepsake for members, but also a form of legacy that can allow their compositions to be heard by their peers and even future batches.
CLDCS Annual Showcase — 翠谷回响
Our weekly CCA sessions culminate in our annual production in May, where the 2 sections come together to put up a complete showcase. During this event, which has been a long-standing tradition for decades, members from the Songwriting section will get a chance perform their original songs, while those from Drama act out plays written by our very own members.
To some, this showcase is the best platform to express their inner thoughts and feelings in the form of a song, while for others it is a chance to showcase their talents to their peers and family members. But ask any CLDCS member and they will all say that the annual showcase is definitely one of the greatest highlights of his or her JC life, where their fondest memories are created.
Final Word
All in all, if you are one who is interested in pop songs or drama, CLDCS is definitely the place for you. No prior experience is required for any of the sections, just interest and passion! For more information on what we do, do also follow our Instagram Page @ri_cldcs!!
