On the 28th of May, Orchid Bowl came alive for the final day of the 22nd National Schools Tenpin Bowling Championships. The eleven-day event saw twelve schools competing to win what would be the last competitive bowling event for many.
As the RI team warmed up, the situation looked difficult. With ACJC putting up strong performances in both the Boys and Girls subdivisions, top spot seemed to slipping out of the Rafflesian bowlers’ hands. Neither the boys nor the girls were able to win the team championships, but they put up fierce fights, right until the last pin had been toppled.
A Division Boys
The boys with their championship trophy!
With Captain Ian Siow and Jonah Goh leading the charge, the possibility of the win was always on the cards. The day began without a hitch, as the boys bowled strikes and spares to push hard for the win but there was a wobble midway through the third game where there seemed to always be at least one pin left standing. It was a passing choke-up, after which the boisterous support of the RI Student Council gave the bowlers the resolve to push forward, with every strike met with roars of approval.
Luck did not seem to be on the bowlers’ side, however, as ACJC pipped them to the win with an extremely fine margin of 2 points. Nevertheless, Ian was upbeat even in defeat, rating the team’s performance a “9/10”. He also described the competition as a “very good conclusion to [his] inter-schools bowling career”.
Boaz Chan and Bertrand Yan dazzled in the Singles Boys event to claim 1st and 2nd respectively.
Jonah Goh had a standout individual performance as well, spurred on by a vocal support contingent, and he finished 2nd in the All-Events Boys subdivision. “Grateful” for the support, he affirmed that he had “no regrets” and had “tried [his] best”.
Results (Boys):
Team – 2nd
Singles – 1st (Boaz Chan), 2nd (Bertrand Yan)
All-Events – 2nd (Jonah Goh)
A Division Girls
The girls with their first runners-up trophy!
With national bowler Joey Yeo on their side, the RI girls were also shaping up for a strong drive towards the championship trophy. There were a fair bit more wobbles here, with some games nearly going for as few as 100 points. Hence, the girls’ mistakenly announced 3rd placing was met with much disappointment.
It was with much surprise and jubilation that the girls found out they had actually placed 2nd, also behind ACJC. Vice-Captain Jaime Lim was satisfied with the girls’ performance, labeling it as “expected”. As with Ian, she was wistful when faced with the reality that this would probably be her last competitive tournament, though she hopes to find time to compete in Open division events in the future.
Joey herself placed strongly in the individual events, finishing 2nd in the Singles Girls and 3rd in the All-Events Girls. Together with Jaime, they also clinched 3rd place in the Doubles Girls event.
Results (Girls):
Team – 2nd
Doubles – 3rd (Joey Yeo and Jaime Lim)
Singles – 2nd (Joey Yeo)
All-Events – 3rd (Joey Yeo)
When asked if he was satisfied with the bowlers’ performance this year, team coach AK Yong was more balanced in his view, giving an answer of “Yes, and no.” He lauded the fight shown on the last day, calling it a “very good recovery” but lamented the lack of practice with which he thought top spot would have been possible.
If this showing was anything to go by, then we can say with just a little more effort, RI Bowling can definitely wrest the title back next year.
Within the small spectators’ galley outside the squash courts of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the cheers of Rafflesian supporters for our A Division Girls Squash team reverberated with a tenacity only paralleled by the intense fight happening down in the court. It’s safe to say that the girls didn’t let their supporters nor the school down by emerging victorious from their finals, beating National Junior College 5-0 in a memorable finals match to be remembered.
To provide some context on the sport, squash is a sport is played within a four-walled court with demarcations that serve as service boxes and “out” boundaries. Players must hit the ball against the front wall before them, with an allowance for the ball to bounce over every other wall– including the floor– once. The sport requires high levels of agility and strength in the players’ shots; players must not only be aware of the ball’s dynamics, but also remain on the offensive by aiming for the corners of the court to make it harder for their opponent to retrieve the ball.
First up was Nicole Teo Rui En (15S06C), who displayed both power and skill in her shots having won two sets against National’s captain Lee Ying Xi (11-7, 11-4). Subsequently, Ying Xi had managed to gain a win for NJC with a close score of 11-8. Despite this, Nicole turned the tables by achieving a win of 11-8 in her next set, scoring RI’s first win for the afternoon.
Riding on the tailwind of Nicole’s success was Clara Tan Jia En (15S03G), who had emerged triumphantly by winning three consecutive sets for her team (11-7, 11-6, 11-2). Mirroring her success was Tay Kay Shayne Michelle (15S06S) who had managed to secure RI’s win by beating her opponent in a clean sweep of 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-3).
Although RI had already secured a gold in this year’s A Division Girl’s tournament, the atmosphere still remained tense as the final two matches were played out. Chan Mei Zhi Audrey (15S03H) proved that they were by no means about to relax despite the school’s overall victory, winning another three consecutive wins against her opponent (11-3, 11-8, 11-7). The competition drew to a close with RI Squash Girls’ Captain Chong Yin Jean (15S03C)) obtaining three wins against her opponent as well (11-5, 11-8, 11-7).
The team after receiving their trophies.
After the heated matches, Yin Jean shares with Press that she believed her team did their best in every match: “Even though we’re the favourites this year, they weren’t complacent and they gave their best even through all the preliminary, semi-finals and final matches.” She also believes that “they rose to the occasion and did very, very well.”, and that she was extremely proud of her team for their success.
Having pushed through gruelling mental and physical challenges such as injuries and frequent training sessions that pushed the players to their limits, Press is sure that we all share her sentiments of pride with regards to the double-win they helped achieve together with Boys’ Team. Congratulations to both Squash Teams, and on behalf of the school Press wishes them luck for their future competitions!
A sombre tune floods the theatre and there is a sense of foreboding in the air. For a while, there is no movement on stage. Then, four dancers stepped out from the shadows of the curtains. The spotlight falls on the boards in their hands, and the audience catches sight of the images printed on the placards that depict heartbreaking images of starving children. There is one showing a child’s palms turned up, a meagre handful of rice in her hands. Another shows emaciated children queuing for food with hungry expressions on their faces. The last is the famous Pulitzer-prize winner depicting a starving child stalked by a vulture. As the dance progresses, with each turn of their heads, each graceful hand gesture, each leap across the stage, the dancers paint a gloomy picture of the scenes of hunger in modern-day India– one of famished beggars out on the streets and passers-by who have grown desensitized.
When the last note of the first song echoes throughout the theatre, the movement of the dancers on stage comes to a halt, their bodies bent, arms spread, faces frozen into expressions of pain and unspoken anguish. Then without warning, all 14 dancers turn and begin stamping their feet to a steady beat. Anger, the main emotion the dancers wish to express through the second half of their dance, forms the connection between every sharp turn, every powerful thrust of the hand. The dance speeds up, each underlying shift in the music forcing their bodies to undergo a thousand changes: their legs cross, their heads dips, their fingers morph to from a classical hasta into the shape of a flower, all in a complicated synchrony. Maintaining their lines of formation, the dancers use traditional Bharathanatyam footwork to maneuver their way across the stage, striking their final poses with their hands stretched out and bodies reaching forward. They smile benevolently, their serene expressions a sharp contrast with the angry frowns they had worn just moments ago. The narrator delivers a single question for the audience to ponder over. “Can we do more?” it asks.
The music fades, but the energy of the dance still reverberates about the room. RI Indian Dance exits the stage amidst overwhelming applause.
Titled “Pasi“, or “Hunger”, the dance depicted the desperation and indignation acutely felt by many hungry individuals around the world. Choreographed by the CCA’s resident choreographer, Mrs Sreedevy Sivarajasinga, it was a bold mixture of both classical and contemporary Indian dance movements. There was a great deal of dramatization involved and an extensive use of props- a coconut was even smashed onto the stage at one point of time and was thereby hungrily “devoured” by dancers playing the role of beggars. However, while it was not uncommon for schools to explore different dance styles, what set RI Indian Dance apart from the other institutions participating in the SYF would be their unconventional choice of theme, which added depth to their choreography. Through the symbolic hand gestures, the intricate layering of dance steps and the canonical facial expressions that were so characteristic of Indian Dance, the dancers questioned the prevalence of hunger in our world and challenged the audience to consider an alternative perspective to a social issue close to the hearts of many in the India. The question of the day, as aptly put across by Mrs Sreedevy Sivarajasinga, is why hunger continues to persist even though the world is able to produce enough food to feed the global population.
RI Indian dance before their performance.
Initially, the dancers were worried that they would not be able to get the message across to the audience. Thankfully, they seemed to have achieved their desired effect. “The dance was an angsty one that was executed with genuine passion and sincerity. Due to the theme of the dance, the steps involved were quite complex but nevertheless neatly showcased,” a member of the audience (M Kothai Niveda from NTU) commented.
Dabbling in traditional Indian dance is no easy feat even for a trained dancer, and it comes across as a Herculean effort for those with little experience in the dance form. When asked about some of the challenges that she faced during the course of learning the dance, Jeraldine Low of class 16S06I stated, “I found it difficult to get used to the music, which comprises of seven beats and is unlike anything that I normally listen to.” Right before the performance, she was “quite worried that she might forget a certain step or do something wrong on stage, especially when it came to the parts that required turns and quick coordination.” However, she also felt “excited, to be a part of the CCA’s final showcase where everyone gave their all.” She confided in Press that she felt that the CCA “did generally well, in terms of the expression, execution of movements and energy level,” .and During the course of preparation for the SYF, Jeraldine shares that she “really enjoyed dancing with the other CCA members and the friendships she had made out of this experience were what made the journey worthwhile.”
With thought-provoking and skillful performance, Indian Dance was able to bring home a Distinction award. Vice-Chairperson Kalyanni of class 15S06K tells Press that “With only a few trained members in the CCA, the dance came across as a rather challenging one for many of the members. The choreography comprised of many complex steps that were initially hard to perfect. Nonetheless, everyone worked immensely hard and with their hard work, staged a successful performance! The CCA had indeed worked together to help each other and had strived to bring out their best.” With continuous effort and perseverance, the Indian Dancers will surely go far, and we at Raffles Press wish them all the best for their future endeavors!
By Alex Tan (16S03B), Huang Jiawen (16S06G) and Stella Soon (16A01C)
Photographs by Tuen Young Ji (16S03A) of Raffles Photographic Society
Emcees Yi Fen and Cayson
“I wish I could go travelling around the world!” So opened the highly-anticipated Piano Ensemble concert, with emcees Low Yi Fen and Cayson Chong expressing their wanderlust. Premised on the theme of exploring new territories and discovering new peoples, the pianists transported the audience from land to land, not unlike a magic carpet, giving them a brief but magical taste of each country’s atmosphere and culture.
Stepping into the concert venue, we were amazed by the vast changes in physical appearance. The drabness of the lecture theatre had been brightened with strings of blinking fairy lights, silhouette cut-outs of landmarks around the world, strung-up paper planes of pastel hues, and A4-sized hand-cut graphics depicting images of each piece’s origin country. Pianist Kellerine Quah illuminates the painstaking and assiduous process of decoration: “What was particularly unforgettable was sticking small pieces of duct tape to the wall in order to form a trail that even went to the floor. It really took a lot of effort.” The sheer amount of effort that Piano ensemble had put into decking the place up was a clear indication of the hard work the team had invested in preparation for the concert. 30th April was, indeed, a night to be remembered.
The strong turnout for the night
One of the standout moments was surely Franz Schubert’s ‘The Erlkönig’, performed by Emmanuel Tan and Fan Ze Cheng. This was accompanied by a sand art animation video set closely to the original poem, Goethe’s ‘Der Erlkönig’ and to the classical piece itself, portraying the young boy protagonist’s journey home with his father on horseback. Throughout the journey, the boy is continuously assailed by a supernatural being visible only to himself, aptly named the Erlkönig (literally “Alder King”, more commonly translated as “Elf-King”).
Emmanuel and Ze Cheng poured their hearts into their music to deliver a compelling, poignant rendition. The rise and fall of the music, enriched by the video’s vivid scenes, did justice to the piece’s emotional depth and nuance. Audience members were taken on a moving journey alongside father and son, keenly feeling the former’s anguish as he desperately attempted to assuage his son’s immense fear of the spirit. The piece ended on a loud staccato chord, signifying the unexpected, discordant death of the young boy to the Erlkönig, leaving many members of the audience buzzing about the shocking, unfortunate resolution.
Supplementary visual projections were made use of for several other songs as well, like ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ from the two-act ballet ‘The Nutcracker’. A video of twirling, tiptoeing ballerinas spinning like tops from man to man was displayed while Cheryl Chin and Deng Yimin performed Tchaikovsky’s composition. The video aroused mixed reactions as to its effectiveness: one of the writers felt that the sight of pirouetting dancers fit perfectly with the dancing tune, while another writer thought that the mismatched beats failed to complement the piece.
Isaac Lee and Tan Chin Soon performed Debussy’s ‘Nuages’
In other cases, as in Claude Debussy’s ‘Nuages’, the video seemed only to distract. It consisted of an apparently random assemblage of time-lapse videos of cloudscapes rolling, amassing and dissipating across the sun. But it was incongruous with the music and was therefore unable to add value to the performance.
Allan fully exhibiting his equine instincts
Another one of the most unforgettable moments of the evening was Galop Marche by Albert Lavignac, playfully performed by Jessie Chua, Li Jia Qi, Eric Leow and Allan Yang. A piece composed specially for eight hands (“à huit mains”), the four friends tickled the ivories of the same piano, seated side-by-side. Allan stood up at several points to prance about with a horse head and to take an on-stage selfie with his fellow pianists. Eric and Jia Qi leant back to clap hands with one another in time to the sprightly, quick beat, behind Jessie’s back. Tricky, mischievous gestures were also involved, as they crisscrossed their arms to reach particular keys, but they galloped through the light-hearted notes effortlessly and with grace. About his piece, Eric opined, “I think it’s one of the liveliest pieces and I like how the melody is equally distributed around all the players so everyone can have their ‘moment of fame’.”
On-stage selfie!
By then, it was apparent that “Around the World on 88 Keys” was one-of-a-kind. The Piano Ensemble clearly had a sizeable number of tricks up their sleeves, outdoing themselves yet again when Deng Yimin and Joash Chin appeared on stage garbed in Pokemon onesies. The gleeful audience roared with laughter at this impeccable sartorial choice. Their piece, an uplifting “Pokemon Medley”, comprised of various familiar melodies taken straight out of the all-time favourite video game series. When enquired about this brilliant stroke of creativity, Joash remarked, “We thought it would be interesting to wear something that would suit the theme of the piece. There was a J2 class that dressed up in different animal costumes for a particular occasion, so we borrowed the onesies from them.”
Adorable Pokemon onesies
One might think that attempts to emulate songs in popular culture will leave no lasting impression on an audience comprised of classical music aficionados. The “Part of Your World- A Whole New World” mashup performed by Joshua Gei and Colette Tan (collectively dubbed ‘Jolette’ by an obnoxious audience member) was, however, an exception. Expressive and communicative, the beautiful melodies mirrored the Little Mermaid’s and Princess Jasmine’s passionate desires for change and discovery, transporting the audience back to their distant days of childhood to unearth lost hopes and treasured memories. Enchanted, the audience allowed themselves to be swept away by the tides of music, visiting magical shore after magical shore.
The final piece of the night, ‘Serpent’s Kiss’, by William Bolcom, was performed by Kevin Wang and Thia Zhang Wei. The music’s dark tones of ominous foreboding called to mind the initial hesitation and trepidation contained in a kiss. These were skilfully contrasted with jocular, passionate parts, which conveyed the serpent’s ardent eagerness. Towards the end, the acceleration of the music’s tempo, coupled with the performers’ stamps of their feet and hard raps on the piano clearly brought out the serpent’s intensifying desire. The satisfied audience responded with loud applause and cheering at the conclusion of this emotionally-packed piece.
Kevin rapping on the piano
When asked about the concert, chairperson Kevin responded, “The concert has been a culmination of every single ensemble member’s hardwork and dedication over the past few months. The performers who took on well-known pieces were not afraid to bring out original yet convincing interpretations.” Performer Jessie Chua spoke of how she came to terms with her own high expectations during the preparation period, and “just let go” during the concert. She remarked that “that way, you can say with a clear conscience that you have done your best to prepare and fully enjoy yourself while performing!”
As the marvellous adventure drew to a close, a note of lingering regret hung in the air. At the start, the audience had been posed an enigmatic riddle: “What goes around the world but stays in one corner?” The answer, a stamp, revealed at the end of it all, was perhaps an apt metaphor for the night’s musical odyssey. Even as we remained stationary in our own little cozy corners of the LT, the sublime music offered us glimpses of our diverse planet, from the rolling green hills of Armenia to the perfect fantasies of Japan, back to the familiar, easily identifiable tunes floating in the alleys of Singapore.
By Tasharani Palani (16S03P), Trudy Chak (16S03D), Vanessa Chia (16A13A), Isabel Elizabeth Siow (16S03I)
Photos by: Isabel Lee (15S06C)
Cueing an onslaught of a sea of red and white, ‘Uptown Funk’ reverberated throughout the Atrium @ Toa Payoh Hub during the late hours of the bustling Saturday morning, 18th April. This attracted curious glances from casual passersby as enthusiastic jeans-clad students broke out into a flash mob. Indeed, the spirited showcase truly symbolized the essence of passion for service and volunteerism. Over the course of the day, our Interactors’ infectious enthusiasm and exuberance drew many onlookers to take a peek into what Raffles Interact had in store for the day.
In essence, Youth Got Heart (YGH) is a highly-anticipated annual outreach event organized by Raffles Interact. Its main purpose each year has been to provide a platform for youths to find out more about volunteerism, as well as to seize the opportunity to give back to the local community in a meaningful way. With that in mind, the event showcased an extensive variety of VWOs, including The Nature Society (Singapore), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), and Family Life First, The event was graced by the president of the Singapore Rotary Club and Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport, as the Guest-of-Honour.
In commemoration of SG50 this year, YGH 2015 hoped to incite the collective spirit of Singaporeans to play an active role in contributing and sustaining service to the community under the theme “Past, the Present, and the Future”.
In the words of Mrs Josephine Teo,”The whole story of Singapore is about how ordinary people come together to create the extraordinary and likewise for volunteers- each one contributes a small piece- a bit of time, sometimes mentoring others, sometimes helping them. But when all these efforts, little efforts are added up, they amount to a lot. It makes our society different from others, and also it makes each one of use bigger than ourselves.”
The event’s programme for the day kickstarted with an address by Isabel Lee, the main student organizer of YGH 2015, who provided a few insightful words about her experiences with service. She elaborated upon her motivations for dedicating herself to such a daunting yet meaningful project and delved into the story behind her own intrinsic passion for service. This thoughtful address reached out to the audience and encouraged them to participate in service themselves.
Isabel Lee, Head of YGH’s organising committee with Ms Josephine Teo, Guest of Honor
Although the intended target audience for YGH was the youth, it was encouraging to see that this year’s turnout ended up a diverse one, which included many members of the public, ranging from the elderly to families. Additionally, many Rafflesians also came down to Toa Payoh that afternoon to lend their support for their fellow schoolmates. This was truly heartwarming for many of the Interactors, especially the Organizing team who dedicated many hours to perfecting the entire event to painstakingly ensure its smooth success. The organizing team commented, “YGH was an amazing experience for us. To see our ideas come to life, and the impact it’s had on the community, if only for a day has made it worth the effort. We hope that the experience has been as great for everyone who came down as it was for us.”
Interactors getting hyped during YGH 2015!
In particular, the highlight of the event was an extensive array of informative booths, each representing a particular VWO that, with the combined efforts of all Interactors, were decorated with personalized infographic posters. The boothes communicated key details about service opportunities through engaging visuals and verbal dialogue with staff and interactors. Delegated Interactors and organization representatives were key to the event’s main objectives, as they provided detailed information about the available volunteering opportunities and the specific needs of each VWO. They were able to advise the public on the most suitable volunteering opportunities for them, according to the beliefs, interests, and schedule of potential volunteers. This was essential towards ensuring a mutually beneficial and ultimately rewarding volunteering experience for each and every one.
The whole event infused elements of the Past, the Present and the Future, into its layout. The main attraction was a “Hall of Fame” exhibition detailing volunteering efforts of the past, informative booths representing the needs of the present, as well as photo-wall filled with polaroids to symbolize the hope of the youth for future volunteerism efforts within Singapore.
Members of the public having their picture taken at the photo booth.
Additionally, innovative station games, assembled for all to try their luck at, managed to entice participants to complete the entire course in order to win a special food pack. Sporting members of the public, ranging from gutsy aunties to ever-curious children, gamely tried their hand at searching for specific items in a Mystery Box while blindfolded, as well as drawing with their eyes closed– aimed at allowing participants to briefly place themselves in the shoes of the visually handicapped.
Adding to the hype was a myriad of performances, ranging from a performance by alumni members from Raffles Street Dance’s energizing take on the pop chart-topper Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, to Raffles Rock’s assortment of tunes, including Pompeii by Bastille and You Only Live Once by The Strokes, as well as performances by the Interact Band, all of which kept the audience drawn to the atrium the entire afternoon.
Raffles Street Dancers showing off their talent and skilful moves!
Wahid Al Mamun, of 15A01A from Raffles Rock shared with us that “Personally, I found it cool that we got to take part in this community initiative as well as meet so many different people – volunteers, elderly, and to learn a bit more about other people’s lives.” Ernest Yee, a J3 graduated member of Street Dance, mentioned that he had simply hoped “to make everyone feel happy from watching our dancing” and had placed audience enjoyment as their top priority. To quote him, “we hoped the audience enjoyed it as much as we did!” Indeed, these talented performers managed to engage, delight, and amaze throughout the course of the day.
We even had our very own Interactors gamely stepping up to the challenge of hyping up the audience. With engaging and charismatic emcees and Interactors spontaneously breaking out into dance to the beat of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, showcasing their passion and spirit for volunteerism, it really added much vibrancy and energy to the atmosphere that afternoon.
Throughout the day, it was heartening to see a fair share of individuals, who personally embodied community spirit and displayed the rarely seen kinder, more pro-active side of Singaporeans today. For example, we had Interactors dancing with some of the more spirited elderly folk who got off their seats to dance alongside the performers; and in another instance, members of the public were kindly reminding the Interactors to stay hydrated in the humid mid-afternoon weather. It was truly incidents like these that made the long day worth it.
In retrospect, some members of Interact mentioned that they would hope to achieve a more balanced demographic in the future. However, given the location of the event, its sphere of influence and impact was largely limited to the significantly higher proportion of elderly visitors rather than meeting original expectations of engaging youths. Despite this minor setback, Youth Got Heart still undoubtedly helped to raise awareness and incite public support for a vast array of VWOs. All in all, 2015’s YGH was a resounding success, managing to connect dozens of potential volunteers to short-handed VWOs.
Selfie time with the Guest-Of-Honor, Ms Josephine Teo!
Raffles Interact promises to intensify their efforts for next year’s YGH, so do keep a look out for more exciting opportunities to serve the community coming your way! With your valued support and continued encouragement, Raffles Interact will strive to find more ways to connect youth to volunteerism and serve the community as well as the school.
Interact ‘15-’16 would like to thank everyone who came down to show your support!
