Written by Karen Gwee (12A01C), this article was originally posted on Huffington Post. Karen was the chairperson of Raffles Press in her year and is currently studying journalism at Northwestern University.
Continue reading “How I Learned to Appreciate My Second Voice”
By Karen Cuison (16A01D), Ching Ann Hui (15S03A), Michelle Zhu (15A01B)
Photos by Vanessa Gan (15S06C) and Nigel Gomes (15S06R)
Dramafeste 2015 was, for many, two weeks of rehearsals and set painting late into the night that eventually came together on the 25th and 26th of February. The popularity of the event was undiminished this year, with tickets for the Thursday show selling out rapidly, and many theatregoers arriving early at the PAC foyer to get the best seats.
Strawberry
Moor-Tarbet
Synopsis:
Bernie seems okay, but really, he isn’t. His waking hours are spent arguing with Helen, his ex-wife, over what might have been, while his dreams are preoccupied with Carol, his absent daughter. He has not been able to find closure over an initially unidentified incident, later skillfully and subtly revealed as Bernie’s failure to buy Carol a Strawberry ice-cream cone prompting her to cross the road – only to be tragically killed by a speeding car.
‘And the worst part is, in front of everyone, you have to be okay… well I… try to be.’ -Bernie
Strawberry will be remembered for its poignance with which it addressed mental anguish. From the lone handheld spotlight Bernie used in both his entrance and exit to highlight his desolation, to the building blocks that formed a house that reinforced Bernie’s lack of a loving home, MT’s play featured various little touches that added atmosphere and depth to the conflicts portrayed. A motif that worked particularly well in Strawberry was Bernie’s beginning monologue. Its repetitions in the middle and at the end of the play sent chills up the spines of many.
MT’s lineup of actors worked well with each other, clinching a deserved Best Cast award. As Bernie, whether Rishi Vadrevu was oscillating between fatherly warmth and fierce wrath,or delivering an impassioned monologue by the light of his handheld spotlight, he carried the play with gusto. Ericka Mantaring portrayed a realistic Carol, while Lam Wei Yi as ex-wife Helen surfaced love and hurt sensitively, sometimes at the same time. Last but not least, the ensemble (Maisarah, Nabilah and Sreshya) that acted as both conscience and mocking commentary, credibly translated the various aspects of Bernie’s turmoil from self to stage, enriching and enhancing Strawberry.
MT’s ambitions, however, were not wholly realized. With a full set, fully utilized stage, and diverse cast, it was easy for some things to be drowned out by others. Nonetheless, the effort put in by the scriptwriters and directors is commendable. As an unnamed audience member put it, Strawberry‘s strength lay in ‘how it was emotional, and how it was something we could all relate to.’
Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy: The Life and Death of a Traffic Light
Morrison-Richardson
Synopsis:
Strawberry falls in love with Blueberry, who falls in love with lovable girl-next-door Cherry, who falls in love with easy-going goof Mark. Strawberry and Blueberry share a literary streak. While Blueberry angstily compares his unrequited love for Cherry to a pedestrian’s inability to love a traffic light, Strawberry desperately tries to attract his attention by rewriting his stories. Eventually, Blueberry realizes the futility of his pursuit. At the same time, he is touched by Strawberry’s affectations, and accepts them. He makes a final request – to break the glass that divides their world and Cherry’s. The play ends with Mark giving Cherry two goldfish to replace her deceased ones, Blueberry and Strawberry.
“What mountain did Albert Einstein climb? Mount Cleverest!” -Mark
Strawberry (played by Shannon Phuah) and Blueberry (played by Vasu Namdeo) made for a compelling lead couple. The Best Actress and Actor respectively displayed remarkable and consistent chemistry.
MR’s production was defined by its simplicity. This was reflected most clearly in its bare set. It was visually unique, and facilitated the smooth movement of actors. At the same time, it made full use of the stage without distracting from the actors. On top of it all, the set even retained an element of surprise in the triangular blocks, which were overturned in the closing scene to make a path for Cherry and Mark to walk to each other.
Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy was defined not by a standout moment, but by the unity and smooth flow at every moment. There did not seem to be a key moment per se in this play – the central story that made absolutely no sense at the beginning, but makes the audience go ‘ohhhh’ once revealed. As the plot unravelled, the connections of some ideas nebulous to some audience members. Nonetheless, with the help of the traffic light and goldfish motifs, the concept of loving from a distance was articulated uniquely and well. Many enjoyed the numerous traffic light puns woven skillfully into the play that brought many light moments into an otherwise intense play, whether it was “he felt that that all the light had gone out of his life”, or “he thought that had been sending very clear signals”. The ending scene too was hauntingly beautiful – prisms toppling in succession just to let Cherry and Mark walk on to meet each other. Unfortunately, Blueberry did not have have that fortune.
This production was not without its critics – one audience member remarked ‘it was slightly anti-climatic, while other audience members finding the main character’s exchanges too ‘shouty’. Even then, MR went on to sweep the Best Play, Best Script, Best Actress and Best Actor awards. As a first-time lead actress, Shannon shared that the greatest challenge for her was “showing depth and variety to (her) emotional responses”. This was especially since the play “relied heavily on emotion to carry the plot, but it escalated so quickly that it was difficult at times to catch on. It took lots of re-looking at and unpacking the lines to fine tune the level of energy.”
Ultimately, MR’s production stood out for its professionalism. As judge Eugenia Tang shared with us after the event, each different play had really good moments but MR’s victory was because it was the only play out of the five that the judges could see as being successful in a professional theatre setting, whilst the rest were still distinctly distinguishable as student productions.
Yesterday was Saturday
Buckle-Buckley
Synopsis:
Auntie Ling hosts a group of childhood friends for what seems like a conventionally cheerful childhood-friend get-together. However, it is soon revealed that these old friends have convened to break the bad news of John’s death to Auntie Ling, his mentally impaired mother. Auntie Ling blames his ex-girlfriend, Julia, for the death, refusing to believe that her son drunkenly grabbed the steering wheel from her as he veered towards his own death. Amidst John’s tragedy and the rekindling and rejection of an old flame, Auntie Ling and friends learn their own lessons about loss.
“You think it’s really made in Germany meh? China la! Everything is made in China!” – Auntie Ling
Yesterday was Saturday began with a sprightly Auntie Ling (played by Tan Ai) excitedly inviting everyone to her home. As the stage filled up with characters, conflicts including the pain of having to break the news of death to Auntie Ling, became correspondingly clearer. Tan Ai, in particular, fleshed out Auntie Ling’s character memorably and effectively, whether she was being a welcoming host or a hysterical, devastated mother. Strengthening the production were little hints of symbolism planted thoughtfully throughout the set and play itself. These included rows of beer bottles, and a set of curtains – John’s favourite childhood hiding place – that were left open, and drawn only at the play’s close.
In trying to tie the diverse cast and set together, the play sometimes lost sight of its main plot and message. This proved to be a stumbling block, especially when the play tended towards rambling and somewhat blunt dialogue. In particular, there were mixed opinions about the side plot of Madeline (Jesslyn) and Darryl’s (Sarthal) love story – while some found that it strengthened the theme of loss and letting go, others felt that it made the stage feel crowded and detracted from the main plot. Moreover, the ending seemed abrupt and convenient, and gave off the feeling of a melodramatic Korean soap.
However, to the play’s credit, these did not detract from the play’s promising concept, and its most memorable moments. One such moment was the near the end of the play, where bathed in dreamy blue stage lights, Julia (played by Eunice Png) delivered a heart-rending monologue about John (Daniel). John entered in a white tuxedo and both interacted with the set, seemingly thinking of each other but never making eye contact. The symbols used throughout the play were also useful in bringing out the message, in particular the pocket watches bought in the friends’ youth. This writer was particularly impressed by the subtle change of the roses in the wine bottles from white at the beginning to red at the end.
All in all, Buckle-Buckley put up a play that was conceptually impressive and heart-wrenching in its best moments. Though the execution could certainly have been improved, it was nevertheless an entertaining play that ambitiously tackled such universal issues of loss and letting go of the past.
Kampong Recipes
Hadley-Hullett
Synopsis:
It takes a kampong to find a missing child. Or class monitor. Mabel and Ian are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, all the while balancing school and battling iron-laden parental grips. They find out that there is more than meets the eye to witch’s signature delicacy, banzhang (Chinese for class monitor, and similar in sound to Bak Zhang, the chinese delicacy it represents ).
“But why are we still scared?”
We will admit – we were skeptical. Kampong Recipes initially reminded us a lot more of a cooking show on Channel 5, than the fascinating play with, in the words of the judges ‘two narratives – one of a story of murder on the surface, but another of cannibalising the children in conservative Asian society’ that wound up wowing us. The aesthetic of Kampong Recipes was a dream from start to finish. The costumes of the cast was authentically kampong and especially for the witch (Caitlin O’Hara), who was clad in an elaborate red Peranakan outfit, with matching red eyeshadow to boot. Kampong Recipes’s look was buoyed by its sets. Simple as they were, the colourful stage greatly enhanced the storybook-like setting of the kampong, believably and tastefully. At one point, even two seemingly insignificant potted plants placed beside a painting of a kampong somehow bridged the gaps between the flatness of the painting and the physicality of the actors, while demarcating the homes of Mabel (Celine Ng) and Ian (Mohammad Sufyan). The best component was definitely the box ,which served as Auntie’s hiding spot, with vines menacingly hanging. It is remarkable how Kampong Recipes’s sets found sweet spots between tastefulness and tackiness, and minimalism and maximalism, while never sacrificing functionality. It was therefore not surprising when HH won the Best Sets.
Most would agree that the most impactful scene would be the climactic one when Mabel and Ian are cowering in the jungle with witch standing over them and the light turned green, casting a menacing figure of the (otherwise slightly comic) Auntie, reminiscent of the famous scene in “Wicked” when Elphaba defies gravity.
The unabashed hilarity of Kampong Recipes quite possibly made it the most light-hearted and easily digested play of the Feste. Arguably, it was the most ‘complete’ play – there was no unexpected, abrupt change of events, no sudden surprises. From dark, dark humour that made ban zhang (‘class monitor’ in Chinese) sound like a Chinese delicacy (hence hinting at cannibalism), to Mabel’s and Ian’s adorable friendship, Kampong Humour’s jibe-filled, script was deliciously subtle. The play was also conceptually impressive – what stood out in particular was how it effortlessly managed to bring out the parallels between a nameless “monster” in the jungle and the arguably overly harsh ways of the typical “Asian parent”.
The stagehands too did a wonderful job – with the judges even commenting ‘that was the best stagehanding (they) have ever witnessed’. The play involved a lot of set changes, making the stagehands especially important for the success of HH. HH stagehand Alex Tan shares his experience in practicing moving the bulky box set: “At first we took about 15 seconds for each scene change, which satisfied our director Celeste. But one of our crew members Jia Cheng refused to stop practising until we hit below 10 seconds!” What drove the crew to continue practicing despite rehearsals being held late into the night was the energy that persisted, heartening them despite the tight schedules.
While MR and BW’s plays were outstanding because of their simplicity, HH’s play impressed the audience because of its uncanny ability to fit so many characters on the stage without coming across as being too crowded, whether in terms of each character’s function in the plot or staging. The play was certainly not perfect, but multiple elements of the play that stood out individually managed to come together to produce a play that was both visually and conceptually stunning.
The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona
Bayley-Waddle
Synopsis:
Zachary’s world is turned upside down when his elder sister, Fiona, is diagnosed with cancer. As her cancer progresses, sibling roles are reversed: instead of Fiona looking after Zachary, Zachary has to look after Fiona. Both siblings display selflessness and love in the face of Fiona’s impending death.
‘I’m gonna explode!’ – Fiona
The first thing that struck most audience members about The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona was its minimalism – and in turn, the play’s ability to convey a lot with a little. Adventures only had two actors – Zachary (played by Abdul Lateef) and Fiona (played by Cai Hai Yun). Yet, it seemed that two actors was all that was needed for Bayley-Waddle to put up a performance that was captivating. Indeed, despite being 17, the actors were able to realistically bring out the childlike demeanour of their characters – optimistic, yet cautiously realistic – to accurately capture the hurt, fear and joy colouring the journey of a child cancer patient.
The scene where Zachary pretended to be a doctor finding all sorts of treatment for Fiona stood out. The familiar childhood game of playing doctor is given new meaning in this context, showing not only the youthful trust between the siblings, but also how children deal with cancer – in the only way they know, by turning it into a game. This scene was one of many where BW managed to combine emotional intensity and significance with comic relief. Another scene that stood out was the shadow scene, where Fiona attempted to live out her dream of being a pilot in the face of her problems – symbolised by crashing waves always seem larger than what she can manage. The shadow play had many audience members gushing for its beauty and unexpectedness, as well as for how it highlighted the delicate, unpredictable and constantly changing nature of the siblings’ journey with Fiona’s cancer.
BW’s play was distinguished by its subtlety. Notably, immediately after Zachary finished shouting about Fiona not waking up, all lights went down except for a spot on his sister’s fragile breathing form. BW’s production was different because its force came less from what it presented and more from the reactions it triggered in the audience, beautifully exposing the struggles that childhood cancer patients and their families face. While some in the audience found the play too ambitious, it was nevertheless successful in its attempt to address such a serious issue. The only possible downside to Adventures was the ending, which came across as anti-climactic after the skillful execution of the rest of the play. Perhaps the scriptwriters and directors were trying to tell us that the ending in this case does not matter as much, but that was not true for the audience, who were, after all watching for the ending.
BW winning Best Direction came as no surprise given the complexity of directing this deceptively simple. Houses like BB and HH easily filled the stage with their numerous characters. Although BW did not have the luxury of a sizeable cast, Zachary and Fiona left deep impressions with their stage presence. The coordination of the shadow show was another challenge the directors had to overcome, and overcomed flawlessly.
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As per tradition, the Raffles Players EXCO put up a spoof that linked all the plays together just before the results release. Consisting of Rafi Kamsani, Rachel Koh, Brian Yen, Joel Seow, Darshini Ravichandran and Katrina Jacinto, this year’s players EXCO linked notable lines together from the various plays to form a hilarious spoof, even borrowing parts of the characters’ costumes – BW’s pilot hats, HH’s peranakan outfit, drawing uproarious laughter from the audience and ending the night on a great note.
Dramafeste 2015 was an impressive production for all five houses, especially given the tight timeline that they had to work with. Literature teacher and Players teacher I/C Mr Ian Tan noted that the common thread that linked the houses’ plays this year was the theme of coping – with loss, with love, or with extenuating circumstances. Many in the audience marvelled at the amount of work that went on behind the scenes for every play, and we at Raffles Press echo the sentiment. the sheer amount of time and energy participants have put in to the show is perhaps the most remarkable part of a very entertaining production. We’d like to salute the passion and energy each house went into Dramafeste with, which eventually culminated in a thrilling night for all of us in the audience.
Results
Best script: Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy (MR)
Best sets: Kampong Recipes (HH)
Best cast: Strawberry (MT)
Best actor: Vasu Namdeo as Blueberry (MR)
Best actress: Shannon Phuah as Strawberry (MR)
Best direction: The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona (BW)
Best play: Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy (MR)
By Chew Cheng Yu (16S06L), Michelle Choy (15S05A) and Tan Su (15S07A)
Photos by Deng Yimin (15S03M)
Musicfest: the product of three weeks of practices late into the night and unyielding perseverance by the skilled musicians of every house. This year’s Musicfest had unprecedented popularity amongst the students, which saw the LT packed to the brim by eager students, and latecomers settling for standing at the entrance; it was quite a contrast to last year’s, during which there were enough unfilled seats to have the performers be able to sit down. It was indeed quite the crowd, as our bubbly emcees Lin Sheng Jun (15S05A) and Ryan Chan (15S03I) pointed out. With songs from worldwide stars and bands being featured, all of Raffles was pumped up for this much desired break from the stress of school life, where they could just let their hair down, show their house spirit and rave to the brilliant performances put up.
While Chamber Ensemble was responsible for last year’s Musicfest, this year’s competition was organised by Raffles Rock, and the bar was also raised. Teams had to perform songs from a given artist, a part of which had to be in a given style, with a special requirement, all chosen at random. According to a member of the organising committee, it was initially thought of as a way to generate interest in Musicfest amongst the students, but it also lent a very interesting dynamic to the performance, which truly allowed each house to showcase their creativity and finesse. Restrictions were deliberately flexible to allow teams freedom of interpretation, and to have fun performing on stage. In addition, there was a set minimum of three songs to perform, with an optional fourth song that could be included.
While the technical and musical skills of each house were praiseworthy, those alone were not enough to triumph the competition; audience appeal and popularity were also significant deciding factors. Win over the audience with popular, engaging songs, and you win over audience votes (hopefully enough) to vie for the first place. Judged by our own sound technician Mr. Hazli, Raffles Rock Teacher IC Dr. Lena Liu, and local pop artist turned entrepreneurs duo Jack and Rai, who often performs at various venues and are involved in several music festivals, the event started off on a high note.
Up first was Buckle-Buckley, and their solid arrangement was performed impeccably with a unique addition of beatboxing vocals in the middle of “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. They finished off with their challenge song, a jazz remix of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, which played out smoothly down to the last note. Near the end, guitarist Alexander Leung (16A01A) successfully rallied the crowd to sing the last few verses with them; and as for the last line, house members sitting on the stage held up placards with lyrics on them for a stylish finish, earning the favour of the enthusiastic audience. The passionate House Comm of BB also showed their unending support for their house as they occupied a whole row of seats and gave standing ovations to their house members.
Bayley-Waddle took the stage next. Wowing the audience with their rendition of “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars in particular, the performers were suitably decked out, with the vocal leads dancing along to the song in sunglasses and leis. The passion exuded certainly moved the audience, bringing the excitement to a new level. Their challenge song, “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore was performed in a capella with some beatboxing thrown in, as well as with a violin and a ukulele. Although they missed out the ‘country’ aspect of the song, it was still clear that they had excellent vocals all around.
Following after was Morrison-Richardson, performing a variety of songs. Their challenge song, which was introduced by guitarist Sun Yi (15S06G) parodying the character Lulu from popular local comedy show “The Noose” with a pink wig to boot, was a mash-up of “Thanks for the Memories” and “Light Em Up” by Fall Out Boy done in a charming oriental style with a rap battle. The musical prowess of the house was demonstrated further in their other songs; “Can’t Hold Us” had original lyrics written to suit MR, and with “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor showed off their rapping skills. The vocals for “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars in addition to their challenge song were provided by their talented Esther Chan (15A01D).
Hadley-Hullet charmed the audience easily with their charisma and confidence. Their challenge song, “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift, was played in the original key in the first part, before switching to a minor key and going Reggae style. For the difficult and odd combination of Taylor Swift and Reggae, vocalist Edward Yao (16A13A) put in a remarkable effort, sending the crowd roaring when he and his duet partner held each others hands and looked into each others eyes as they sang their hearts out. My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade”, their last song, was marked by house members doing their signature cheer as the performance went on, in an amazing combination and display of house spirit and affinity coordinated by their House Captain/vocalist, Melissa Tang (15S03Q).
Last but not least, Moor-Tarbet stepped up to meet the bar set by the other houses with their song choice and incredible vocals; Stefanus Phan (15A01A), one of the best male voice leads that night, started slow with “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran, but followed with their quick challenge song; a mash-up of a few Maroon 5 songs including “Payphone” and “She Will Be Loved”, done in an indie style. Qiu Biqing (15S06J), their bassist, commented that ‘We decided on something more chill and laid back, yet memorable because there are a lot of Maroon 5 mash-ups out there! We are very glad to receive positive feedbacks on our final performance’ a testament of how much they wowed the crowd.”
As the last song by MT finished, votes were then opened for the audience. While voting went on, Jack and Rai went on stage to perform “Some Nights” by Fun with only acoustic guitars and drums, and their very own original “Tryin’ ”. Raffles Rock followed on with their covers of “Creep” by Radiohead, “Pompeii” by Bastille and “Monster” by Paramore, performed by their own talented members. By then, it was almost 10.00p.m., and the excited crowd was getting impatient for the results. An impromptu rap battle then begun between a BB rapper and one of the lights and sounds crew, entertaining the audience even as the air-conditioning turned off. Finally, the results were released:
1st: BB
2nd: MT
3rd: HH
4th: BW
5th: MR
According to Dr. Lena Lui, all the judges agreed that both BB and MT put up slightly better performances, due to their seamless transition of songs and overall quality of performance (i.e. vocals, effectiveness of performances etc.). The other houses were fantastic as well, but lost out by a close margin in terms of certain performances or segments being a little sluggish or messy. She quoted that: “I have to firstly say that every house did very well for Musicfest… All of the houses performed exceptionally with each having their own strengths and weaknesses, and judging was not an easy task to do…. It definitely was a tough call and all houses put up an amazing show.”
The short three-week duration that each team had from auditions to the actual event proved to be a challenge, but each house emerged and performed all their four pieces with finesse and technical skill. The performers from each house played, sang and danced passionately, engrossed in their own music, giving off a rare and exquisite appeal that rocked the audience. As the talented drummer of BB, Jonathon Pong (15S03G), commented, this new style definitely ‘appealed to different musical tastes, and different challenges,’ making it more enjoyable for everyone involved. Vice-Chairman of Raffles Rock, Mark Ho (15S06Q), said, “From Taylor Swift with Reggae to Paramore with Country, I think teams interpreted the challenge very well.”. Even the guest judges, Jack and Rai, who were thoroughly impressed with the groups, commented that ‘There is definitely no lack of talent in Raffles Institution.’
Reflecting on the organisation of Musicfest this year, Mark expressed that “Musicfeste was an event that took weeks of planning to pull off. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. There were problems with venues and such, of course, and I admit we weren’t able to pull it off as spectacularly as we’d hope to. But we’ll take it in our stride, to learn from this experience and do a better job next year if Rock organises it again.” Ultimately, the standings didn’t seem to matter as much as the whole school (or at least those that could squeeze into LT2) coming together and having a blast, regardless of being an onlooker, performer, or audience.
By Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E) and Tan Su (15S07A)
Photos by Hethav Sivakumar (15AO1E)
Dancefeste is arguably the most highly-anticipated Feste in Inter-House Competition (IHC) Remix, and thus it was unthinkable that it was very nearly called off this year. Nonetheless, the show went on, helmed by a group of members from the Song and Dance (SnD) committee of Orientation 2015 — a major change from previous years when one of the school’s dance CCAs would take it up.
To the disappointment of avid Dancefeste supporters, however, a ticketing system was implemented this year. If you were at last year’s Dancefeste, you would be lucky to find a seat among throngs of eager, sweaty-from-training Y5s and 6s, packing the auditorium, even resorting to taking seats on the floor. A member of the organising committee told us that the ticketing system was to prevent Dancefeste from once again turning into a giant fire hazard. Unavoidably, this disappointed some as they were unable to support their friends, while others lamented that the decrease in numbers made Dancefeste less “hyped”. To address these, alternatives have been thrown around, with a popular suggestion being that Dancefeste be held in the MPH next year. The organizing committee of Dancefeste will be recommending their juniors to consider this for next year’s IHC remix.
It must be acknowledged that organising such a massive event is no mean feat. We certainly owe the organising committee due credit — the complexity of the logistical and administrative work that goes into Dancefeste is something many fail to appreciate. To quote Choong Ting Wei (15S06Q), a member of the organising committee, they had to “coordinate … split the different logistics to different people … and find ways to cater to each house’s performance”, — not an easy job since they had to consider many “different elements such as the different light settings and props”. Furthermore, “it was really hard pushing through the idea of an informal, independent student interest group organising such a large school event”, but in the end, it was worth it. As Ting Wei shared, their “passion for dancing and [the fact] that [they] couldn’t let one major Feste just disappear … just because no one could organise it” was their ‘fire within’ for IHC Dancefeste. They certainly did their best despite the odds.
When it comes down to it though, Dancefeste is ultimately about the spirit of dance. Ticketing issues were the least of peoples’ concerns as stories of cheese tofu dreams, ‘Lepak corners’, resurrected robots, phoenixes calling, and teenage romance unfolded on stage. As insensible as these may seem when put together, they were the themes that the houses led the audience through their dance numbers with. With teams given only a week and a half, hardly any time was available for them to prepare. That being said, each item was entertaining and impressive in its own right.
BB was first up, their dance number surrounding the concept of two teen dance crews fighting over a ‘lepak corner’. They chose costumes that were not typical of a Dancefeste team, with none of the dancers wearing green but instead red and blue. The energetic item drew laughter from the crowd with its comedic elements and unashamedly cheesy acting, and wowed the audience with unconventional segments and moves. Their unique use of the theme song from “Bob the Builder” was heralded by judge Ernest Yee as “very, very entertaining!”. And just as BB’s routine showed how the red and blue dance crews eventually came together to fight for a common goal, the spirit of unity and fun of BB was summed up nicely by the judges who liked their “teamwork, and how [they] communicated with each other through dance”. Their last-place may have been viewed as undeserved by some, but in the end, that mattered not, as they simply enjoyed themselves. As a BB dancer, Samantha Rabino (16S07A), put it, the “sense of satisfaction of working together, putting everything together, overpowered the news … when they announced [the results], we just started laughing like ‘woah … top five, congrats!’”.
BW came next with a wacky storyline involving cheese tofus. Their item showed off a technically solid performance – praised for being “very, very in sync” by the judges, further confirmed by dancer Nicole Yap (16A01E) who told us that “training synchronization was one of the most tiring parts”. Their impressive performance was testament to hours of work put in, and clearly showed their passion for dance. Their coordination was even more stunning when you consider that teams were formed “12 days before Dancefeste, but we effectively only had about a week of practice due to CNY”, as Samantha Ng Hui (15S06S), a dancer for BW told us. Despite this, Nicole shared that what kept them going was “love for doing what we love, and also house pride! Especially for the Year 6s because they have exams too. It was tough on them. ” In the end, BW claimed 3rd place, but for the team, their path to that end mattered more. “You end up remembering the smallest things, like late night pizza parties and Chill raids,” said Samantha. For BW, what they will treasure in years to come is not the award, but the memories and friendships formed through their time together.
HH was next – darkest of all the Houses’ items, the first scene’s realistic ‘hanging’ caused one judge to later cry out that he “nearly died”. Despite the item having many small groups (most notably differentiated by gender) performing on stage at different times, the transitions were smooth and very well pulled off, with the judges liking how they “flowed here and flowed there”. Matching shirts also added to their ‘cool’ factor. This team was the only team to print matching shirts, and team member Danson Lim (15S03R) tells told us that they wanted “something material to take away from this year to remember the team and bind us together”. Overall, HH’s use of the stage was impressive and the item as a whole very innovative and entertaining – many agreed that they fully deserved their 2nd place. This was in spite of their music cutting off towards the end of their item. When that happened, Danson recounted that he “was lost for a moment, but someone in the team started singing and I got back on track again”. In fact, the technical problem was so well handled that the judges even thought it was “scripted”. Danson also shared that they faced other problems like how the “choreography had corrections down to the last day”, but in the end, HH put up a strong performance despite those odds.
MR used a clichéd but easy to follow storyline of boy-chases-girl, with an MR dancer who declined to be named sharing that they mixed elements of “joy, regret, romance” into the item. They started off with a toe-tapping Hairspray segment but also included many other genres of dance, one of the most impressive being pairwork, with the judges gushing that “[their] partnerwork was amazing.” The judges also praised how the energy of the dancers shined through. “At the end you all [were] supposed to get more tired, but then you all smiled even bigger … I felt happier watching you all.” said judge Ernest. This was echoed by one of the Year 5 MR dancers, who said, “Usually during practices, I get so tired from the routine, but that night I didn’t feel tired at all performing.” Eventually, MR faced synchronisation and cleanliness issues and placed 4th, but this did not matter so much to the dancers. Before the results, one dancer said she was “quite chill … I [felt] like I gave my best so it doesn’t really matter”. While she did feel “a bit bad that we didn’t win for the House”, what mattered most was how “it just felt really nice that we all came together and managed to bond over something we all love doing”.
MT’s winning performance was packed with simple yet very effective moves which ensured that the item was cohesive and synchronised. MT actively tried to add the ‘X factor’ into their item by using “Be A Man” from the Mulan soundtrack, with judge Ernest Yee praising the song choice. It was evident that they had put a lot of thought into planning the item, with dancer Mazie Tan (15S03J) telling us that they “tried to do different genres to keep the mood changing and to sustain the interest of [the] audience”. Also, cameo appearances by their House Captain and mascot made the item all the more memorable and unique. Ultimately, the Dancefeste experience for MT dancers came down to moments after practice where they would “just go crazy…blast music and start partying at the mirrors”, and their passion for dancing itself. According to Mazie, “Knowing you are going to go all out for something you love and having that chance to share your work with your friends and the audience is just very nice … Before we performed we said okay, positions don’t matter, just go up and have fun.”
After all the performances, what followed was what one audience member described as “the epic dance battle”, which drew large cheers from the audience as dancers from all houses stepped up to showcase their freestyle skills. It was not what more experienced dancers would define as a proper dance battle, as Danson from Street Dance said, “Dance battles aren’t parties … They have the atmosphere of parties, but I think if it’s called a dance battle then maybe there could be more regulations.” But he did acknowledge that it captured the passion of Dancefeste, with everyone feeling “high and happy”. The other dancers echoed this, with Nicole saying that “it was [her] favourite part of the whole experience, watching strangers and friends do what they love”. The audience definitely felt it too, with one audience member declaring that “Dance is magic!”.
So despite some disappointments about this year’s smaller crowd making the atmosphere less electric, most who attended Dancefeste enjoyed it immensely. For the dancers themselves, “Dancefeste was a very good platform for people in non-dance CCAs to get a chance to perform, and at the same time do their part for the House,” Mazie shared. Nicole added that in the end, “… I nearly cried because there was so much shared passion.” Many were definitely impressed, invigorated and fully entertained at Dancefeste, and for them there is no disputing that IHC Remix isn’t the same without Dancefeste.
By Christine Saw (15A01A), Wilson Chan (15A01C), Valerie Chee (15S07B), Kang Yi Xi (15S03N)
Additional reporting by Md Khairillah (16A10B), Kristal Ng (16S07C), Ian Cheng (16S03M), Huang Jiawen (16S06G)
Photos by Chang Po Chun (16S03K)
The time of the year has come again for a fresh batch of students to receive their long-awaited GCE A-Level results. Apprehension filled the air as the Batch of 2014 entered the MPH, greeted by the familiar faces they had spent their A Level journey with. Months of hard work culminated on this very day, and the atmosphere was pleasant as many calmed their nerves through chatting jovially with their classmates and friends in the last time they would be officially united together as a cohort.
The release of the results began with the ceremonial singing of the Institution Anthem before Mr Chan took to the podium to address the cohort, opening his speech by congratulating the batch on their excellent results. “I’m going to deliver this very happily because RI has once again done very well.” he said, wishing them the best for their grades before launching into his report on the school’s overall results. Click here for details of the cohort’s performance. He followed by addressing the representatives visiting from the RGS Y1-4 side, thanking them for their support. Ms Chin Jen Fu, the RGS Deputy Principal of Academic Studies, commented, “I think RI has helped [our girls] transition from RGS to JC well, (allowing them) to get such sterling results.”
The S05, S06, and S07 classes departed to collect their results in the ISH, while the other classes remained in the MPH. Despite the crowd’s mixed reactions, given the cohort’s commendable performance as a whole, it was unsurprising that many students were satisfied with their results.
Chong Zhiyang (14S03I) remarked, “Overall, my batch has put in a lot of effort into studying for [the] A levels … Studying with my friends really helped as I could ask them questions when I had doubts. The teachers were also very supportive and encouraging.” Sean Ng (14S06F), who plans on applying for Accountancy, did much better than he expected, and related how he had locked himself in his room for one whole month. He also expressed his gratitude to his parents for the support they had provided him with throughout his revision. These sentiments were echoed by Bryan Ang (14S06O), who appreciated how his parents had bought food for him and turned off the TV to ensure that he had a conducive study environment. Bryan hopes to enter the medical sector, failing which he will go into pharmacy. However, Mr Chan Poh Meng was careful to remind students, “I hope that these good results are something Rafflesians will not take for granted and that you will always give off your best and work hard.”
Amidst the euphoria and contented faces, there were also those who were disappointed with their results. Regardless of how the students scored, Mr Chan asserted that they should he would like them “to always see that at the end of the day, many of them have lots of aspirations and some of them may have a small disappointment on their own personal level … I’d like to encourage them not to let these results define them. They should learn to redefine their results for themselves, learn from it and move on, because that’s the most important thing a Rafflesian must have”. Similarly, civics tutor Mr Patrick Wong (14S06R) urged the J3s to “remember that this is not the end at all, by any means” and to “leave this place a better person, rather than as someone with a certificate”.
Many Civics Tutors expressed pride in their students’ commendable performance. Pleased, not so much with their end results but rather with the exceptional amount of effort they had put in, Mr Marvin Lai (CT of 14S03I) applauded his class for exceeding his expectations, acknowledging that “many of them put in effort in the last lap and a great majority of the class showed great improvement. I feel happy for them and I wish them all the best for the future”. Mrs Magdalene Tan (CT of 14S03C) remarked, “Whatever grades (they get), I think they have given their best … They should celebrate their hard work.”
At the end of the day, many of those whom we interviewed underscored the importance of consistent hard work and encouraged their juniors to start preparations early. As Mr Chan aptly put, “I think when it comes to diligence versus inspiration, I still believe it’s diligence and discipline.”
Raffles Press congratulates the Batch of 2014 on their outstanding results and wishes them all the best in their future endeavours!
