NDP 2016

Hello guys!

Finally back at this space after a long hiatus to share on our upcoming National Day Parade!

I was really lucky to be invited to the media event where we were briefed about the show's synopsis. We even caught a small preview of the show and it was really great!

As someone who had always wanted to be part of the audience, you could say I was really thrilled!

More so that I got to know things not shared on TV, things such as the theme, the highlights and what went behind each segment of the programme. I found this really meaningful. :)

I also attended the preview show last weekend and woahhhh, i loved it!

Gonna be sharing them all here today so read on!

MEDIA EVENT

The media event started off with a speech by NDP 2016 Chairman Show, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Jason See. Through his speech, we got to know NDP 2016 show sets to inspire the hopes and dreams that we Singaporeans have as we build the Singapore of tomorrow together.

NDP 2016 is a new chapter, the first of the next 50 years.

As we celebrate the past 50 years of success and achievements, the 2016 show is a call action for Singaporeans to scale new heights through the strengths and values we have inherited over the years.

Sharing his thoughts on how NDP 2016 is especially significant for Singapore as we launch towards an exciting future, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Jason See said,

“This year’s Show is not merely a celebration of our nation’s 51 years

of achievements, it is also a platform for all Singaporeans to dream about the exciting future that awaits and pledge our commitment to create a better Singapore together. Anchored on our values and love for Singapore, the Show celebrates our rich and diverse heritage, the harmony we have enjoyed, and the importance of building a kind and gracious society which embraces people from all walks of life.”

The Show comprises 6 acts and a finale.

Put up by close to 3,000 participants, the Show experience will be accentuated by 1,000 show lights, 66 high-definition projectors, 36 high-powered lasers and an enhanced sound system. This is a Show never seen in any of our National Day Parades.

Audience in the stadium can also look forward to a number of participative elements such as the use of LED wristbands to complement the lighting effects in various acts of the Show. There will also be a special song signing segment to sign to familiar National Day songs. This song signing segment reflects the kind of society we want, where everyone matters and no one is left out.

Through the Acts, they hope everyone can realise their aspirations and dreams, and that everyone can succeed in our own ways.

I will share about these Acts with pictures taken at the preview show later on, but first, here are some photos taken at media event. ;)

After the media event, we were brought to the Stadium where the show will be held.

It was my first time at this newly renovated Stadium and the moment I saw it, I just went WOAH.

The seats in red and white truly reflected it as Our Singapore, that was my first thought!

How often can you get to be in an almost empty Stadium? :p

Spot them.

The uniformed groups were practicing and we had a short glimpse!

We were then told that they actually practice from day to night.

Kudos to them!

With that, we ended the Media event.

My heart was full of excitement for the preview coming up!

NDP 2016 PREVIEW

 Fast forward to the weekend, we attended the preview show.

The last time I managed to catch it "live" was back in Primary 5.

Imagine how long ago it was! 

We had a pretty good view of the stage. :D

That's the Singapore Stone, which I will be sharing later!

Company for the preview!

I'm sure everyone looks forward to the Funpack at every NDP right?

I find this year's one is really minimalist.

It has this very clean look, would you agree? :p

The bag was available in red and white.

I received the white! :)

The atmosphere at the stadium was really exhilarating, especially with all the primary school students screaming their lungs out! 

This year's tattoos on our faces except on Mong cos she was heading out after the preview.

I actually like this year's logo in the heart shape.

I shared about it in the previous post so you can read it up if you're interested to know more!

The parade started shortly after with the march-in of our uniformed groups and Union members.

It is not everyday that you can see everyone coming together in one big group, synchronized together, singing along to the familiar National Day songs. It was a really heartwarming moment. :)

Thereafter, the 6 acts unfolded.

Act One: Badung and the Singapore Stone

Badang and the Singapore Stone features the lesser known legend.

It speaks of a theatrical representation of strength, agility and resilience of the nation to weather through challenges and hardships in our nation's history.

It begins with the projection of the story of Badang onto a giant boulder. Decked out in dramatically designed costumes and props, the participants from Martial House, Dance Inspiration, Singapore Silat Federation and the Singapore Armed Forces, who represent the warriors, will challenge Badang to a duel.

The duel comes to a climatic end when Badang flies up to hit the giant boulder in mid-air, splitting it into eight different pieces, just like the image you see above. This victory moment illustrates the strength, agility and resilience of Badang. It will bring the audience from the ancient past of our national legend to a more recent history of Singapore. The film “Our Singapore of Tomorrow” will be screened, featuring a diverse group of everyday Singaporeans sharing their optimistic and thought-provoking visions of Singapore in the next 50 years.

Act Two: Our Four Civilisations 

Our Four Civilizations celebrates the rich diversity of our cultures that make us uniquely Singaporeans. This act pays tribute to these civilizations whose values and beliefs we have inherited. It also shares the story of how our different civilizations came together to build Singapore, regardless of race, language and religion as one united people.

Put together by performances by the People's Association, the performers are dressed in colourful traditional ethnic costumes where they create four formations. Each formation represents our four civilizations - Chinese, Malay, Indian and the Western Civilizations.

Act Three: Dare to Dream

The stadium then goes dark to kick off the next act.

Titled Dare to Dream, it features a unicorn against a sea of rainbow-coloured lights.

These lights come from the LED wristbands of the audience.

The unicorn and lights represents the hopes and dreams of our younger generation and inspires Singaporeans to dare to dream about the exciting future.

The use of an unicorn is inspired from our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He had mentioned about Singapore being a unicorn - one of a kind, a special animal, like no other in the world. As such, this act showcases our traits that make us uniquely Singapore, and encourages us to chase that rainbow to make Singapore a shining dot in the world.

Act Four: Ingenuity

Ingenuity excites us about our future. It is presented by an aerial display performance of LED costumes, hand props, ninebot machines and a blueprint of our of Singapore tomorrow, put together by 740 participants -  600 students from Commonwealth Secondary School and Kranji Secondary School, 120 dancers from the Academy of Nutz and 20 dancers from the SAF Music and Drama Company.

Act Five: Building our Singapore of Tomorrow

A spectacular display of a large city prop is then featured.

Made up of some of Singapore's iconic buildings that are 6 stories tall, it is facilitated by high-definition 3D projection mapping. This act aims to inspire us to look towards our future and celebrate the Singapore of today. The act will closes on a heartwarming note about inclusivity, which sets the stage for the next act.

Act Six: Our Home, Our People

The last act highlights the importance of a caring Singapore and how we can build our dreams together, hand in hand. Participants from Singapore Soka Association flipped skirts to create an impressive mass display of five images. These images are adapted from the hand-painted artwork of students from TOUCH Community Services, one of the seven VWOs.

For the first time in NDP's history, there was also a song signing segment under this act. 

Involving 150 special needs participants from seven Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and 420 accompanying participants from the Singapore Soka Association.

We were then invited to song sign together, representing a gesture of building an inclusive Singapore.

Finale

The show ends with all the participants on stage to recite our pledge and to sing our national anthem in unity. Our Sky City then transforms into a giant tree with two tree trunks growing from the stage.

This highlight our strong rootedness to our values and beliefs even as we journey into the future together.

We were then treated to a spectacular display of indoor and outdoor fireworks!

These fireworks symbolize our achievements over the past 50 years and a reminder for us to look forward to the next 50 with confidence.

The show displayed boldness and the use of lights and high-powered lasers really made this one of the most modern show's I have watched, one where I could envision the future we will be building together as one nation.

At some point, I was really overwhelmed with emotions.

It reminded me how lucky I am to be born a Singaporean.

I left the stadium with a grateful heart, full of love I have received from the night's performance.

Love,

Bree