Light the Way: Kaleidoscope

Written by Aloysius Tng (19-U4), Athena Lim (19-A4), Dillon Phang (19-I4), Lee Keng Yan (19-U1)

Designed by Athena Lim (19-A4)

Interviewer: Athena Lim (19-A4)

Photographs by: Ang Wei Ning, Asher Tan, Goh Jun Xuan, Lee Shao Yeap, Yau Yu Hao from EJ Media

Five torches came together to create a resplendent light, a majestic performance as one Eunoia. The Performing Arts CCAs truly outdid themselves.

On 11th May, Eunoia Junior College saw our third College Day, at the University Cultural Centre (UCC). The ceremony itself began at 4pm in the afternoon, the proceedings graced by the guest of honour Mr Christopher de Souza, the school administrative board, and of course the freshly minted alumnus. As the next batch of Eunoians looked on, the alumnus received their due awards, Eunoia Shining on a much grander stage. But the true highlight was arguably the performance that came after, showcasing all five of our Performing Arts CCAs: Chinese Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Dance, Drama and Choir. They came together both onstage, to present a performance that wowed the audience, and offstage.

Right before the start of the concert, our interviewer, Athena Lim, met with Arethea Lim (18-U2) from Drama, Lim Yuling (18-A1) from CO, Karis Goh (18-A3) from Choir, Rachel Lim (18-I3) from Dance, and Leslie Yip(19-I4) from Band, representatives from each CCA to find out more about their thoughts before the performance and to uncover the long road each CCA travelled to finally reach here.

The performance certainly contained several unforgettable moments, for the audience and for the performers themselves. When asked about her favourite part of the performance, Rachel from Dance said “My favourite part of the dance performance is the mass jump, where all the J1’s,  J2’s and the teachers are dancing together.” She felt that it was in this moment where she could feel the interconnectedness in every dancer, teacher and student alike, and this interconnectedness is what she had hoped to bring to the audience through her dance. Karis, on the other hand, said her favourite moment was the curtain call. That moment, when all the performers and stage hands came together as one family, was to her the most heartening and memorable moment, which she hopes everyone will keep close to their hearts.

Light the Way certainly held a lot of meaning to the CCAs who had to ensure that their performances fit the theme of the concert. While Leslie felt that their performance items did not link to the theme directly, he certainly felt that the process leading up to the performance did, with every member having the determination and perseverance to push through, his claim that it “really embodie(d) how we push(ed) through despite all the hardships to light the way”. Karis concurred, feeling that it was the process that mattered as they were a small orchestra and had to push themselves and persevere to the very end.

To many of them, this performance also offered a kind of closure, as it would be the last time that both batches would be performing together before the J2’s start preparing for their ‘A’ levels. Yuling also wished to convey a feeling of inspiration to the audience as this College Day did not come easy to all the Performing Arts groups, and hopes the audience will know how much this performance means to each and every performing arts CCA. Despite being a relatively new junior college, she wants to put Eunoia and Eunoians on the stage, and was extremely proud of how far they’d come. Leslie agreed with this, wanting to prove that Eunoia is more than able to stand, even though it is a new school.

She also hoped that the audience will be able to be engaged in the performance and receive the emotions of the pieces. With how much hard work the orchestra has put in over several months, she hopes that the audience can see the fruits of their hard work and appreciate the performance.

Karis mentions that the favourite piece she performed was O Sapientia. One reason was because of the sentimental value within this piece, as the very last piece she performed after her 10 year journey in Choir. It is also a very unique piece as it involves percussion noises on top of singing. She says, “We have parts where our hands will be clapping or shuffling to make percussive noises to add to the music, and it adds a lot to the mood and meaning of the song.”

Before we concluded the interview, we asked them how they felt about working together in one performance. To them, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to work together, in one common setting, with so many other performers and performing groups. This performance provided them with a platform to showcase to the rest of the school their hard work and passion, and possibly for them to show greater appreciation for the Performing Arts.

Though the day has passed, the performers truly did Light the Way. Blazing the trail for their juniors, their contributions and their day in the spotlight will never be forgotten.

To everyone who came down to UCC to support your fellow Eunoians, thank you! See you at next year’s College Day!

Light the Way: Dance’s Not Done Yet

Written by: Ernest Tan (19-E6), Wong Sean Yew (19-U4), Athena Lim (19-A4)

Designed by: Athena Lim (19-A4)

Cover Photograph: Jacey Teoh (18-E1)

In the second of the five-part lead-up series to College Day, we present to you a behind-the-scenes look at Eunoia Dance.

It is a late Tuesday afternoon when we promptly arrive at the Dance Studio, ready to observe Dance at work. We meet our interviewees, Vanessa Tan (18-O3), Chen Fei (19-E2), as well as the Dance President, Sarah Chong (18-E6) – all who seem to be sprightly and spirited, which is especially apt, given the title of their piece: The Spirit of Life.

We sit down to get their thoughts about the preparations for the College Day Performance, first to get to know the dance culture as a whole. It was heartening to know that the shared beliefs that they espouse is reminiscent of the aforementioned theme, with the strong emphasis on the human spirit and the support system. Both interviewees praised the accepting and inclusive culture, with the seniors willing to oblige and take on the more challenging parts of the dance when some members had technical struggles with the dance moves. As Sarah pointed out, “What makes me so proud about Dance is not our achievements, but rather how bonded we have become and how we’ve stuck together through everything”. In fact, when asked about her final performance, Vanessa also said that she would miss “the atmosphere” and the pleasant interactions she has had with her Dance mates. Both attributed the camaraderie to be central to the vibrant spirit of the performance and their CCA, with their favorite part of the piece being the one where they all converge, representing the united soul of the CCA.

It is also quite evident that the Dancers have faced many challenges, be it the sometimes ‘dreary’ environment, or the long hours – staying back beyond practice hours until 8.30 p.m. on some days. In particular, Chen Fei commented that the piece was “really emotionally and physically draining, requiring a lot of energy and focus”. The dancers attributed their success despite all these challenges, to the collective persevering spirit, which is also very much exemplified in their piece’s enduring motif.

It was also their ardent supporters in the form of their dance instructor and teachers-in-charge who have made this performance possible. The dance instructor, Mr Dan Kwoh, is someone whom the dancers are grateful for. Although the interviewees conceded that he could be demanding at times, they believe he only has their best interests at heart. After all, as the old adage goes, “no pain, no gain”. Their teachers-in-charge – Ms Juliana Wong, Ms Tan Fangxi, Ms Sandra Chan, and Mrs Uma Thiruselvam – also played no small role, showing the quintessentially Eunoian “Goodwill to All” by staying back for long periods of time and looking after their needs – a mean feat considering their already hectic schedules.

Dance and their community have put their blood, sweat and tears into this performance, to convey their message through their carefully choreographed movements that is designed to bring the audience emotional catharsis and spark introspection. This being the very last performance uniting these two cohorts, Dance is determined to make this a night for all to remember and most importantly, a finale befitting to the hard work they have invested. Here, Press urges everyone to support Dance this coming College Day and wishes them the best of luck!

CCA in the Spotlight – Dance

Interviewee: Gisele

1. 
   What is an average CCA session like?
   Gisele: It’s really fun despite it being challenging. The people in my CCA are also very friendly.

 

2.                                                                                                                                                   What made you decide to join your current CCA?
   Gisele: I love and am very passionate about dance!
   
3.                                                                                                                                                 What do you enjoy most about your CCA?
   Gisele: DANCING! and my friends & instructors make me feel even happier during the sessions.
4. 
   What is one essential quality as person must possess to join this CCA?
   Gisele: People who love to challenge themselves even if they cannot really dance because passion and attitude is the most important in dance. Determination as well! As long as you’re interested in dancing & willing to learn!
5. 
   CCA information (Timing, achievements, etc)
   Tuesday- 5.00 – 8.00pm
   Wednesday – 6.00 – 8.00pm

DISTINCTION (SYF 2017)

Not forgetting a significant milestone for Dance, their concert which happened on the 19th of May, where the Indoor Sports Hall was transformed into a performance space for the first ever dance concert, Momento, Chapter 1 – The First Breath.

The first piece was their SYF piece, City in Shroud, for which they clinched a Distinction. Choreographed by their dance instructor, Mr Dan Kwoh, the piece was about climate crisis and used dance as their media form to inspire change. As the pioneering batch of dancers, they soldiered on this intense road and managed to emerge victorious. With the upbeat rhythm and sharp movement, the dancers put their heart and soul to tell the story and really send across their response to this pressing global concern through his unique form.

The next piece was performed by the J1, Metanoia. The piece was about self-improvement and shows their hopes and dreams for EJ dance. It proved that they could rise above through obstacles through the adventure of their lives and can emerge triumphant. This piece was a perfect representation of modern pop culture and with their beaming faces, we could tell that they were really enjoying themselves through this dance.

The next piece, entitled Cloud 9, was a piece by the J2s. It portrayed the spirit of EJ dance and the cohesiveness as one dance family. The message was even though the hustle and bustle of life we should not forget the joy, liberation and euphoria in the little things. Wong Zann Yee from 17-O1 attended the dance concert and she really enjoyed the atmosphere of passion and love that all the dancers had, and the joy they brought to the audience through their dancing.

The crowd favourite was the choreography to the well-known song, The Greatest Showman, where it was an uplifting performance and garnered loud cheers from the audience. Amelia Quek from 18-E6, said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the greatest showman choreography and how the dancers were all smiling and really enjoying the dance, which made the audience feel really hyped too. You can really tell how hard they worked from the tight choreography.”

Following that, was a urban piece choreographed by Zhi Neng, Silence. The message put across was the isolation by everyone and the conflicts we all face, such as adults trying to make ends meet and students having high expectations of themselves, but no one is really ever alone. Through this dance, the frustrations and internal conflict is portrayed along with the comradery and collectiveness of individuals coming together as one.

Next, Rise Up, a lyrical piece was performed by the J2s, displaying the amount of details and painstaking work put into the dance. It portrays a journey of the J2 dancers who have risen up against the odds and forged a path for the dance team. They bore the unspoken responsibilities of pioneers and had to remain resilient in trying times. This piece encapsulates their dream and embodiment of what what they want to pass on to juniors. Albeit uncertainties and difficulties, without obstacles, they would not know their own strengths and the power as a team and come together and rise above.

The finale piece entitled Bienvenue a Eunoia, was the piece they performed during College Grand Opening. The dancers were dressed as waiters and chefs, decked in crisp uniforms.

All in all, the quick costume changes was impressive and the ability to transform the mundane indoor sports hall to a venue with well-studded lights, well-decorated chairs and mats and fairylights, was truly amazing.

“Everything was confusing, almost foreign as most of us had never even met each other before, much less train or really just dance together. It was filled with trepidation, filled with laughter, sadness, anger and generally exhaustion and long days with the constant complaining for the performance to be over, which when it did end, let us realise we craved the thing we all so seemingly disliked. As a new batch/full crew of dancers we didn’t much know our strengths just yet and we often had trouble deciding/agreeing on actions to be taken like costumes buying. Communication at first was reserved and not very fluent between people but we managed to quickly form something beautiful as a batch and grew close together. The final full-dress rehearsal was my most satisfying moment. When I managed to see the entire crew come together and make something out of near nothing, realising we’ve really come far despite being so new, and that all our fears really didn’t matter that much in the end as long as we danced not just for ourselves, but each and every single person on that stage.”

~Bing Hong, EJ Dancer~

 

Revealing what Eunoians truly think of the Arts!

Photo credit: Sandra Tan Jia Ying

The Arts. What does this word elicit whenever it crosses your mind? Boring? Meaningless? Or according to a General Paper question – A luxury only the rich can afford?

You might have come across a survey titled “The Arts or Nah” whereby the Origin* sought to find out what were the general sentiments the school had towards the Arts. Wondering what the responses turned out like?

From 3 simple questions, the results turned out somewhat shocking. Judging from the responses of question 1 and 2, Eunoians seemed to hardly engage in Arts-related activities.

BUT here’s the catch. Although the response to the first two questions might cause one to jump to the conclusion that Eunoians have no concern for the Arts, the response to the third question dispels such notion. The reesponses reveal that majority of Eunoians believed that the Arts actually do improve their personal quality of life, telling us that Eunoians would attend Arts related events if not for the reasons hindering them in question 2.

Fear not! The Origin* presents solutions to deal with the top 3 problems hindering Eunoians from attending Arts events:

1. I’m way too busy! How does one even find time to dress up and attend fancy concerts that last 2-3 hours?

Do not stereotype Arts events as glitzy theatre productions with elaborate sets, luxurious venues and the need to dress up. We acknowledge that there are a good deal of Arts events that are of this nature, such as the recent American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake. But in all honesty, the bulk of the Arts events in Singapore are informal in nature, held in an informal setting and last for a maximum of an hour. This gives you the freedom to pop by after school for a refreshing hour’s break before heading back to study.

“WHAT, that can’t be true!” Is this your response? Well let’s list some examples!

Check out the Esplanade Outdoor open theatre or the Esplanade Concourse for performances nearly every Friday night and the weekends. #TGIF! There is always something going on, whether it is the Hua Yi Chinese Festival that features Chinese dance and music, the Indian Festival of the Arts, or even a junior college/secondary school band!

If the Esplanade still seems too inconvenient, don’t forget Singapore’s first UNESCO world heritage site – the Botanical Gardens. Surrounded by a lily pond, the Shaw Foundation symphony stage is home to countless symphonic band performances, dance showcases and many many more! What’s more, Botanical Gardens MRT is merely a few stops away from Buona Vista MRT station (closest MRT station to EJC).

Lastly, if you happen to be patrolling the CBD area during the weekends, drop by the National Gallery Singapore, which is merely a stone’s throw from City Hall MRT Exit B. Apart from the eye-popping, jaw-dropping facade of British Colonial architecture, the National Gallery features classical music performances on their iconic Red Piano, as well as contemporary dances from various dance institutions around Singapore. What’s more? There are a couple of free Visual Arts exhibitions such as those sponsored by DBS, which feature works by renowned Artists Georgette Chen and Liu Kang. These Artists played a pivotal role in capturing snapshots of Singapore’s history during the colonial era when film and photography had yet to become a commonality.
2. I can’t afford anything! The tickets to concerts always cost more than $20!

Don’t get the wrong idea that all Arts events end up leaving a hole in your pocket. In fact, there are a ton of Arts events that are free-of-charge in Singapore. Take the Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) which occurs from the end of April to May as an example. Apart from all the glitzy stage productions, SIFA features free events such “Jacob Collier on Harmony and Groove”, “Deciphering the operatic Cadence of rhythm and Meter”, “Verses of Love and Life, Selected poems of Taha Muhammad Ali”, “Sky Kave Performances” and many more!

Aside from SIFA, here is a list of website links to source for Arts-related events:

https://www.gillmanbarracks.com/ntu-cca-singapore

https://theprojector.sg/filmsandevents/

https://www.nationalgallery.sg/

http://nationalmuseum.sg/

https://www.objectifs.com.sg/

https://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/exhibitions/current.html

https://www.sistic.com.sg/

https://peatix.com/?lang=en-sg

https://www.eventbrite.sg/

http://sagg.info/events/

https://www.sifa.sg/

https://www.esplanade.com/whats-on/highlights

 

3. I have no interest in the Arts at all

Do not feel bad. Treat this as an opportunity to open yourself to a new, unexplored world! Usually, people who claim they have no interest in the Arts are not anomalies of society, but rather have not had ample exposure to the beauty of the Arts.

Well you are in luck. EJC is holding our second Humanities and Aesthetics Week during the last week of April. Aside from supporting your friends in Arts-related groups, truly be in the moment and approach every performance/exhibition with an open mind.

If you are watching a dance performance, ask yourself: Why do the dancers choose to adopt certain facial expressions? How do they manage to move in sync? Is there any significance in the formations they adopt? How do they move to the beats of the music?

If you are listening to a music performance, ask yourself: Why do the musicians choose to play some parts at a louder volume and other parts at a softer volume? How do different musicians work together in an ensemble? What are the unique sonorities of each instrument that give it its unique sound?

If you are watching a drama performance, ask yourself: How does the stage set-up convey the mood of the setting? How do the actors convey the emotions of characters through inflections of their voice? How do the actors project their voices? How do they use stage props to enhance their performance?

If you are viewing a Visual Arts exhibition, ask yourself: What different brush strokes do the Artists use to bring across certain textures? Is Visual Arts solely restricted to drawing? What other mediums do Artists use? Where did the Artist get their inspiration from?

Above all, the big umbrella question you should be asking is: What is the larger message all the Art forms are trying to convey?

In a nutshell, all Art forms are a means of communicating feelings, thoughts, ideas through an abstract way where words cannot suffice. There is almost always something deeper behind every work of Art beyond its superficial facade of being a form of self-entertainment. It involves ploughing through one’s inner deep feelings It is the Artist’s job to bring his/her personal touch to their chosen Art form and this is precisely the reason why people come to enjoy engaging in the Arts.

 

Letting Go of a Hobby

Hey, remember those piano lessons you took when you were 6, then stopped after 3 years? Remember how passionate you were about it at that time, how much you wanted your fingers to dance across the keys just like the pianist you saw on stage? Or perhaps you were a swimmer, spending 4-5 hours every week in the pool. Over the years, the few hours were reduced to just 2 hours a week and eventually none at all. I’m sure this situation is relatable to many of you. We have all, at some point in our lives, quit doing what we have always been doing, breaking the regularity that had bound us down.

The sad truth is conventional wisdom has it that our greatest weakness lies in giving up, that we should never quit but instead persevere because of the benefits we will reap in the future. However, there are many reasons as to why one will give up a hobby, some of these reasons can disprove the claim that giving up is always negative.

One reason you picked up that hobby might be due to pressure from your parents or it may be due to impulse. Subsequently, you realised that it is not the thing for you, the initial excitement and passion cool off, the constant repetition has become a bore and you’re just continuing it for the sake of it. At this point, these signs should serve as warning for what is about to come. Perhaps it would be best to give it up and pursue something else you would be happier doing, an activity that you truly find delight in. In this case, quitting is a necessary first step to rebooting and redefining your goals and knowing what you want from life.

After years of learning and practice, you may feel that you have fulfilled yourself and no longer want to maintain the hobby. Perhaps you have achieved a diploma for piano, you can converse in Japanese, you you’ve received three stars in kayaking. Depending on the individual, we each have a different goal in mind, some may be more ambitious and others may be more realistic, either way, once we have reached a certain level, we will evaluate the option of further developing our skills. Of course, there is no harm in sharpening and refining our current skills if we are sure of our interests, however, there is also nothing wrong with remaining at the same level. Suppose all we wanted was to learn a basic skill, it is alright to stop and pick up another interest after reaching our goal. Who knows, you may go back to it a few years down the road, reviving the passion you once had.

The harsh reality is, our society stigmatizes people who give up. Quitting is seen as weak, as a lack of passion or as personal failure. In my opinion, cultivating the ability to quit frees us from the hopeless pursuit of the unattainable, and gives us the opportunity to commit to new, satisfying goals. No, I am not encouraging you to give up your current hobbies, but it is always good to stop and reflect on what we truly want, whether we see ourselves still enjoying the same activity ten, twenty years down the road. There should be zero shame in giving up a fight you can’t win or in dropping a goal that no longer applies to you. I truly hope that you will occasionally reevaluate what you’re doing, know why you do what you do and most importantly, follow your heart when deciding the next step.