With more than 2,300 youths forming the bulk of its performers, this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) Show segment is an inspiration for young Singaporeans to take ownership of their future.
Out of about 2,700 performers, 85 per cent are aged 35 and below.
Chairman of the Show Committee Colonel (COL) Lim Han Yong, 39, explained that a key focus of this year’s Show was to learn from the past and look towards the future.
"(We wanted) to feature more youths on parade to bring out the idea and potential of our youths, (for them) to build on the success of today and write the chapter for Singapore in the way ahead."
To tell Singapore’s story from past to present, NDP 2019 will be staged as one integrated show across six Acts.
And for the first time, spectators at the Padang will receive LED wristbands that light up in unison with the various Acts, allowing them to become part of a massive synchronised visual display.
Audiences can also look forward to a nostalgic bicentennial segment in the Prologue, which features eight floats representing organisations that played a part in building Singaporean during the early years.
Other highlights include a 6m-tall metallic lion prop that will make its way across the stage in Act Five; a spectacular laser show; mass dance formations and musical performances; as well as dazzling firework displays.
Taking part in the Show was an eye-opening experience for 11-year-old Dahlia Maisarah Binte Muhari.
The Primary 5 student from Toa Payoh Primary was influenced by her 58-year-old grandmother, Mdm Pungut Binti Yahya, to participate in NDP. They are both Malay dancers under the People’s Association in Act Three, which celebrates Singapore’s multicultural heritage.
During rehearsals, Dahlia was intrigued by the various ethnic costumes and eager to learn the traditional dances of other races as well. And just like her grandmother, she finds joy in meeting other people and making new friends.
Through this experience, the pair have grown closer. "Because of this, we see each other more often and have more things to talk about also," said Dahlia.
Juggling NDP rehearsals and studies is no easy feat. For university student Wong Kai Xiong, a dancer in Act Four, there is also the added responsibility of training 30 of his fellow dancers from the Singapore Soka Association.
But despite the many hours of hard work, the first-time participant is already having so much fun that he even influenced his younger siblings to audition.
Now, all three of them are performing in Act Four with drums that will light up in synchrony with the audience’s LED wristbands.
"I wanted them to experience the same thing as I did – participating in a large-scale event (like this) is an experience like no other," said Mr Wong, 25, who studies Digital Security at Singapore’s Institute of Management.
For 13-year-old Nishaad Gopalakrishnan, performing in Act Five as a part of the young generation holds a special meaning. His segment tells the story of how youths are the pioneers of Singapore’s future.
"We need to do our best and our part to make sure that Singapore has a bright future, just like how our pioneers have done," said the Secondary 1 student from Temasek Secondary School.
While the NDP Show is future-oriented in its outlook, it is also anchored on familiar things that hold special meaning to Singaporeans.
For instance, the Red Lions will return to the Padang – making this their 30th performance since 1989.
In addition, NDP classics like One People, One Nation, One Singapore; Stand Up for Singapore and Count on Me Singapore as well as this year’s theme song Our Singapore will be performed by home-grown singers to bookmark each act in the Show segment.
On the choice of using familiar NDP tunes, Creative Director Dick Lee, 63, said: "We looked for songs that had strong messages in their lyrics that relate to the Acts…and used one to anchor each Act (so that Singaporeans) can hear their favourite songs throughout the whole parade."
"We have a great collection of NDP songs, so why not use them?"
