The walls of the EMU Fir Room vibrated with the bass of Singapore club music and models in the latest fashions strutted their stuff in the center of the floor. This was not the traditional cultural night. At the Singapore Student Association’s Singapore Cultural Night 2002, Amplify, on Saturday, organizers sought to break the mold of other University culture events.
Although the celebration honored history and customs, there was a strong emphasis on what’s going on today in Singapore, and what visitors could expect should they journey across the seas and visit the country and its culture.
Organizers are hoping this event paves the way for other campus clubs looking to focus not as much on where their cultures were as where they are, and, more importantly, where they are going.
“Instead of the usual, with this night we wanted to show the developments of the 21st century and capture the socio-cultural factors in the event,” SSA President Lindsay Goh said.
“We want to show it still means something to be a Singaporean,” she added. Goh said she and a team of almost 15 students have been working for six months to bring the night to life.
During the first hour, guests indulged in common Singapore taste treats. As they nibbled on chicken curry and fried rice and sipped jelly cocktail ogar ogar — all made by the students — they then feasted their eyes on the display of many creative talents from Singapore displayed across the room.
Scenes from the latest Singapore television sitcom piped out of a nearby laptop on display, as the remixed tunes continued to blast.
The group showcased popular art forms in Singapore like The Necessary Stage theater group and dedications to the group’s latest productions “One Hundred Years in the Waiting” and “Under the Last Dust.”
SSA members considered the theater group to be a good representative of the culture because they, too, are looking at the future of the Singapore people.
Other posters featured the Singapore design company Phunk Studios and posters of the cabaret group the Boom Boom Room. As the crowd watched, some unaware of just what to focus on, four University models began parading around the center of the floor, first as human mannequins and then presenting a show of the latest Singapore fashions from a local designer.
Students came out to see just what the Singapore culture was all about, and its influence on today’s society.
“I’ve never been out of the country, and just wanted to learn more about other places,” student Tiffany Hohmann said.
Once the cultural show wound to a close, the dance began, featuring Jonathan Nah, also known as DJ Kiat, of The Guerilla Collective DJ group. Kiat was flown out from Singapore by the SSA to show off his talents for spinning records and mixing fast-paced club music. Nah thinks the music he played paints a clear picture of the current Singapore culture.
“This is a definite side of Singapore,” Nah said. “Much of it is shown through the more boring academics, but this is the new school,” he said.
Nah added that the government in Singapore seems to always be striving to promote multiculturalism, and this is often portrayed in the Singapore entertainment scene.
During the performance, hip-hop dancers showed off their break-dance moves to the crowd. Overall, the SSA wanted to highlight people from Singapore, and show they are having an impact on the future because of their heredity.
“We want them to remember the person behind it is still a Singaporean,” Goh said.