After getting my bum wet on the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat and checking out our nation’s Defence Assets Showcase, l can’t wait to get seated comfortably in the Yellow Sector of the Marina Bay Floating Platform for the Grand NDP Show 2014!
This year’s NDP Show celebrates the can-do spirit and caring attitude of Singaporeans through vibrant multimedia and lively mass displays in four acts – Celebrate it!, Love It!, Live It!, and Be It! – that are creatively juxtaposed with stories of five everyday Singaporeans told in a short film. Everyone also walk away with a colourful Fun Pack!
Resonating with Singaporeans will be the warmth of our home and neighbourhood, the concerns and challenges Singaporeans face, and our strength and determination to never give up in pursuing our dreams. The pre-parade sets the stage for a hearty celebration and engages Singaporeans from all walks of life to sing along to songs we grew up listening to.
The music video of “What Do You See” will also introduce the five everyday Singaporeans who will have their stories told as the show progresses. There will also be folks walking around in colour costumes to get you into the mood and provide great photo opportunities!
Appearance of The Red Lions always gets everyone excited! They will make their grand entrance as they execute their jump, landing right in front of the audience at the promenade,
where they will be joined by our Junior Red Lions to greet our nation together.
Setting out to create a Show that will entertain and connect with the public is a team led by home-grown singer, songwriter and playwright Mr Dick Lee, who has returned as Creative Director for the third time, Dr Sydney Tan as Music Director, and Mr Peter Loh as Technical Director. The Show opens with a bang with Celebrate It! It speaks of Singapore’s success story as the little island that dreamed big, with Singaporeans from all walks of life contributing to make our nation what it is today.
Look forward to a vibrant display where there will be brightly-coloured 3m-tall cubes and hand-held props representing the different professions we pay tribute to, such as healthcare, construction and hospitality.
Performers representing different professions will engage in a lively song and dance routine, showing that we work, live and play as one people. We were introduced to five everyday Singaporeans who will have their stories told in subsequent acts. The ending to this segment promised stunning visual splendours.
The stage is transformed in Love It! where the performers recreate the warmth of our family and community by transforming the stage into our familiar heartlands complete with hawker centres and pushcarts peddling hawker fare. It showcases our multiracial and multi-cultural society and also invite us to take a deeper look into the lives of the everyday Singaporeans and find out what challenges they have been struggling to overcome.
Live It! begins with a sombre black and white performance that gradually becomes a vivid red, symbolising the everyday challenges each of us faces and our determination to overcome them.
The finale of this segment was a blast too!
In the last performance, Be It!, a sea of flag bearers execute the precision drill in our national colours, rallying Singaporeans to unite as one people. All the performers return to the stage for the finale as we recite the national pledge together, underscoring this year’s theme of Our People, Our Home.
Performers from all the acts will emerge for the finale medley and encourage audiences to sing together as one nation. As NDP 2014 comes to a close, our nation’s Five Stars and a Moon display of pyrotechnics will light up the waters of Marina Bay.
This year, both the spectators at the parade and viewers at home will be treated to a Show extravaganza with 1,500m2 of LED screens and 80m by 40m worth of floor projection – the largest multimedia set-up in NDP history. NDP 2014’s 5,000 participants will also have performing space that is approximately the size of a football field. Supporting these LED screens, digital projections and more, are 22 towers that are arranged to depict the skyline of Singapore.
The Show this year involves 3,000 student and adult performers. Fourteen-year-old Lee Yuan Ting, who is performing in Act 4, shared her thoughts on what being part of the Show means for the performers, “We are not just taking part in NDP. It’s so much more. It’s about all of us – Singaporeans – celebrating this special day together.”
AspirantSG wishes all our Singaporean readers – A Happy National Day 2014! Please feel free to share your well-wishes for our nation in the comments section below!
