Internal Cultural Night, 2011

Written by: Adrian Chia

Edited by: Celine Yeap

If you did not attend this year’s Internal Cultural Night (ICN), held on the night of 27^th October, you most definitely missed a great show. No amount of writing here could make up for the night’s spectacular events; the performances were much too remarkable to be described in words. Just ask your friends who attended it and you will know that I am not kidding.

Half an hour before the event, the Communal Hall was teeming with people. ‘I am very excited. I have 3 performances – choir, A Cappella and Chinese Drama, but I’m also doing front-of-house duty under Cultural Committee,’ said Zihe, a freshman, seen to be very busy rehearsing his lines while welcoming guests at the same time.

Ruth Soh, one of the early birds among the audience, commented on the timing error, ‘They [the organisers] said start at 7pm, then I came down they say start at 7.30pm. What is this?’ Not forgetting to mention, the event title printed on the ticket was also rather hilarious – ‘Inter Hall Culture Night’ when it should be ‘Internal Cultural Night’.

The communal hall, teeming with people, despite the delay of the night’s programmes

Nevertheless, the rest of the night more than made up for the early disappointment. The event began with Prof. Ho, our beloved Hall Master, declaring that ‘if music is the food of love, play on.’ ‘Movies’ was the theme for this year’s ICN and the performances certainly lived up to the expectation.  Xin Yao, an incubator for budding Chinese song writers and composers, started the ball rolling with a lively rendition of Jay Chou’s ‘Bu Neng Shuo De Mi Mi’ (theme song of the movie ‘The Secret’) and ‘Jie Jiao’, one of last year’s original compositions by one of the Xin Yao members.

DansDemonz was up next with a hiphop item, ‘My First Love’, based on the bitter-sweet love story of Sanjeev in the widely acclaimed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Choreographed by Timothy, Eric and Adela, the funky dance moves and heart-thumping music brought the energy level of the audience up by another notch.

‘My First Love’, a hip-hop dance item, based on the bitter-sweet love story of Sanjeev in the widely acclaimed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

The energy level simply exploded when the KE Titans, the cheerleading team, took over the stage (or rather, the audience was made to turn towards the back of the Hall as the performance took place near the entrance). Initiated just 3 years ago, the team has grown from strength to strength, putting up a solid display of the team’s talent and hard work. The audience was definitely enthralled by all the cool stunts, as the team made their first public performance of a full competition routine!  Relive the highlights of their routine by watching this youtube video!

KE Titans – this year’s spectacular cheerleading squad!

Not to be outdone, A Cappella showcased its wide range of talents through 3 items of vastly different flavours. The girls’ item, ‘Lollipop’ was literally oozing with sweetness as they dressed in cute outfits and sang with their sugary voices. The guys on the other hand, dressed in black suits reminiscent of ‘Men in Black’, displayed their cheeky side with their item, the song, ‘Uptown Girl’. The last item combined both the guys and girls as they performed the classic song, ‘Only You’, from the renowned movie, ‘Roman Holiday’.

The A Capella group, belting out a harmonius rendition of ‘Only You’, from the renowned movie, ‘Roman Holiday’.

However, A Cappella’s  star performer was undoubtedly Ryan ‘Sleeper. Having been featured in all 3 items, his talent simply could not be missed. To top it off, he generously, and with seeming ease, wowed the audience with a solo performance of his beat boxing skills! My gosh, it was truly mind blowing! What an eye-opening experience to watch a live performance from the very individual who opened for the Black Eye Pea’s Singapore concert!

Ryan, KE’s very own beatboxer!

Following that, DansDemonz returned with another item – ‘Love Me & Hate Me’. If you were expecting emotional pangs based on the title of the dance, you would be totally disappointed. Choreographed by Zeyu and Aoyun, the dance was a cool and energetic interpretation of the profound concepts of love and hate.

‘Love Me & Hate Me’, an energetic interpretation of the concepts of love and hate

Getting a bit confused about love-hate relationships? Fret not because ‘What Women Want’, an item by Chinese Drama aptly placed right after the dance, could have probably provided some useful answers. Adapted from a movie of the same title starring Andy Lau, the story was about a man who acquired the special ability to know what women are really thinking in their minds. The short drama was peppered with light-hearted moments and tickled the hearts of many among the audience.

Chinese Drama with an adaptation of the movie, ‘What Women Want’

After a short intermission, the show was back again with The Smoking Marshalls, KE Hall’s own hugely popular band. This energetic bunch of talented musicians and volcalists put up an extremely energetic performance comprising a medley of song: ‘Little Wonders’ (‘Meet the Robinsons’), ‘Time for Miracles’ (‘2012’), a mash-up of ‘Need You Know’ and ‘Jar of Hearts’, as well as ‘Teacher’s Pet’ (‘School of Rock’). Towards the end of their ensemble, adrenaline was running super high and the level of excitement went simply uncontrollable.

The Smoking Marshalls – KE’s popular bunch of talented musicians and vocalists

KE Choir quickly put the house back in order; the heavenly blend of voices soothed and calmed the audience down in a matter of seconds. ‘When You Believe’, a song from the movie ‘The Prince of Egypt’, speaks of the Hebrew’s hope amidst uncertainty as they set out in search of a better future after being released from slavery. The singing was beautifully angelic and mesmerising, as evidenced by the thurderous applause they were greeted with at the end of the performance. Check out a clip of their performance on youtube to be seranaded by their heavenly voices!

KE Choir, performing a rendition of ‘When You Believe’, a song from the movie ‘The Prince of Egypt’

‘Reflection’, choreographed by Jeremy, Xiahong and Zeyu, was a refreshing blend of contemporary and hiphop dance styles. Featuring members of alumni, senior and junior dancers, this item by DansDemonz was classy and spectacular. Chinese Drama made another apprearance through ‘Murder in the Secret Chamber’, a thriller and mystery-themed drama. ‘With You’, a dance piece choreographed by Zhiting and Elena and based on the movie ‘The Sound of Music’, wrapped up the performances by DansDemonz.

The dance item, “Reflection”, featuring a blend of contemporary and hip-hop dance styles

Adding a traditional dimension to culture, Wushu brought the audience some heart-racing martial arts performances. The sleek, powerful and coordinated moves spoke of countless hours of practice and hard work by its members. As their energetic performance pumped up the spirits of the audience, the show finally came to an end on a high note.

As Liu Bo, the Cultural Secretary put it, ‘It’s a great success, although CCA fair was held later this year and the CCAs had less time to practice. I’m proud of all the cultural CCA groups!’ For those who were present, I believe you would agree that this ICN was certainly the best in recent memory.

If you missed it, or if you want to watch it again, try viewing some of the live recordings (soon to be uploaded) on the Hall’s Youtube Channel. And for more pictures of the night, check out the album on Kay Ee Seven Hall’s facebook profile!