The Arts – Dance

Yale-NUS boasted two major dance societies: the Yale-NUS Ballroom Society was dedicated to Standard and Latin ballroom dancing, while the Society of Yale-NUS Dancers (sYNCd) was an umbrella organisation for Yale-NUS’ different dance groups, covered a range of dance styles such as Argentine Tango, Ballet, Bollybhangra, Contemporary, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Jazz Funk and K-Pop.

Both organisations provided instruction and rehearsal opportunities to help their members hone their skills, as well as showcases and competitions for them to show off what they’d learnt. Perhaps more importantly, they created close-knit and inclusive communities that welcomed all with an interest in dance.

The societies, and any other students interested in dance, made good use of the College’s Dance Studio with its full-length mirrors and harlequin cascade flooring, as well as a number of suitable practice rooms.

Yale-NUS Ballroom Society

The Yale-NUS Ballroom Society was dedicated to providing a holistic dance education and experience for its members. They championed Ballroom as an art, where members expressed themselves through performances. They also believed that Ballroom is a sport, where members hone their mastery of technique through training and competition.

Tapping on the social nature of Ballroom, they aimed to create a community that brought Yale-NUS students together by organising open classes and soirées for those interested in exploring the Ballroom dance style. Additionally, recognising the role that Ballroom could play in the wider Singaporean community, the Ballroom Society shared their love and passion for the dance as part of outreach efforts.

Aligned with their strong belief in accessibility, Yale-NUS Ballroom Society welcomed all who were interested to participate regardless of their background or identity.

Creating New Experiences and Partnerships

Chloe Lim (Class of 2021) and Khang Huynh (Class of 2020) discuss their experiences with dancing Standard Ballroom with the Yale-NUS Ballroom Society.

An Inaugural Dance

Dance performance by Joan Ongchoco (Class of 2017) and Kang Tan (from NUS) at the College Campus Inauguration ceremony in 2015.

Every semester, the Ballroom Society organised a soirée in the Yale-NUS College Hall Foyer, where both dancers and non-dancers could enjoy an evening of eating, drinking and ballroom dancing. When soirées were held in October costumes and decorations would have a Halloween theme.

sYNCd

sYNCd (Society of Yale-NUS College Dancers) was at one time the largest Yale-NUS student organisation, a dance community that encompassed a wide variety of dance styles.

sYNCd’s diverse dance groups sought to hone their skills through training with professional instructors, culminating in the annual sYNCd showcase.

sYNCd also held an annual dance camp that allowed the rest of the Yale-NUS student body to explore various styles of dance and come together as part of a welcoming community.

Choreographing Histories

‘Choreographing Histories’ was the College’s first full dance production, held in November 2015.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

April 2016 saw the sYNCd showcase ‘Looking Back, Moving Forward‘, held in the Black Box Theatre.

Confession

sYNCd’s showcase for 2018 was based on the theme of ‘Confession’, with each of the seven dance groups taking part representing one of the seven deadly sins.

FL19HT

Held in April 2019 in the Black Box Theatre, ‘FL19HT’ explored the shared experience of travel through dance. With 72 dancers taking part in 10 performances, the showcase celebrated the highs and lows of travelling, with dance styles encompassing K-POP, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Dancehall, Street Jazz, Bhangra and Argentine Tango.

This August 2019 poster invited students to join open sessions in a wide variety of dance styles.

Dance Camp 2019

This poster advertised sYNCd’s 2019 ‘Dance Camp’, where the whole Yale-NUS community—regardless of experience level—could try out dance styles such as Hip Hop Swag, Lyrical Jazz, Girls Style, Broadway, Urban and Old School Hip Hop.

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Special Dance Activities

Beyond the official dance societies, there were plenty of opportunities for students to take part in dance activities, learn about different styles or just dance for fun.

Held in the College’s temporary home RC4 in November 2014, ‘Deck the Halls’ celebrated the upcoming holiday season and featured a dance performed by both staff and students.

‘R21’ was a multimedia dance production held in February 2020. Co-directed by Crystal Low and Tay Jinghui (both Class of 2020), the performances used dance alongside audio, video and text to raise awareness and facilitate discussion about sexual violence on campus.

‘Sevillanas Dance Class’ taught students Sevillanas, a type of folk music and dance from the region of the Spanish city of Sevilla.

Dean’s Fellow Aeishah A taught a masterclass on ‘Social Salsa’, open to all students, in March 2016.

The Arts – Dance

Yale-NUS Ballroom Society