Transcript

Hi, I'm Kai Xuan, and I'm a part of sYNCd, the Society of YNC Dancers, and we’re the main users of the dance studio, home to the practices of eight different genres. The dance studio has touched many individuals in Yale-NUS College with Argentine tango, ballet, Bolly Bhangra, contemporary, dancehall, hip hop, jazz-funk, and K-Pop. The space has seen many, many laughters over the years.

The floors that have cushioned and protected us as we dance. The mirrors that helped us watch and learn from each other, and the black curtains that bring about a real cosy intimacy. A space like the dance studio is incredibly hard to come by. I remember this one time, in all our anxiety, we shut off all the lights and we closed the curtains. Then we just played the music in the dance studio and listened to each other breathe, allowing for silence together. And that’s exactly it, whether you're looking for a space to dance and laugh and be active with your friends, or a space to feel safe and calm and explore movements by yourself, the dance studio has always been a really special nook at the end of Yale-NUS College, to feel, to move, or even to just be still.

The dance studio is the place where sYNCd prepares for our annual showcase, so it's safe to say it's a witness to all our frustration, worries, fears and of course, victories and joy for months on end and even years for some, our blood, sweat, and tears lay on the studio floor. I can't tell you just how many times we've stayed back in the dance studio well past our practice times just to talk and to create with each other. We've maybe even spent more time at the dance studio than in our own rooms. This space is really so lovingly provided to us and we're so lucky to have it. Not many people can say that they have a space like the dance studio, a space that holds the dearest memories where many of us have spent late nights practising and learning together and from each other.

Now, sYNCd is a huge student organisation, and it's really hard to say that we all know each other very well, if at all. But a dance studio is a shared space we can all relate to, a space that ties all our journeys together and a space that will always allow us to connect to each other. And we'll always be grateful for it.