YB FINAL V12 online Arts

artistically inclined
- Art is not what you see but what you make others see -
ALOYSIUS CHEW | VICE HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHY

artistically inclined
sarah ng
JOURNALIST | ANGELICA
PHOTOGRAPHER | HUI YI
DESIGNER | NATALIE
EDITOR | JOSEPH
Among her academic talent lies a seeker for answers and
a passion burning for the arts. Throughout my interview
with her, she never ceased to amaze me with insights in
her life as a whole. She has proved herself to be a real
encouragement after facing hardships in the past. She
conducts herself in a way that she is open to new ideas
and perspectives, and will pursue something she is
passionate in. I’ve had the pleasure getting to know this
young lady and the interests that are deeply rooted in her
heart.
Encompassed by her passion in music, she loves to sing,
given that the song is relatable to her. “Why listen to a
song that is catchy, yet holds no meaning?’’ With this, it
was only sensible that I asked her to sing a song close to
her heart. She sang the song “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran and
delivered it like a true performer would. Her voice gave
me the chills, that even though I asked her for a small
demonstration. She did it with utmost love and passion
for the song, such that you could really feel her sincerity.
After asking her about her past performances, she shared
her experience about a failure that occurred during her
early phases as a singer. She and her friend were picked
for a duet for a school performance which turned out
to be a flop due to some circumstances. Fortunately, her
teacher, who was one of the judges, took a liking to her
singing and eventually signed her up as a solo performer
for an event. The event featured a prestigious dance group
from her secondary school which the public needed to
pay for the tickets. However, she was given the privilege
to have the entire stage to herself with an opening music
ceremony.
Profile
Name: Sarah Ng
Course: DHRMP
Favourite Music Piano Piece:
River Flows in You by Yiruma
Favourite Musicians: Ed Sheeran,
James Bay, Kodaline

“Music is about
feeling the song,
if I can make
other people feel
it through my
music as well
then that’s good
enough for me” -
Sarah Ng, 2016
Accompanying her beautiful voice, comes fingers that
beautifully caress the keyboard with gentle notes yet
a powerful delivery. Sarah has studied piano till she
“graduated” with a grade 5. During the photoshoot, she
played “River Flows In You” which garnered a lot of
attention as she played beautifully, as though the notes
were intertwined with her fingers. Sarah humbled herself
and mentioned that she hasn’t played in a while and
stopped studying piano. Though Sarah may know how
to play other pieces, she always chooses to play music
pieces close to her heart. She believes that when she is in
tune with what the song is trying to convey, only then can
she immerse herself fully in playing the particular piece.
Furthermore, she is quite keen on composing her own
songs, when she gets time to do it.
“By singing, you convey your feelings through the words,
but through piano, it’s more of you feeling the beat of the
song. Only through feeling the beat of the song will allow
you to play the piano fantastically. Everyone can play the
piano with sufficient practice. However, only a few can
play the piano with immense emotions,” as she explained
the point of difference between playing the piano and
singing.
She also has a passion for writing, evident in her poetry
writing skills. When she feels strongly about something,
she writes about how it has affected her. In addition, she
has a blog where she constantly posts what she feels, as
well as intimately convey her feelings with her written
poetry, with each story representing a different experience
of her life. However, she has stated that she doesn’t want
disclose her blog to everyone for she feels that it is a very
intimate part of herself and will only share it towards her
closest friends. She likes the idea of a fantasy world and
would write it in the first person’s point of view.
Throughout the interview, Sarah has showed herself to
be an encouraging and well-rounded individual that may
have gone through a lot in the past, but has embraced
many changes that came through her life. She continues
to be a person doing what she is most passionate in, and
wants to encourage everyone that there is a “light at the
end of the tunnel”. Having a burning passion for the
arts, Sarah hopes to be an encouragement to everyone
that they are free to dream, having the faith to keep on
standing firm in what you believe in!

For the SDZ dancers, there are often external and
internal dance showcases and competitions and most
importantly - SDZ WAVES. Jeremy recalled the first
time he performed in WAVES - the blood, sweat and
tears he and his team invested. Preparation took
months for the dancers - selection of choreographers
and continuous practice which took place almost
every single day. Additionally, Jeremy and his team
even had to find and design their own costumes and
props - gluing, pinning and taping everything
together to make a flawless outfit. It was certainly a
hectic schedule for everyone involved.
On The Dance Floor
JEREMY KIERAN TEO
JOURNALIST | ANICA
PHOTOGRAPHER | RACHEL & NIXON
DESIGNER | NATALIE
EDITOR | JOSEPH
Have you ever come across a group of dancers at
T11 with loud music in the background, dancing
so flawlessly with accurate precision for each step?
Among one of them is Jeremy Teo, a year 3 student
in Business Administration who is a bubbly and
cheerful boy and enjoys doing flips and handstands.
He hails from Strictly Dance Zone (SDZ), the most
renowned dance club in Singapore Polytechnic.
SDZ ventures into 3 different genres of dance -
Hip-Hop, BBOY and Modern Dance. It is one of
the most popular CCAs in the school, among the
wide range of over a hundred co-curricular
activities to choose from.
“At first, I didn’t know what to expect from joining
dance. For me, I was a gymnast during secondary
school because I absolutely love sports.
However, it was during my junior college years that
my seniors encouraged me to join dance. I spent
two years learning Chinese dance before I entered SP.
When I came here, I auditioned and was accepted
into both Hip-hop and B-BOY,” said Jeremy, who
joined the club in his first year at SP, after his
education in Catholic Junior College (CJC).
A large number of students audition to join SDZ every
year. Many of the dancers in SDZ are skilled, thanks
to the trainings that their professional choreographers
have put them through.
Jeremy, who is currently a full-time B-boy, splits most
of his time between dance and his studies. Although
he commented that it was tough to balance both
aspects together initially, he gradually became more
used to it.
“Honestly, when I first entered poly, my studies took a
deep because I was way more focused on dance.
However, I told myself in the middle of Year 2 that I
needed to concentrate more on my studies. Thus, I
committed less to SDZ but I still made it a point to
dance at least twice every week. Whenever I finished
my projects and revision, I would always rush for
practice at T11 with my friends most of the time.
It was quite hectic but I don’t regret joining dance,”
explained Jeremy as he recalled his experiences in
SDZ.
For Jeremy, his most memorable memory in the club
was his first ever internal SDZ jam in Year 1 when he
was crowned as the top 8. Additionally, there were fun
and amazing orientation camps to welcome new
members into the dance club, which Jeremy has
experienced twice.

“However, when we were performing on stage, I saw the fruit of our labour which made me feel extremely
contented. Everything was worth it at that point of time - nothing mattered to us except to deliver a smooth and
great performance. Although there will be certain botched situations, like a costume malfunction, it was definitely
one of the best experiences I ever had,” Jeremy added as he thought about how he casted his anxiety aside to deliver
his finest performance.
Last but not least, he credits his amazing dance skills and improved physical fitness to SDZ due to the countless
rigorous trainings he went through ever since he joined the club. “I have also gained many friends there that I will
cherish for a long time. Dance is a skill that actually requires understanding of the body because we have to possess
the will to persevere in the face of tough training. I have become more disciplined and focused as we have to take
our dance practices seriously. Our seniors and SDZ alumni coached us along and we don’t want to disappoint
them. Furthermore, I learn how to set my priorities straight, to set my life in order and to balance between studies
and dance. SDZ has also made me more outspoken and confident.”
During his first two years in SP, Jeremy had been constantly fluctuating between Hip-Hop and B-BOY. Most of
Year 1 was focused primarily on hip-hop but he changed his focus in the second year. Currently in his last year of
polytechnic studies, Jeremy would soon be on the graduation stage and moving on to the next phase of life. Would
he still be pursuing dance in the future?
“I really love dance a lot but I feel that my passion is slowing dying. I have been committed to dance for 5 years
now and I want to try out new things. Currently, I am learning how to play the ukulele and learning Muay Thai.
I want to try out new stuff, expose myself to more things and not just restricting myself to dance. However, I will
definitely pursue dance in the future but I may not push myself as hard as I did previously,” said Jeremy.
His past 3 years journey in SDZ has been a great experience for him. His parting advice for dancers and those who
will be interested to venture into the performing arts: “If you’re interested in anything, just try it - there’s absolutely
no need to be afraid and take a step back. Be brave because there is simply nothing to be afraid of. For current
dancers, be confident in yourself since you have put in so much sweat and passion in your countless dance
trainings so just enjoy the process leading up to the performances. At the end of day, I truly believe that everyone
can dance. The question is if you are willing to take a step forward and learn from others.”