Dancing their way to 'unlocking' goodies
Young and old take part in heartland dance event to 'unlock' treats at food booths
From wheelchair-bound elderly to young children, more than 1,000 residents had a blast at the dance floor that popped up at Bedok Town Square on Sunday afternoon.
The occasion?
The final event in the second annual Got to Move campaign, the nationwide movement for Singaporeans to discover and appreciate dance.
The event, Unlock and Roll, saw residents dancing their way to "unlock" goodies like ice cream, cotton candy, sugar rolls and more at booths in the town square. People from all walks of life danced to unlock the food booths.
Ten people needed to be on the dance floor in order to unlock the first level, and an additional 10 for each of the five levels.
Got to Move, organised by National Arts Council (NAC), was held from Oct 7 to 23, with over 200 dance programmes and activities for the public to discover, appreciate and experience dance.
"Through the dance activation event, we aim to make dance more accessible and bring the community together at the same time," said Miss Elaine Ng, director of the traditional arts and dance sector at NAC.
PHOTOS: NATIONAL ARTS COUNCILGOODIES
"The public can enjoy free goodies while making friends and discover more about dance."
She said she even saw a wheelchair-bound elderly lady in her 70s moving her wheelchair back and forth to the tune of the music.
"It was very heartwarming to see many aunties and uncles dancing along," she said.
The Hidden Good, a community group involved in bonding events, organised Unlock and Roll on Sunday.
Director of The Hidden Good, Ms Wu Jiezhen, said that the event was meant to bond Bedok residents.
"The event helped to break down barriers between strangers and connect people that wouldn't normally interact with each other," she said.
"The dance floor was accessible and open. Anyone, young and old, from kids to elderly in wheelchairs, can dance. It was nice to see a whole bunch of people from different backgrounds to have fun together.
"They would encourage each other to come and dance, and people who were initially shy and stood at the side, came in to join as well."
Mr Paul Loh, 23, a student, was in the area around 1pm with his three friends when they heard the music and decided to stop by the event.
He told TNP: "We thought we'd just dance for fun to get the free ice cream, so we hopped in. It turned out to be more fun than expected.
"About a third of the dancers were from the older generation, and they were genuinely enjoying themselves. I think it was a novel experience for them - this event brings the club to them."
He said The Hidden Good volunteers were proactive and encouraged the public to dance by showing them a few dance moves.
"We'd like to shine a spotlight at the diverse dance scene in Singapore, and the public can be more aware about this by giving them the opportunity to be part of it," said Miss Ng.
"We're bringing dance outside of the theatre and studio."
"We're bringing dance outside of the theatre and studio."
- Miss Elaine Ng, director of the traditional arts and dance sector at NAC
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