11th Shine Festival takes off at Orchard Road

They vaulted, somersaulted and propelled themselves effortlessly through the air before landing with a thud.

Using a 2m-long railing with a four-storey-high platform as their playground, they swung across railings while smoothly executing double back-flips, much to the delight of 200 or so onlookers who cheered their every move.

The group of parkour enthusiasts from the Urban Sports group got the three-day annual Shine Festival to a spectacular start in front of Wisma Atria yesterday.

Aimed at young people, the festival boasts a range of exhibitions and other fringe activities along the Orchard Road stretch between ION Orchard and *SCAPE.

A total of 96 students from five groups - Music & Dance, Pop Culture, Urban Art, Interactive Media and Urban Sports - will be showcasing their talents after having trained with their mentors for a month.

Now in its 11th year, the festival aims to provide youth with a platform to celebrate their passion and talent, as well as a chance to be mentored by industry professionals.

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This year's theme, "Your Next Stage", encourages youth to take risks and venture out of their comfort zone.

Mr Irving Chia, 17, told TNP that it was his second time performing at the Shine Festival.

"Last year, I could only do the basic jumps but this year, I have significantly improved with my jumps and flips," the student said.

Another performer, Mr Muhammad Zaki Zakwan, 22, said he started out with parkour as a hobby. Inspired by cartoon ninjas he saw on television, he now wants to pursue parkour as a career.

"Since I have learnt the skill of parkour over the past seven years, I am inspired to help others with the (parkour) movements that they struggle with," he said.

Other than the parkour performance by Urban Sports,local pop-rock band The Summer State also performed at the stage at ION Orchard yesterday.

Korean-American rapper Jay Park said he joined this year's festival because local rapper Shigga Shay "reached out" to him.

The pair will be performing Park's song You Know at ION Orchard tonight.

Local singer-songwriter Gentle Bones and DJ-host Tabitha Nauser will also be performing at the show, from 6.45pm to 10pm.

ALWAYS HOPE

When asked about how he overcame obstacles to become such a successful star, Park shared that everyone has to face a set of challenges, no matter who they are or which field they are in.

"As long as you are not dead, there is always hope, always another chance," he said.

Visitors can also check out the Infinicube Installation, a fully mirrored interactive chamber that will react to your thoughts and memories with images and sounds outside Ngee Ann City.

There will also be other installations by the Urban Art group, such as a fashion silk screening and community wall murals.

On Sunday, international football freestyler Kotaro Tokuda will be executing eye-catching tricks at the stage at ION Orchard at 5.45pm.