30 friends send off cancer victim with 'one last dance'

When she was alive, Madam Chen Meifang, who was a canteen stall assistant in a secondary school, would head off for dance practice immediately after work and dance for five hours at a time.

That love for dance never faded even as her body did from cancer. She wanted dance, music and, most importantly, friendship to overflow at her funeral.

She had instructed her daughters to have her friends dedicate "one last dance" to her.

Her friends performed not just one, but 12 songs in her honour.

Around 30 friends of Madam Chen's turned up for her wake last Sunday (Aug 13) to pay their special last respects, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Madam Chen had discovered a lump in her breast last April, her daughter, Ms Zhou Xinyi, told Shin Min. It was second-stage breast cancer.

She succumbed to the disease on Aug 11. She was 56 years old.

Ms Zhou, 25, said that her mother had planned her funeral to have an all-white theme, as well as the final send-off by her dance teacher and friends.

"My mum loved line dancing and she had been dancing for twenty, thirty years," said Ms Zhou, who added that Madam Chen's friends agreed immediately when told of her last wish.

Her friends, decked out in blue, turned up in the morning at Madam Chen's wake, held at Block 117, Teck Whye Lane.

And when the music started at 12pm, they danced. The entire performance lasted for about an hour.

Many of her friends were seen wiping away their tears while performing.

Madam Chen's dance instructor told Shin Min that the group had rehearsed 12 songs, making sure to include the songs that Madam Chen loved, including Take Me To Your Heart by Danish band Michael Learns to Rock.

Even when Madam Chen first began her cancer treatment, she would still go for practice twice or three times a week.

"After she shaved her head, she wore a headscarf to dance and we even bought her several coloured scarves to match her different dance outfits," said Ms Zhou.

Said her dance instructor: "We had a very good relationship and she often helped to lead the group.

"I'm very sad but am happy for her that she's finally free from suffering after so long. We will carry her spirit with us in the future when we dance."