Item 4. Lati-Breakinus Collaboration - Sounds of the Street

“In a simple street you can find the whole world: You can find joy and sorrow; you can find good and evil, silence and noise; you can find all the comedies and all the tragedies!”

― Mehmet Murat Ildan

For the extraordinary is just round the corner in the most ordinary of streets.

Written by: Karlton Pang

Pictures by: Aaron Quek

It's amazing what happens when you put two (seemingly) unassociated ideas together.

It's where creative sparks emerge from.

It's also where an unexpected flavour was found. Think of the bad lad meeting the classy lass.

New friendships (and some couples, whoo!) were forged during this year through Viva Gold... And despite taking the time to warm up to each other, it has been a thrill just to work together.

As a collaborative item, we've pulled many stunts, changed up the rhythm of the concert, injected contrast into the show. The bboys definitely had as much fun as Viva girls (what kind of fun depends on whom you ask).

We even heard the NUS President liked this item best. Too bad this doesn't raise anybody's CAP though.

While we can't say with certainty whether new collaborations will happen down the road, this is a milestone in both clubs.

New people are going to take over our respective clubs, so let's hope we pass our batons to the right people - a new generation who will keep the fire alive. How do I mean? In our own dances, in the possibility of working together again, in the light that people are always looking forward to something refreshing.

As it's the season of sharing and giving, you've certainly given us a fun chance to perform this 2015. And we hope we did the same for you too.

As a parting gift from the people in this item, we hope that Viva LatiNUS does continue to burn the stage floor - in competition, in performances.

It has been enjoyable seeing your various items and styles brought to life, and may there be much more to come (no entendres involved).

Stay lovely,

LatiNUS x BreakiNUS

Item 3. Rumba - Stars

Love; it is a multi-splendored thing. Look to the stars, they shine for you and I.

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Written by: Cleantha Ng and Ang Jieying 

Pictures by: Aaron Quek 

Rumba is a romantic and emotional dance, and this item provided us with an outlet to pour our deepest feelings into. Coupled with the strong bonds forged between each couple and the beautiful, amazing dresses we donned, we were able to showcase the best to the audience on our Viva Gold stage.

For our Rumba item, we had regular and tight training schedules and even though it was very tiring, the people whom we were dancing with gave us the motivation and support to push us through difficult times. Despite the rigorous training schedules, we are proud to say that our item had one of the best attendances at every practice. This showed that each and every Rumba member was highly dedicated to this item. Each and every one of us has the exact same goal in mind from the beginning and this is what this item meant to us. Strong friendships were therefore forged during that period of time and have lasted even after the Viva Gold concert. These memories are very precious to us and we would never forget how we helped each other out selflessly and also tried our best to perfect each other’s moves. We practiced whenever we had the time and even resorted to dancing outdoors when we were unable to secure a venue.

Our major take-away from the Rumba item is that the power of teamwork is limitless. Great teamwork can straighten any problems out. For example, there was a time when most of us could not perform a sequence of movements. The few of us who managed to grasp it spent a few hours trying to teach our fellow dancers and not a word of complaint was heard. With this mindset and heart, all of us fought through our physical limitations and ultimately was able to execute the movements delicately on stage. We ensured that all of us worked together as a team and no one was left behind.

We felt that one of the challenges was the inability to feel the music in order to convey the emotions that our choreographer had in mind. Initially, it was indeed hard to comprehend, but, after more interactions with our partners and also the directions given by our seniors, we were able to slowly understand and feel the music. 

Finally, thank you Michelle for choreographing this wonderful piece and also the seniors and team for practicing hard together. All of you have definitely impacted us in some way or another and you have made our journey in rumba a truly unforgettable one.

Item 2. Burlesque - Behind Closed Doors…

If you had only been near her, you would have understood my insanity.

But when I thought her a thousand miles out of reach, I heard her whisper:

“Lean in to kiss me

in all the places

where the ache

is

the most special.”

― Sanober Khan

Written by: Png Wanyu
Pictures by: Shawn Quek, Aaron Quek

Behind closed Doors.

There is no name more apt than this for the Burlesque item. Many months of hard work were put in behind closed doors to perfect the empowering and sensual movements before it was put up on stage. The song used in the choreography “Big Spender”, together with the dance sequence, props and glittery costumes brought about an air of glamour and mystery. It was an impeccable performance staged in a grand ballroom on a Caribbean cruise, and performed by the women of Viva Latinus! We had spent hours stoning our costumes with thousands of crystals by hand, as well as crafting the luxurious ostrich feather fans in order to make our item an absolutely gorgeous visual treat.

Many of us had not realised before how difficult it was to look good, and stay sexy whilst having to take care of so many props and formation changes. The item was all about embracing our feminine side, and made us feel both strong and beautiful. To depict the mood, we spent countless hours practising our hip rolls, body waves and stretching, in order to make every movement controlled just so.

This item was challenging due to the use of many props (tables, chairs, fans and canes). Much thanks to the Breakinus Bboys who were our life savers as they handled the props movement, and the stage manager, Peter, for coordinating all of it. Let’s also not forget those who helped us carry the props during practice and those who assembled the table and chairs just a day before show day!

This item (and the concert) would not have been possible without the choreographers, Carin and Shermine. I would like to thank them for the amazing choreography, all their hard work and sacrifices they made to make us shine on stage. I would also like to thank all the dancers in this item for the hard work and encouragement. I am sure we have all enjoyed being strong and sexy!

It was challenging for me as I had no prior background in Latin Dance or burlesque dance genre before. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to try and learn different things. Viva Gold was a tough but rewarding journey. It wasn’t easy juggling multiple commitments and attending many hours of trainings and rehearsals. Nevertheless, as the lights were dimmed, the curtains were drawn, and the adrenaline rush hit me, I felt that it was all worth it.

I hope that Viva Latinus will continue to grow in strength and I look forward to future Viva Gold concerts! Till we meet again!