Groove Your Night Away With Top 15 Teams Of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 5

"Everybody can dance, but not everyone is a dancer"

- Ryan Tan

Tough love and wise words from Ryan Tan, one of the esteemed judges of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 5. He dished out this valuable piece of advice to all participating teams just before the announcement of the top 15 teams (out of 45) who made it to the finals.

You know, judging a dance is not as easy as judging a swimming or running competition where the fastest across the finish line wins. There were SO MANY good teams the judges must have had a tough time selecting the top 15 that would go on to battle it out for the top spot on 10 May 2014. The champion team gets to represent ASEAN at Japan Dance Delight Vol. 21 on August 31, 2014 in Osaka!

Singapore Dance Delight Volume 5 is presented by F&N Sparkling Drinks and organized by O School.

Last week, Val and I, accompanied by our blog manager Amantha, attended the preliminary round of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 5. Front row seats courtesy of F&N Sparkling Drinks! Thank you! 🙂

The amphitheater was on a CONSTANT HIGH pumped up by the enthusiastic cheers and applause from spectators.

There was also CONSTANT HEAT. Hahaha! Oh my, it's so hot and humid these days! Thank goodness for the refreshing F&N sparkling drinks in our goodie bags! 😀

There's such a strong spirit in the world of hip hop! Actually, I'm not very sure about the different kinds of dances under the umbrella of hip hop. Breakdance? Popping-locking? House? Street? Pardon me if I'm using the wrong terms. 😛

By the way, I do latin ballroom (samba, cha cha, rumba, paso doble, jive) and street latin like salsa and bachata. I haven't had too many chances to say hello to the world of hip hop, but I believe that DANCE IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

People may come from different dance backgrounds, they may not even speak the same language, but when they come together, suddenly there is a common stand point, a middle ground where they can all relate through music and rhythm. It's a unifying experience.

A prestigious ASEAN dance event like Singapore Dance Delight provides dance enthusiasts a platform to showcase their final masterpiece they have poured their heart and soul into creating.

I haven't performed much, but I know how it feels to go on stage and just savor the moment - when you dance, when you finally get it down, in front of an audience, there is an inexplicable sense of adrenaline and pride that only fellow dancers and performers of the world will understand.

That's why I LOVE watching dance performances and competitions. A person may not be a dancer, but that doesn't stop him or her from appreciating dance. Dance is an art form, a language that is open to interpretation and is as much a delight to the dancers as it is to the audience.

Tell me, what do you make of this picture? 😀

I like how Val looked so groovy while I looked completely amused and clueless. HAHAHAHA!! What actually happened was, I was asking Val how to do a hip hop pose coz I had no idea. So she, who has done hip hop before, showed me. Then I was like "Aiya! How to do that!?!" 😀

Here are some of the competing teams you might see again on 10 May:

This group added many fun ideas into their dance piece, very entertaining!

Check out the flying ninja! WHOOSH!!

Plenty of flips going around.

Oh I loved the demonic vibe of this team, from the costume, hair and makeup to facial expressions!

This team was good. I clapped loudly when they got into the finals but because I couldn't keep my eyes away from them while they were dancing I only have this lame picture of them standing in line. Lol!

This team is so well-known in the industry that even I have a faint recollection of having seen them before, from the very few hip hop events I've attended.

Were you there for the preliminary round? Which were your favorite teams?

Share Your Dance Video On F&N Groove Nation App

This year F&N invited DJ Ben, also known as 'pSyk' to compose the first ever Singapore Hip Hop Dance Anthem. SO COOL!!

Step 1: Watch the choreography here >> Singapore Hip Hop Dance Anthem

Step 2: Upload your video here >> F&N Groove Nation App

Step 3: See yourself on the big screens! 😀 Video highlights will be shown at the #fnnsdd5 (practising my hashtag lol) final so if you want to see your video on the BIG BIG SCREENS, quickly go check out the app on F&N Sparkling Drinks Facebook!

'Lead by example'. Therefore I have recorded my own video and even though it's hilarious to see my latin-trained body grooving to the explosive beats and heart-pumping tunes of hip hop, it was fun! I've never done so much 'locking' before and the next day my back muscles ached like mad. HAHAHA!! Wait for it on my Instagram (@bunbunmakeuptips). You all don't laugh k!!! (A bit hard though coz really very funny LOL)

With one of the finalists. Val looks like she's the coach coz same color top. LOL!

Watch The Best 15 Teams LIVE At Kallang Theatre!

Don't worry if you didn't manage to attend the preliminary round! Now you can get to watch the TOP 15 teams perform on 10 May 2014 at Kallang Theatre.

Remember to hashtag #fnnsdd5 when you post on Instagram that day! I'll be there too!