Performers from all different races and backgrounds come together to put a dazzling show for the audience at the Chingay festival.

The Past, Present and future in Chingay 2019

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Flashing lights streaked across the streets as performers danced across the streets while majestic floats mesmerised the crowds, celebrating the bicentennial of Singapore and the Chingay festival of 2019.

This year’s Chingay celebration revolves around the theme of uniting the “past, present and future” of Singapore, one of the main attractions being a 270-meter-long painting. This painting co-created by Singaporean multi-disciplinary artists from the different races of Singapore. This painting demonstrates the many lines of history in Singapore, from the past modest fishing villages, to the now bustling modern cities of today, to whatever is imagined in the future. This painting will then be shown during the festival itself.

However, the main attraction will as always be the performances themselves. Thousands of performers from different backgrounds gathered together to perform their respective performances, each unique from the other.

The performance that represented the future aspects of Singapore this year would be the butterfly performance.  According to Clare Chua, who is the corporate manager of North west CDC, the butterfly dance would involve over 500 students from the School of Dance, dressing up as butterflies as they dance with roller bladders from Singapore Dance Inspirations, who will be sporting butterfly costumes as well gliding through the streets with hoverboards. This whole performance gives the idea of a dreamy state as butterflies seemingly hover around.
The multi-racial performances that have become a staple in all Chingay performances, representing the multi-cultural aspect of Singapore, as well as being a representation of. Performers from all different backgrounds and races joint together as they performed their own unique dances such as the traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian dances. Complementing their performances are floats with the design of their respective races and cultures illuminating the streets. This as always demonstrates the unity between the races and how Singapore is a multi-racial society.
Other than the cultural performances, this year’s Chingay also involved Singapore’s vintage past. As mentioned earlier, this year’s Chingay incorporates the past, present and future of Singapore. Thus, audiences were given a spectacle to a past of Singapore that isn’t always shown as vintage cars and bikes rode across the streets in a dazzling formation as they blew audiences away with their stunts, showcasing the old but unforgotten side of Singapore.
However, setting up the event itself is half the battle for the people involved. According to the assistant honorary secretary of the Malaysian and Singapore Vintage Car Register (MSVCR), David Christie, he mentions that “One of the challenges that we faced is that we had to select the right mix of members cars that would excite the audience”. He also mentions how they would need to prepare both the drivers and their cars so that they would not breakdown in the performance.
However, despite the challenges, when asked about whether the MSCVR would join Chingay again, he says that thanks to the positive feedback and interest from the public, they would definitely go for it.

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