How did the plan come about?
The genesis of the event was when a group of University Scholars Program (USP) alumni came together, wanting to give back to the programme. We were brainstorming for innovative and exciting fundraising activities that diverge from the ‘pull-at-your-heartstrings’ campaigns, which are the norm in Singapore. It's about getting Singaporeans to step out of their daily routines and doing something extraordinary for a cause they are passionate about. Participating teams challenge themselves to dance anything between one to ten hours, in order to raise funds for a charity of their choice. In a sense, we are advocates for advocacy.
In line with our original motivation, any profit made from the event will go towards helping financially disadvantaged students from USP, our alma mater.
If it wasn’t for this activity, what would it have been?
Probably something boring and typical like a fundraising dinner targeted at USP alumni? Then again, the dinner wouldn’t happen because we don’t want to be organising something boring and typical.We started off with the idea of a dance marathon. Along the way, we experimented with iterations of the concept, including a karaoke component, or bringing on board side-events to engage members of the public who are too shy to dance.
In the end, we decided not to be overly ambitious. This is the first time such an event is happening in Singapore, and everyone who signed up is taking as much of a risk as we are. We promised our participants a 10-hour dance marathon, so we want to focus on delivering ten hours worth of challenging, memorable and awesome dancing.
Did you pick Hong Lim Park to make a statement?
No. In fact, we had reservations about holding our event at Hong Lim Park because we didn’t want it to be misconstrued as an activity with political intentions. We sought out other potential venue partners, but eventually went with Hong Lim Park due to practical logistical considerations, and cost considerations as well. Having said that, Hong Lim Park is actually a great space that Singaporeans can utilise for all sorts of activities. Many of the limitations and restrictions placed on other venues don’t apply here, and we are very thankful that such a space exists in our society.
What can participants/ non-participants expect besides dance instructors to bring them through a seemingly endless dancing session?
You make it sound like 10 hours of dancing will actually be boring! We Will Dance is structured such that every hour, dance instructors will lead participants in learning the basic dance moves of difference dance styles. This includes the likes of K-Pop, Zumba, Street Dance and so on. The event is open to the public and anyone can come by to soak in the atmosphere, join in the fun, or just watch. There will also be performances from various bands and dance groups throughout the day. Light refreshments will be on sale, and you can look forward to interesting booth activities from our partners.
At the end of the day, we will focus on delivering a great 10-hour dance marathon for our participants. But since Hong Lim Park is a public space, it’ll be interesting to see how the public reacts to our events. Some people have even written in to ask if they can come by with their children and have a picnic while watching the marathon. To that we say: Yes, definitely!
You’re going to have dance instructors teaching participants dance moves at every hour. How much dancing can a person take in ten hours?!
Participants can choose to sign-up in teams of one to three members. There are also different dance categories [where] team members can tag in and out every hour, so most people wouldn’t actually have to dance for ten hours straight! As of now, we have four people signed up as solo participants in the Dance Maniac category. We admire their courage and look forward to seeing them complete the feat on event day!
What are some of the challenges you faced in the process of organisation?
On the whole, it’s been an amazing experience organising We Will Dance. We have many more reasons to be thankful than frustrated. Our sponsors, partners and the entire USP network have gone out of their way to contribute to an event without asking for anything in return.
Then again, we don’t want to paint an overly rosy image of what it takes to organise an event like it. It takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication, dedication, dedication. If you ever want to attempt something of this nature, be sure to do it with people who believe in it as strongly as you do, and will stick with you through all the late-night meetings, paperwork and rejections.
Besides raising funds for charity, what do you hope to achieve from this?
As mentioned above, we see ourselves as ‘advocates for advocacy’. There is a lot more room for people in Singapore to step out of our comfort zones and play an active role in society. Oftentimes, all it takes is a good first experience, so we hope for We Will Dance to be that first feel-good experience, which will spur participants to do more in future.
As USP alumni, another objective of our event is to bring together the entire USP community – students, faculty, staff and alumni – for a day of fun in the sun. As a relatively young academic programme with no official Alumni club or society, we hope for this to spur greater alumni involvement in USP.
Do you think you were made to do such charitable acts?
I don’t think anyone is ‘made’ to do anything. Everyone is exposed to his or her own unique set of experiences, which affects our outlook on life and how we react to it. Everyone also has different sets of resources available to us. I just think we can fully utilise what we have available to us to act on issues we believe in.
Do charitable acts happen by chance or a conscious effort?
Charitable acts can happen on an everyday basis. Sometimes, small and simple acts that take little effort can be just as meaningful as a big-bang charity event.
Yet there are all sorts of inequalities present in Singapore society and issues that need to be addressed. These require groups of dedicated individuals who commit time and effort over long periods, to work together in a structured manner in order to effect change.
Do you think charity efforts in Singapore have plenty of encouragement from society and government?
There are tons of charity efforts happening on a regular basis in Singapore. The government also has a lot of funds and schemes in place to support charity efforts. But there is no perfect society, and there are endless areas in which Singapore society and the Singapore government can improve.
At the end of the day, if you believe something can be done to improve a situation that you think deserves to be changed, it is up to you to seek out like-minded individuals that can work with you to change it. Stop waiting, complaining or criticising. Do something about it.
We Will Dance is happening August 17, noon at Hong Lim Park. For more information, check their website. Tickets are $25-50.
