Charge of the youth brigade

THE youth of our nation are getting into the swing of things for Singapore's 44th birthday.

More than 2,200 students from primary schools to universities are busy marching, dancing, singing and drumming for the National Day Parade (NDP) on Aug 9.

The youth brigade will form a sizeable contingent among the 6,000 participants at this year's show.

Things got busy for them way back in March, as rehearsals began at assembly grounds in schools around the island.

Ms Wong Shing Hwee, 22, commander for the Red Cross marching contingent, has the unenviable task of sustaining the enthusiasm of her 14- and 15-year-old charges which can easily wane during mind-numbing drills under the hot sun.

'Encouraging them and motivating them is an ongoing process,' she said.

The excitement kicks in more readily for first-timers like 14-year-old Muhammad Nur Irfan bin Hausani, who is marching with the National Police Cadet Corps.

Said the cadet from Pasir Ris Secondary School: 'It's a prestigious moment...The feeling of sitting in the stands is different from the feeling of being in the parade.'

This year's NDP weaves together the parade and ceremony segments, usually separate, into 'One Show' spread over 10 chapters, each based on an excerpt of the Singapore Pledge. The students appear in a pre-parade segment and seven of the chapters. Whether they are Touch motivators handing out balloons and whipping up crowd fervour or dancers doing their thing from nine-storey structures on stage, their energy will be hard to miss.

Among the performers is Giri Krishnasamy, 16, one of 125 dancers from Bhas-kar's Arts Academy who will showcase Bharatanatyam, a classic Tamil dance form. He is stationed on the penultimate level of one of two nine-storey grids, one on each side of the main stage. 'From up there, I can see all the spectators,' he said.