NUSCD Mauritius Report

Memories from NUSCD’s Mauritius Trip

Editor: Lee Kit Pui Design: Ng Zheng Jie

Introduction to Conversational French

AcknowledgementsOn behalf of NUS Chinese Dance, we would like to thank the following for their support and making this trip possible:

1. Ms Ding Hong, our Resident Choreographer

2. Christabel Lim Sze Tien, Project Director

3. Karen Loh, Deputy Project Director

4. Ah Noo Lam, Project Coordinator (Mauritius)

5. Ah Sen Yune Vee, Executive Project Coordinator (Mauritius)

6. Executive committee members of NUS Chinese Dance

7. Rhythm 'N' Moves and KE VII Hall



Trip Assessment

Pre-Trip 1

Invitation by Federation of Chinese Societies (FCS) in Mauritius

Approval from NUS Centre for the Arts (CFA)

Recruitment of Dancers

Rehearsals, Props/Costumes and Programme

Sponsorship from Private Organisations

Administrative Matters

During the Trip 5

Arrival and Accommodation

Performances in Mauritius

Publicity Received

Experiencing Mauritius

Post-trip – Feedback and Evaluation 8

Manpower and Sponsorship

Administration and Sponsorship

Performances and Experience In Mauritius

Future Opportunities

Daily Journals

5th September 2009 10








NUS Chinese Dance — Mauritius Trip Report i


Trip Assessmentby Ah Sen Hok Fen, Team Leader and Main Liaison

Pre-Trip

Invitation by Federation of Chinese Societies (FCS) in Mauritius

NUS Chinese Dance (NUSCD) was invited by the Federation of Chinese Societies to perform in the cultural show held in conjunction with the celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Peoples’ Republic of China. Scheduled for the first two weeks of September, this cultural show was organized by Chinese Middle School (CMS) in collaboration with CMS Welfare Association and School of Chinese Music in Mauritius. It also received the prestigious endorsement of the Embassy of China.

As way of background, FCS had extended the same invitation to NUS Chinese Orchestra over the last two years and was keen to showcase the NUS Chinese Dance this year instead. The initial contact was made through Ah Sen Hok Fen, a native Mauritian, via his connections with CMS.

Approval from NUS Centre for the Arts (CFA)

While there were earlier email correspondences on this subject, an official invitation letter from FCS was required by CFA to kick start the formalized process. The letter was received on 7 July 2009.

The first meeting was quickly organized by NUSCD for 13 July 2009. Attendees included:

1. NUS CFA: Karen Loh, Deputy Project Director and Iris Cheung, Assistant Deputy Project Director.

2. NUSCD: Ding Hong, Resident Choreographer; Lai Feng Jun, President; Ah Sen Hok Fen, Main Liaison and Ng Zheng Jie

The meeting concluded with the support from Ding Hong for the group to proceed under the umbrella of NUSCD as well as performing a few of her past choreographed repertoires. It was also mutually agreed that arrangements would be made so that there would be no conflicting rehearsal dates/times for Dance Reflections 2009 and the trip. Due to commitments to Dance Reflections Preview, it was unfortunate that both Ding Hong and Zhou Lei, Technique Instructor were not able to make the trip personally.


NUS Chinese Dance — Mauritius Trip Report 1

CFA had no objections and agreed to provide support through issuing letters of excuse to alumni dancers who may require them for their employers (including NIE and other commercial companies).

However, CFA was not able to provide financial support for reasons highlighted during the meeting:

1. Funding support for overseas is usually sought at least 12 months in advance. (As this was not made known to us earlier, this is for NUSCD to note for future planning).

2. NUSCD funds is limited and could not allow for additional expenses this year.

CFA also requested for a revised letter from FCS as the first letter was not sufficiently official according to their requirements. The revised letter was subsequently received on 17 July 2009 and was submitted to CFA.

Recruitment of Dancers

As the dates of travel coincided with school term, it rendered it difficult for the undergraduate dancers to participate. Despite this, NUSCD was able to gather a group of alumni dancers to participate in this trip after some initial challenges.

The final cast list comprised 14 members, including:

1. Ah Sen Hok Fen (Main Liaison/Team Leader)

2. Cheng Zengyan

3. Lee Kit Pui

4. Lim Xiao Yun

5. Ng Hong Leong

6. Ng Zheng Jie

7. Ong Yee Lian

8. Tan Yuan Yan

9. Wong Chi Man

10. Wang Da

11. Wong Michael

12. Wong Wilson

13. Yuen Wai Chi

14. Lim Wei Jye (emcee)



Wei Jye, an NUS alumni, was recruited specially due to FCS’ request for a bilingual emcee. Although he was not a member of NUSCD, the group was delighted that he was able and willing to lend his support.

Rehearsals, Props/Costumes and Programme

Costumes were prepared by Wong Chiman

Rehearsals were held mainly on weekday nights and Saturday afternoons. They were held at various venues including CFA Dance Studio and Dance Theatre, King Edward VII Hall – Dance Studio as well as external venues at Rhythm ‘N’ Moves Dance Studio in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar Community Centre. The latter venues were provided with compliments.

The finalized programme included nine repertoires:

1. Wind (Choreographer: Ding Hong)

2. Winter (Choreographer: Ah Sen Hok Fen)

3. Man (Choreographer: Ding Hong)

4. Beyond (Choreographers: Ah Sen Hok Fen & Wong Chi Man)

5. Romanticism (Dance Competition piece from China)

6. Invisibility (Choreographer: Wong Chin Man)

7. Tides (Choreographer: Michael Wong)

8. Infinity (Choreographer: Zhou Lei)

9. Homeland (Choreographer: Ding Hong)

All except for two costumes were from NUSCD or dancers’ own. The additional two sets were borrowed from Theatre Arts Troupe.

Sponsorship from Private Organisations

Sponsorship from private organizations was challenging due to current economic situations coupled with the short lead time available to seek out financial support.

We managed to seek support from Air Mauritius through providing discounted rates at S$973 per ticket inclusive of taxes.

In addition, the organizers in Mauritius generously provided complimentary accommodation, ground transportation as well as most meals for the group’s stay in Mauritius.



Administrative Matters

Besides rehearsals and settling actual performance matters, the group also handled administration including:

1. Obtaining signed indemnity forms from CFA for all team members

2. Purchasing travel insurance for all members

3. Preparing a “Folder” as requested by CFA, which includes:

1. Factsheet

2. Crisis Management Plan

3. Handbook (itinerary + things to look out for)

4. Passport copies of all members

5. Particulars of all members

6. Travel insurance policies obtained

7. Liaising with Mauritius’ organizers, on the program proper and the production of Program booklet for the performances

8. Purchase of gifts for key organizers in Mauritius



During the Trip

Arrival and Accommodation

NUSCD received a warm welcome upon arrival in Mauritius. The group was featured in the Chinese newspaper with the headlines “Singapore delegation arrives today”, complete with a centrespread featuring NUSCD with dancers’ photos and profile.

The group checked into their resort, Casa Florida where three bungalows were provided as accommodation for the week stay in Mauritius.

Performances in Mauritius

A) Celebration of the Foundation of People’s Republic of China at the Chinese Cultural Centre, 6 & 7 September 2009

NUSCD performed on two days, 6 and 7 September 2009, the first being the official celebration, graced by the Ambassador of China in Mauritius as Guest-of-Honor as well as other Chinese Diplomats.

The rehearsal on 6 September 2009 saw NUSCD’s versatility and professionalism. Firstly, the group has to work with a small stage with instruments and microphone wires. Secondly, the group was requested to do a combined item with the Mauritian Chinese Orchestra and Choir. We quickly choreographed and made arrangements to fit their requirements. Thirdly, due to time constraints, NUSCD could only perform five of its repertories.

Nonetheless, the first night’s performance was very well-received by the VIPs and audience. Particularly, the 350-strong audience gave high compliments for the creativity in choreography as well as an excellent cast.

The second night of 7 September 2009 saw all the nine repertories performed to resounding applause. As good word-of-mouth regarding the previous night’s performance spread, the number of audience was overwhelming at 450. Additional seats had to be brought in as this was beyond the auditorium’s seating capacity.

On both nights, NUSCD had the opportunity to engage in cultural exchanges with the China Cultural Dancers and musicians as well as established rapport and built relationships with the Chinese diplomats and community in Mauritius. Gift exchanges were done on stage with the VIPs and main organizers.

B) London College, 8 September 2009

NUSCD also performed three repertoires in London College in Port Louis.

We were warmly received by the Principal and the school’s management. There were approximately 1,200 students who responded enthusiastically to our dance items.



There were also participative games including a brief dance routine conducted by our emcee which effectively helped to bridge the gap between students and us, thereby gaining immediate affinity towards NUSCD.

C) Wedding Dinner, 9 September 2009

This was an unscheduled performance. Due to the kind hospitality by Ah Sen Hok Fen’s family as well as the publicity received through the local papers, NUSCD presented a dance item as a gift to the bride and groom. (The groom was Fen’s cousin).

The audience was receptive to this refreshing agenda during the wedding dinner and was delighted to watch the NUSCD perform live after reading much good feedback about the group’s performances on 6 and 7 September 2009.

D) Dance Workshop with the Chinese Cultural Dancers, 10 September 2009

The workshop was attended by about 30 dancers from the Chinese Cultural Centre as well as their Dance Instructor, Guo Wei Hong.

The warm-up exercises comprising contemporary Chinese techniques with tribal drums music was conducted by one of our dancers, Wang Da. It proved to be an eye-opener for the dancers who were mostly exposed to classical piano and Chinese music for their classes.

Both groups presented a dance item each, followed by dance exchanges. NUSCD taught them a short segment from one of the items “Homeland” which featured Peranankan dance steps. In return, the Chinese Cultural dancers taught us the indigenous Mauritian Sega dance.

It was a fruitful exchange between the two groups.

Publicity Received

NUSCD was featured extensively in the local newspaper (SinoNews) as well as other media including broadcast news and online French paper.

Newspapers:

1. SinoNews (5th - 12th September)

2. China Times (8th September)

3. The Mirror (12th September)

Online Newspaper:

1. L’Express (http://www.lexpress.mu/gallery/31-333-1013-lexpress-spectacle-culturel-chinois.html)



http://www.lexpress.mu/gallery/31-333-1013-lexpress-spectacle-culturel-chinois.html




The exposure received is invaluable and helped to raise the profile of NUSCD in Mauritius.

Experiencing Mauritius

Itineraries was prepared and arranged by Yuen Wai Chi

With the kind hospitality of the organizers, NUSCD had the chance to visit various places of interest in Mauritius including; Domaine Les Pailles, Chamarel, Mont Choisy, Le Morne.

These excursions allowed us to truly experience Mauritius – its enchanting beaches, its fascinating nature, its gracious people and its unique culture. These serve to enrich our personal outlooks and lives immeasurably and provide inspirations for future works of NUSCD.



Post-trip – Feedback and Evaluation

Manpower and Sponsorship

There were challenges in the process of confirming the number of team members. Firstly, as highlighted before, the undergraduates were unable to make the trip as it is during term time. Secondly, the team comprised mainly of working alumni members — a few of them were not able to confirm their participation till a late stage due to leave approval from their companies.

This has direct repercussions on the dance items as well as the assignment of dancers to each item. There were a few changes throughout the process.

Notwithstanding, we were able to iron out these issues expediently due to the dancers’ teamwork and cooperation. Also, being all alumni dancers, each member was also sufficiently experienced to pick up the dance movements and feel in a relatively short time.

Rehearsals were held mainly in the night and on Saturday afternoons, i.e. outside of working hours.

It was difficult trying to obtain appropriate practice venues/dance studios within NUS as most of the CFA venues were booked by various groups for Dance Reflections’ rehearsals. Hence alternative venues had to be sought through various external connections. King Edward VII Hall and Rhythm “N” Moves lent us their dance studios on a complimentary basis as a few members were alumni members and two dancers worked for the latter respectively. We appreciated their goodwill as it helped to alleviate the costs incurred.

Although we understand that dance venues are allocated on priority to groups participating in Dance Reflections, it would have been ideal if dance venues could be also allocated to us as this would have eased the additional stress and burden of seeking out external venues. Alternatively, if venues are scarce within NUS, it would have been fitting to receive some form of financial subsidy so that we could rent appropriate external venues for practices.

Administration and Sponsorship

Due to the short lead time, it proved challenging to seek out sponsorships from private organizations. In addition, we did not manage to seek out financial support from CFA as such applications need to be done at least 12 months in advance.

The organizers in Mauritius, however, generously sponsored the accommodation, food and ground transportation expenses for the group.

Therefore, the team paid only for the air-tickets out of their pockets.

A learning point from this is that we should actively seek out opportunities for overseas performances way in advance so that proper planning for sponsorships and funds could be made.



Handling administrative matters of this trip was a good learning process. From liaising with the organizers in Mauritius to responding to CFA’s various requests, we learnt to manage expectations and worked effectively albeit limited resources and time.

As the team comprised working adults, these matters were added tasks apart from dance rehearsals. We saw downtime in our communication with the organizers in Mauritius as they were also mostly volunteers who held full time jobs. However, we felt that the most strenuous task was the compilation of the Folder for CFA. As the detailed request came to us near to departure date, we had a slight scramble to gather the information required.

Again, if lead time had been longer, there would have been opportunities for proper planning and distribution of work among the team members.

Separately, a point to feedback is that we were told to appoint a Safety Officer for the group. While one was appointed, there was no proper guidelines nor training provided by CFA for this position. It would be deemed necessary for CFA to provide such standard guidelines in future.

Performances and Experience In Mauritius

Overall, it was a worthwhile and valuable experience in Mauritius.

The group received utmost gracious hospitality and was most appreciative.

We received high compliments from the organizers, audience as well as extensive media coverage. These helped to raise the profile of CFA and NUS Chinese Dance in Mauritius.

In addition, the trip also contributed to further the dance experience of each dancer – performing for different audience, in different venues and for different occasions. These will help the dancers to be more adaptable and confident in future performances.

The experience was also shared with other dancers from NUS Chinese Dance so that learning points could be passed on as well.

Future Opportunities

The organizers in Mauritius have extended verbal invitation for NUSCD to perform at other festivals such as the Chinatown Festival in April 2010. They have also requested for the group to include singers to spice up the program. There were also suggestions for NUSCD to put up an entire performance in the future.

We should give due consideration and explore these opportunities further.



Daily Journals5th September 2009

by Tan Yuanyan

Our flight to Mauritius was at 2.25 pm at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1. However we were running a very tight schedule because we still had to go for the Dance Reflections 2009 preview at CFA Dance Theatre at 11 am. NUSCD was having their slot at 11 am sharp so that we will have time to rush to the airport right after we danced our item. Most of us were at CFA Dance Theatre at 10.30 am, warming ourselves up and getting ready to dance. However at 10.55 am, we received a change of instruction that the preview will be held at UCC Dance Studio. We were pretty alarmed as we were afraid that we will not reach the airport in time to check in.

Upon reaching UCC Dance Studio, we waited for quite a while for the preview to start. Finally the preview started at 11.25 am.

At the end of the dance, the dancers going to Mauritius quickly rushed out of UCC to head to the airport. Ding Laoshi was kind enough to send some of us to her home first to take a shower, after that she fetched us to the airport.



Thank goodness all of us checked in at the airport without much trouble. And all of us were ready to embark on our flight to Mauritius!



The flight stopped over at Kuala Lumpur for a transit. As most of us did not have time to eat our lunch, we bought some finger food at a cafeteria at the Kuala Lumpur airport. While waiting for the food to be prepared, we actually nearly missed the boarding time for the flight.

The plane had in-flight entertainment system, so we were not bored to tears during the 7 hours flight.

We finally reached the Mauritius airport at 8 pm (Mauritius time). Ah Noo, the project coordinator for the 60th Anniversary Celebration, together with Fen’s sister, Yunevee, were waiting for us. A private bus was hired to fetch us from the airport.

Inside the bus, Yunevee showed us their Chinese newspapers. We were in for a very big surprise. Our faces were on the newspapers! We were being addressed as Singapore delegates, and we felt very privileged.

After that, Yunevee gave each of us a goodie bag. We were really touched by her hospitality.

Knowing that we were hungry, Ah Noo brought us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Although it was just a simple dish of bee hoon soup, the bee hoon tasted amazingly delicious and warmed our stomachs in the cold weather.



On the ride back to the hotel, Yunevee briefed us on what will happen the next day. After that Fen told us our breakfast timings and what time we are leaving the hotel to go to China Cultural Centre (CCC) for the rehearsal and performance.

And this concludes day 0 of the Mauritius trip.



6th September 2009

by Lim Xiao Yun

毛里求斯的第一个早晨，我们一伙人7点多就起身梳洗，吃了一顿丰盛的早餐。还来不及走走看看，我们就已经

出发到演出场地。车程花了我们大约40分钟的时间。或是是初到此地，大家的心情非常兴奋，在路途上一直往

车外看，还吱吱喳喳，聊个不停。

毛里求斯的演出一共分为三场，今天是演出的第一天。

我们将表演给当地华人社群的领袖们。这是最为重要的

一场演出。我们代表着国大华族舞蹈团的美誉，为了宣

扬新加坡的文化特色，以及为了呈献一场尽善尽美的舞蹈晚会，我们中午时候就莅临了演

出场地，中国文化中心。这次是当地华人非常重视的文艺活动，为的就是庆祝中华人民共

和国的60周年庆。

一抵达中国文化中心，我们不敢怠慢，马不停蹄地开始彩排。主办者给予我们贵宾式的招

待，当地的华人都非常欢迎我们。我们还意外地发现我们的到来还成为了当地中文报章的

头条新闻，其中还包括了我们这次演出的详情，国大文化中心的简介以及每一个舞蹈员的

照片以及介绍。除了报章，演出特刊也大幅度地介绍我们以及我们的表演项目。这真是让

我们每一位舞蹈员感到受宠若惊，也为能代表新加坡国立大学文化中心而感到骄傲和光

荣。



今晚，我们献上了五支舞蹈，包括男群舞《极》、女群彝族舞《风》、现代华族爱情

《冬。冻。动》、男独舞《茫茫人海》以及富有新加坡风味的《我的家园》。演出当中还

穿插了当地的一些歌唱表演，让两地的文化有了别开生面的大汇演。

演出开始，场地座无虚席，有将近三百多人特地前来观看，甚至还有人一路站着观看我们

的演出。当中还有少数的异族观众。他们都是为我们慕名而来的。据当地人所说，这样的

舞蹈晚会是难得一见的。以往多数都是中国的华族舞蹈团到毛里求斯表演。这是第一次由

新加坡的华族舞蹈团为当地华人呈献华族舞。表演时，观众的视线都锁住在我们的舞蹈当

中。表演后，观众致以如雷的掌声。大部分的观众都说我们的舞蹈多样化，与众不同，有

新加坡独特的风味，和中国的华族舞蹈绝然不同。这是他们从未欣赏过的舞蹈演出。他们

觉得非常新鲜有趣。虽然表演的舞台并不大，可是观众的热情却遍布了会场，让我们不禁

为第一晚的演出成功而感到兴奋。



演出结束后，我们便到接待处同大家交流。有些人向我们询问了新加坡以及国大的环境和

情况等，我们都以礼相待，一一回答。当时的茶点招待也让我们充分体验到两地的文化差

异。在新加坡，非常讲究循序规矩，凡是自助餐都必须先后有序，食物分量要适中。然而

在毛里求斯，当地华人习惯快速取食，将食物装满整盘，然后吃个尽兴。



一晚的演出连续不断，没有休息的片刻，我们跳完一支舞，又得赶紧换装，准备下一支。虽然演出把大家累坏了，可是却带给我们无以伦比的满足感，我们都期待第二晚的演出。



7th September 2009

by Wang Da

九月七日似乎是轻松的一天。昨天的兴奋心情依然像是

印度洋的潮汐般无法停息。一早，我们便随着 Ah Noo 带来的舞评而雀跃不已：昨天的演出很成功，大家都没

有看过这些新鲜的舞蹈形式，有些人今天还要再来看一

次哦！哈哈，今晚我们还有四个新的节目要表演，他们

当然要来捧场啦！！~~看来大家都对自己相当地有信心嘛！

简短地说明今天的安排过后，我们便来到当地的一家超

市。哇！Shopping time! 憋了好久了... 牙膏，果汁，糖果… 还有最重要的：巧克力！！冲啊！发扬新加坡不输精神 >.< 别人还以为我们是一群看见肥肉的恶狼吧...

今天最快乐，最疯狂的时段是在车上度过，有尾巴的车噢-- 碰碰车！“小孩子”的最爱却被我们这帮年龄加起来都超过三个世纪的 aun___ and un___ 们霸占了...（基于本人的生命安全，我要澄清我们有十四个人外加 Ah Noo)。童年的记忆总是充满了欢声笑语，而今天的碰碰车就像是时光机，带我们飞回了无忧的地方。我们肆无忌惮的笑声吸引了好多路人的

眼球，连站在一旁的老板都跟着傻呵呵地笑着。童真啊… 有些东西真是失去后才会觉得弥足珍贵。



午饭后便是排练时间，一分钟，一分钟，一小时，一小时，渐渐地随着汗水而蒸发，大家

也进入了各自的准备阶段。

晚上是第一次搬演全部的舞码，这便对所有人的体力和表演节目的安排来说，都是一个挑

战。细心地再次与合唱团，CCC舞蹈团沟通后，我们就开始了倒计时。

时-韵|越-乐的深情，极的刚烈，冬天的忧伤，但愿人长久的甜蜜，柔情似水的轻述，玄的追忆，彝族的俏皮，人海茫茫的迷惘，我的家园的自豪博得了观众们热烈的掌声，甚至演

出结束了许久，依然有观众留在现场互相讨论，和大家进行交流，气氛真是火热地温暖了

每一个人的心，毫无保留地过滤了原先不安的情绪。此时此刻，所有人的脸上都闪耀幸福

的神采和满足的喜悦。在这之前的辛苦和付出，终于换来了今晚的成功，一切，便都被赋

予了其中的意义与价值。



快乐的时光，总是悄悄地飞逝着。收拾好了服装，便是十一点了。满是银色的星空像是一

席无尽的水晶海洋，随着轻柔的晚风，在我们耳边细语着：祝你好梦，晚安。



8th September 2009

by Lim Wei Jye

不用太早起的早晨,行程进入第三天，大伙儿已切换成观光的心情。餐桌上满是无肆的笑声。今天主要的任务是

到London College 演出，不过区区半小时罢了。敲定三支别具特色的群舞，《彝族》，《冬。冻。动》，《我

的家园》，计18分钟左右。作为司仪的我被告知得填补间隔的时间，让舞蹈员有时间更衣。就那5至10分钟，不难，也就没怎么上心。介绍舞团，玩个游戏，还不容

易？

准备好舞蹈服装，道具，一行十四人浩浩荡荡往住处附近的海滩进发… 表演是下午2pm,早晨这段时间就排给了著名的“玻璃底船”！尽尽旅人的义务，推动毛国的旅游事业，促进新、毛两国友好的双边贸易。清澈见底的海水，密集的珊瑚礁，尾尾迅快扑向面包的鱼

群，好个异国海域，好个万里晴空！四位勇士下海与鱼群做零距离接触，大有“风萧萧兮海水寒，壮士一去兮五分钟返”的势头。拍够了照，喂饱了鱼，返航... 蓝天白云，绿海碧波，心情舒坦以极。

带着高昂的情绪，坐车往市区。品尝了道地的美食，时间也近矣。午餐六分饱，为表演准

备。乘车往 London College ,只花了20分钟。



课室里上着最后一节课，过千双眼睛都离开了黑板，转投我们一行人身上。很有“明星”的感觉，很特别。与校长，师长会晤于校长室，大概了解了流程，舞蹈员井然有序地到临时

更衣室-化学实验室更衣。我于负责的职员沟通好音响事宜，并与学泓讨论纪念品分派，游戏的时间等细节。

下课钟声于2pm准时响起，副校长让学生们站在四面楼高四层的教室走廊观赏我们的演出。在他简短的法语介绍、开场，主持棒交给我的那一刻，国大华族舞蹈团在London College的邀演正式开始。

打声招呼，近似一呼百应，毕竟是一千两百人的观众呀！简单地介绍了我们的团体，话不

多说，带入第一支舞：《彝族》-“WIND ~ Spring blossoms, innocent young girls show their affections" "Round of applause.." 掌声热烈。



毛国人民事爱热闹的族群，不会冷场。《彝族》鲜艳的服装，俏皮的舞步，得到观众的热

烈回响。惊叹、欢笑声不断。最后五位姑娘往楼上抛掷的彝族香包更是引来不小的骚动。

观众觉得新鲜，都闹开了。舞蹈员离场，我接着上场带动。教会了大家 “爱的鼓励” 这击掌节奏，还拉了5位“自愿者”示范一轮。送出了纪念品，舞蹈员早就绪了，哈哈。

下支舞蹈：<冬。冻。动>-“WINTER ~ The turning of the season, 4 romance, it's winter again" 音乐开始放送，舞者开始迈步。

色彩亮丽并相衬的纸伞，服装，赏心悦目。情侣间的两情相悦，爱恨情仇；旋转，上托的

舞技都迎来同学、师长们的赞叹、激情！整所学校都活跃了起来。师长们更是越发对我们

客气有加了。一曲毕，掌声不断。舞蹈员退场，又到游戏时间。这回是让配对的学生跳两

个八拍的舞步。同学们起群哄是不赖的，单个儿上阵就腼腆多了。好不容易凑齐四对，舞

蹈员都换好服装了。一对团员身着民族服装作了示范，让四对学生轮着学了一遍，自己跳

了一遍。一千两百位评判以掌声评选。跳得好，评审们不吝掌声；跳得差，评审们报以嘘

声，好个真性情的民族！气氛的炽热让同学们忘却了半小时时限以过。有得闹，有得看，

迟些放学他们也不介意。

让同学们稍微安静后，介绍最后一支舞蹈：《我的家园》-“Homeland ~ Let love and friendship grow” 音乐开始，观众自觉地静下，观赏。

这是支侧重民族风、带着愉快、欢笑的舞蹈。观众亦掌声、欢笑连连。曲终，校长接过麦

克风，以法语在同学面前谢过我们落力的演出，同学们配合地给予雷动的掌声。我-司仪，王达-摄影师，连同十二位舞蹈员立于排球场中央向四面观众鞠躬谢礼。很有成就感，真的



有大明星的感觉。演出空前的成功，London College 的师长非常满意。非常客气地领我们到教室享用精心准备的茶点。末了，校长还每个人赠送了一本校刊与一枚校徽别针，很有

意义。整个表演在宾主皆欢的氛围下徐徐落幕。共计一小时。

接着大队往唐人街一游，参观学泓家开的店。还到码头、市区拍照观光。晚餐前到学泓家

上了一课他阿姨讲解的 “养生之道在于呼吸间”，长了知识。接着就是期盼已久的重头戏-晚餐! 学泓家做东，十道菜的大宴席...大伙儿都吃撑了，举旗投降.. 太丰盛了！

谢过学泓一家，踏上归途，今天真是多姿多彩的一天！回国得好好秤秤重，再编排好运动

时间表了，哈哈。



9th September 2009

by Wilson Wong

Bonjour! As usual we were well greeted by the waitresses at the hotel during breakfast. We had mirroir (sunnyside up), chocolate crepes, bread and butter, with the Red Madagascar Fody and other healthy-looking birds staring at our food.

Finally after a few days of performances in Mauritius, we finally got to have a day of rest and relaxation. Fen’s aunt, Joy, specially took some time off her busy schedule to bring us around.

From North Mauritius, we headed to its South, whereby the whole journey took around two hours. The scenery is out of this world — vast sky, beautiful beaches, wonderful national parks and clear blue sea. We passed by endless sugarcane plantations, dramatic mountains, some of the finest beaches and lagoons and a cultural mix of people.

Our first stop is a Hindu temple, Ganga Talaab, and the sacred lake on a very high hill. There is this gigantic bronze statue, Lord Shiva standing 30 metres tall, welcoming us at the entrance. Two of our members received blessings at the temple whereby red symbols were drawn on their foreheads as the priest recited prayers for them. In return, they donated some offerings. We wanted to take more pictures, but the chilling weather and strong wind did not make us stay long.

Thereafter, we went to the Alexandra Falls view point, where we stood high and had a bird’s eye view of the valley and waterfall. There were also trees planted in the formation which inspired us to take photos that were obviously Bollywood influenced.



To view the Mauritius renowned Seven-Coloured Earth was what all of us had been waiting for. However, it started to drizzle just before we reached the destination. We were informed that rain would usually cause the colors of the Seven-Coloured Earth to smudge, causing the bands of colored earth to become much less distinctive. This was indeed a little disappointing but we dancers would never let this dispirit our day.

We had so much fun before we realized it was lunch time. We went to a restaurant, named Palais De Barbizon. This was our very first meal to have a taste of local Mauritian food. We had samosa with salsa sauce, stir-fried brinjal, papaya cheese, fried tapioca,



peanut watercress leaf, sweet and sour fish and curry chicken. Not to forget, the dessert of the day, honey-cooked banana and the famous Mauritian rum.

After the sumptuous lunch, we travelled the same two hour route back to the hotel to have a quick shower and dress up for the wedding dinner at night. One of our dancers getting married on this auspicious 09.09.09? Nope, it is Fen’s cousin who is getting married. It was very interesting to experience a local Mauritian Chinese wedding dinner and we in turn introduced our Singaporean way of toasting — “Yum Seng!!!”



After the dinner, we gave a surprise dance piece, “Winter Solstice” to add on to the couple’s blessings, and to start off the dancing at the dance floor.

What a way to end the day!



10th September 2009

by Cheng Zengyan & Michael Wong

On the fifth day of the trip, we spent half day sightseeing at a few famous attractions of Mauritius and the other half day shopping for clothes and souvenirs before going for the workshop with the dance group of CCC and dinner with the organizing committee.

In the morning, we set off at around 9.30 am heading to the first stop of the day - the Cathedral of Port Louis. The cathedral was first built in 1752 and used by the French colonial authorities. In 1933 it was renovated as it is nowadays. It is a gothic-style catholic church. It is said that most of the catholic Mauritians come to the church every Sunday morning and pray here.

After that, we stopped at Marie Reine de la Paix which is situated on the flank of Signal Mountain. Erected after World War II, Marie Reine de la Paix has always been a place of pilgrimage. There is a wide paved walkway in front and we really enjoyed the views of the whole city that could be seen from the walkway.



Subsequently we went to Domaine Les Pailles, one of the famous Nature Parks in Mauritius. Located at a stone’s throw from Port Louis, Domaine Les Pailes provides tourists with various opportunities to experience old living styles in addition to its natural beauties. We first started our adventure on a gracious sightseeing tram named Lady Alice, from a shop with many unique products and towards Victoria Station deep into the garden. After that, a horse carriage took us to the performance venue of a wonderful sega dance show. The sega is both the national dance and musical form of Mauritius, introduced by African slaves during the French colonial period. Women in colorful skirts twirled and undulated, using graceful hand and arm motions while their feet shuffled along the ground. Two instrumentalists played drums at the back. Being invited some of us even joined the local performers and learned the steps of this unique local dance. It was not easy, but we finally managed to find some similarities between the popular belly dance and the sega dance here.



Another memorable experience was our visit to the Sugar Museum located inside Domaine Les Pailles. A lady guided us through the discovery of the former sugar industry here. It was the first time for most of us to understand how sugar was made step by step from different kinds of sugarcanes. It indeed surprised us that the 18th century ox driven Sugar Mill was still producing the tropical cane sugar, and the 1758 Queen Distillery was also distilling the Domaine Les Pailles Rum. All of us tasted the homemade rum which was extremely strong…

After passing by the Mask Museum which held an exhibition rich in culture and emotion, followed by the magnificent Spice Garden where we smelled all the spices of the Mauritian Saucepan, our dancers were greatly inspired and we presented a random cultural show against the mountain to enjoy ourselves. It later became a most precious memory for every one who participated in it.



In noon we had lunch at Shoprite and later started shopping for the whole afternoon. From the Pridemark discount store to Phoenix Les Halles, high-quality but fair-price T-shirt made in Mauritius were proved to be the most popular souvenir besides the special ginger paste which satisfied everyone on the first day – yes we also managed to find the ginger and garlic paste in the supermarket on Day 5.

OK, shopping finished. We then rushed back to the hotel washing up and got prepared for the workshop. Yeah!

After an afternoon of shopping, we made a return visit to the Chinese Cultural Centre (CCC) at Bell Village, this time to participate in a combined workshop with the local Chinese Dance group. We received a warm welcome by the Chinese Dance group and their instructress, Ms Go Wei Hong, who happened to be a classmate of Mr Zhou Lei and Mdm Ding Hong, NUSCD’s resident instructor and choreographer, during their Beijing Dance Academy days.

The workshop commenced with a round of self-introduction by both groups, followed by a contemporary warm-up class conducted by Wang Da and participated by dancers from both groups. Thereafter, the Mauritian Chinese Dance group presented a Miao ethnic dance that showcased their finely-trained ethnic dance-style. By popular demand, Wang Da reprised his solo, “Man”, to the delight of the Mauritian dancers. The NUSCD also presented an impromptu performance of



“Beyond” that featured the majority of the dancers on this tour. This was followed by a workshop where the Singapore dancers taught the Mauritian group some Malay-influenced dance steps from “My Homeland”. In return, the Mauritian dancers imparted some moves of their iconic sega dance, which is African-inspired. All in all, it was a fun learning session where both parties had an experience of the culture of their counterparts.



The NUSCD group then proceeded to a farewell dinner hosted by the Mauritian Organising Committee. The Chinese dinner was held in a restaurant in Chinatown. The hospitable Mauritians expressed their gratitude to the Singapore contingent through a round of speeches and toasting (where we Singaporeans introduced our “Yum-Sengs” to the Mauritians!), and indicated their eagerness in inviting Singapore groups to perform in Mauritius again. Prior to NUSCD, the NUS Chinese Orchestra had previously performed in Mauritius. The dinner ended with group singing of familiar Chinese songs.



A most touching and memorable official ending of our performance trip....



11th September 2009

by Ong Yeelian & Ng Hong Leong

Friday. The last day. We had our usual fare of omelettes and crepes for breakfast. As we savoured our last breakfast at Casa Florida, we inked our appreciation for the delicious food down on the chef’s guestbook and left our only traces behind.

We packed our luggages onto the van and set off for the central town of Mauritius. We alighted at Chinatown and started on our mission for this morning. Souvenirs! T-shirts that feature the iconic beaches and Dodo birds (now extinct) of Mauritius, tubes that carry the seven-coloured sands, fridge magnets that depict the map of Mauritius, banana chips that taste saltish unlike our usual caramel-coated banana chips, straw bags with pictures of Dodo birds weaved in, etc. By 3 pm, we were all loaded with souvenirs for both ourselves, and our family and friends.

Mon Choisy was our next stop. It means “My Choice”. It is the longest public beach in Mauritius. This amazing stretch of sand of approximately 1 km is great for windsurfing, water-skiing and parasailing, given its expanse of wide blue sea. It is a favourite spot for locals during weekends, especially Sundays. We spent a wondrous time in the chilling waters. The photographs we took here were some of the most alluring in the entire trip. Set against the sunset, we took pictures of our silhouettes in dance poses and acrobatic stunts.





Sadly we were really hard up for time and had to leave this beautiful beach after spending only a couple of hours there. We made our way to Ah Fen’s place where his parents had kindly let us use to shower and pack our luggage. The living room was littered with probably 2 dozens of luggage bags. Ah Fen’s family were extremely hospitable, serving us with hot soup and coconut drink and giving us the famous local chilli and dessert sweets to bring home. It was a hectic hour and we had to load our luggage onto the van again. Ah Fen bade farewell to his parents here.

We made our way to Port Louis. The organiser had made a reservation for us at Pizza Hut. Whilst having dinner, we couldn’t stop admiring the awesome pictures we had taken earlier on at the beaches. With the end of our last dinner in Mauritius, we made our third and last debut of the infamous “大四排” right at the port and made the diners there our audience. It was spontaneous and hilarious and an extraordinary way of marking our memory of the dances and the different places of Mauritius.

Airport. The last place we want to be at. For most if not all of us, the trip had been one of the most fulfilling ones as a dancer and as a traveller. Hey Mauritius, au revoir et à bientôt!



经过这次的旅途，华族舞蹈员可以了解到自己有新的使

命，将自己在练功房学到的华族舞精髓，发扬光大，带

到世界各地。因为在那地球的另一角，蔚蓝的太平洋中

央，有一个漂亮的小岛，珍惜着、爱护着我们。



— La Fin —

Documents

NUSCD Mauritius Report