PUBLISHED August 5th, 2013 05:01 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 02:17 pm
Let’s be honest here. After a couple of cocktails we are all prone to overestimating our dancing abilities..I’d be wise to remember that next time I’m scrambling up on to a podium when the opening notes of All The Single Ladies, Beyonce ring out. If I could learn the entire routine and do it in 6inch stilettos (leotard optional!), I would actually consider that a listable skill on a CV…”are you well-learned in Java?”, “Errr, no sir, but I can dip like Beyonce …Now put your hands up. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh”
Anyhoo, I digress, whilst most of us reserve our dancing for over-zealous saturday nights, family weddings, or spritely moments in front of the mirror when nobody is watching…We Will Dance, a 10-hour fundraising dance marathon invites you shake what your momma gave you, get all hot, sweaty, breathless and silly for an excellent cause.
Starting at midday and going all the way through until 10 pm, participants will dance the day away to help raise money for charities of their choice. Each hour, professional dance instructors will lead the stage, guiding participants through a variety of dance moves, with the themes changing each hour, from Zumba to Hip Hop to Street Jazz to K-POP and more! Over here at City Nomads, we’re really looking forward to what promises to be an awesome afternoon and we wanted to know a bit more about how it came about.. we had a few words with the organisers, Mikail Lo and Kia Jie Hui, Project Directors of We Will Dance to find out more:
Why did you decide to do this?
The genesis of the event was when a group of USP alumni came together, wanting to give back to the programme. The scope of the event eventually broadened beyond the USP community because having entered the workforce, we see the potential of an event like this having a widespread influence among young working adults.
We Will Dance is about getting Singaporeans to step out of their daily routines and doing something extraordinary for a cause they are passionate about. 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.
Where did you get the idea from?
We were brainstorming for innovative, exciting and FUN fundraising activities that diverge from the ‘pull-at-your-heartstrings’ campaigns which are the norm in Singapore. Aseem Thakur, co-founder of GIVEAsia.org, our Official Giving Site and a fellow USP alumnus, brought up the idea of a fundraising dance marathon, inspired by Penn State University’s dance marathon ‘THON’.
THON was started in 1973 by small group of students raising funds for paediatric cancer. In 2013, THON attracted over 15,000 participants and raised US$12 million. There have been multiple spinoffs of this event all across US universities & colleges, and we felt we could adapt this event to the Singapore context.
Why should people dance?
Challenge yourself, do something fun to raise awareness and funds for a cause you believe in.
We also think joining a dance marathon will be a great way to bond with family and friends.
What can people expect on the day?
Lots of colourful people dancing to different dance styles! We Will Dance is structured such that each hour, dance instructors will lead participants in learning the basics dance moves of different dance styles. The detailed dance line-up is available at We Will Dance.
There will be performances from various bands and dance groups throughout the day. Depending on the category you have signed up for, participants will receive food & drink coupons. Light refreshments (drinks & snacks) will also be on sale, and you can look forward to interesting booth activities from our partners.
The event is open to the public and anyone can come by to join in the fun. If you’re dancing, please do invite your family and friends to come down and support!
Do you have any top tips for the Ten Hour Dance Maniacs?
We talked to Mr Toh Chun Meng, Fitness Director of Physical ABuse, our Official Gym, for some expert tips on how Ten Hour Dance Maniac teams can ‘stay alive’ for the full dance marathon:
- Push on when the going gets tough during the marathon. Belief in yourself that you can do it is half the battle won.
- Ensure that you are well-fed and well-hydrated before the marathon.
- If you are feeling dizzy it is high time you stop.
- HAVE FUN (ok we just added that one, but it makes sense right? !)
If you’re wondering how to get involved, visit their website here
Select either public, student or corporate, your number of dance buddies and which category you want to dance! Then, hit up your friends and family for them to dip into their pockets so that the charity of your choice will benefit from your ten-hour-groove-session.
Join us City Nomads on the day itself!
That’s right, we Nomads will be down there boogying all afternoon. We can have up to 30 people in our team so if you’re keen to get involved in a bit of social, dance madness, just shoot us an email at rsvp@citynomads.com (or join our meetup group here). Joining our group is completely free, but we strongly encourage you to donate generously to our chosen charity, the Cat Welfare Society:
The Cat Welfare Society is a charity that aims to promote a humane, responsible and informed society in Singapore where cats are cared for responsibly as pets and treated with kindness as community cats.
The Society also actively promotes sterilisation as a vital person responsibility of a cat owner and an effective means to control our community cat population, instead of destruction.
For more information about WE Will Dance, visit wewilldance.sg
To donate to the cause, click here . And once again, to get involved with our team, just contact us at rsvp@citynomads.com