The Story of WushuDance

WushuDance... something that is now so linked to the both KE7 DanzDemonz and KE7 Wushu. Inspired by Wushu and Dance, this fusion seems to be gaining popularity in NUS and perhaps even outside. Its story is as follows...

It all began in early 2003 when the KE7 Dance Head, Fen, together with KE7 Wushu Captain Eric and Felix, suddenly had this crazy idea of injecting Wushu elements into a dance item. Hence Fen, Yifan (the Dance God at that time) and I (a freshman at that time) choreographed the first ever WushuDance which was performed during the last FHD of that academic year. Based on the idea of a battle between both the wushu and dance groups, WushuDance 1 was titled as the Night Fight. It was a simple dance actually, with some basic Wushu sets, Hip Hop elements, and the only props being the chinese fans. We also had very few dancers and Wushu athletes then, but the audience simply loved it. WushuDance 1 was used subsequently in other events including the more prominent KE7 Wushu Display held at Far East in 2004.

Gaining much popularity and publicity, Fen went on to choreograph WushuDance 2 in mid 2004. With an experienced cast of seniors including Jonathan Tan the Gymnast, Wai Keng the Ice Skater, Hui Ling the Theatre and Drama Teacher, and Wei Jye the Sportsman, Wushudance 2 was mastered within 2 weeks and was performed for KE7 Block Day and the Dance Synergy concert.
This time round, traditional dance pants were used to make us look like samurai warriors, and our new props were large square-shaped cloths which had weights sown on one of their ends in order to enhance cloth-spinning movements. With a more vibrant mixture of music, the use of graceful Chinese Dance moves together with extremely slow Taichi moves, and the usual Hip Hop elements, WushuDance got even more popular. Just like its first installment, WushuDance 2 was reused for many functions too. And just like its title, WushuDance 2 was really a Taste of Things to Come.

Just when all of us thought it would stop at 2, Fen went on to choreograph WushuDance 3 in 2006! The costumes are revised to look even more colourful now. With more powerful dancers this time such as Sharon Lynn and Peter, WushuDance 3 was rewarded with an even greater success. Unlike the previous two WushuDances which used Jay Chow songs, WushuDance 3 used the song Evolution by Ayumi Hamasaki, which was also why it was titled Evolution. The number of dancers increased to 18! Twice that used in WushuDance 1! First performed in KE7 90th Anniversary Dinner and Dance Uncensored '06, the dance encompasses massive formation changes and a great amount of solo performances. It was indeed an evolution for WushuDance.

WushuDance 4 - In Unity Lies Strength, was a totally refreshing change as it was a combined performance between both Wushu and Dance groups instead of a dance-based one. The previous three WushuDances were heavily based on Hip Hop sets, however WushuDance 4 totally did not have any Hip Hop elements at all. Choreographed by the two love-birds Jeremy and Sharon who were the Wushu and Dance heads at that time respectively, together with an experienced bunch of seniors like Hui Zhi and Michelle, WushuDance 4 actively tells a story of a peaceful village being ravaged by bandits, bringing in not just Dance and Wushu elements, but also some theatre elements.

Unlike before, both culture groups now have many skilled performers who pushed WushuDance 4 to even greater heights! This includes senior Wushu atheletes like Yuan Yan, Han Wei, Fu Shan, Wu Hong and Yen Ling. Also from the incoming batch of freshman, some worhty mentions include seasoned Wushu exponents like Zheng Hao, Irene and Kan Foong, together with experienced dancers like Colin, Geraldine, Huey Shin and Ye Dan. This 15 minute performance definitely made a long lasting impression on the audience during its first appearance in ICN '06! After 2 more external performances, WushuDance 4 was later modified to a shorter version for Dance Uncensored '07 so as to bring out the best in both Wushu and Dance.

And it did not stop there! WushuDance 5 tells the story of a courageous female warrior fighting through the seasons, until she is killed in autumn as the leaves start to fall from the trees. This is also the first time that all the dancers are female. Choreographed by Fen and Sharon Lynn, WushuDance 5 mixes traditional Chinese Dance elements with Wushu swordplay, creating an artistic version of sword fighting with leaves swirling all around. As a result, it was titled Gone with the Wind. Special mentions go out to Ye Dan and Huey Shin who performed a key sword duel in the dance. Other new performers who picked up the sword for the dance included Wan Ling, Emily and Shan Yu. Some say that WushuDance 5 was one of the most artistic WushuDances with perhaps the most touching storyline. WushuDance 5 was performed at the IHG '08 Closing Ceremony and at Dance Uncensored '08.

WushuDance 6 - Like Mountains Like Rivers, uses the metaphor of mountains and rivers to paint the idea of how a person with the right spirit should stand firm like a mountain in his or her beliefs, while also being flexible enough to adapt to circumstances like a river flowing along the banks. When mountains and rivers are seen together, Nature's beautiful spectacle is revealed, just like the beauty of the person’s spirit shines through. Featuring the use of Chinese fans to signify the flow of rivers, and Wushu cudgels to imply the tough stances of mountains, WushuDance 6 was another artistic piece choreographed by Jeremy and Sharon Lynn. Special mentions go to seasoned Wushu performer Kan Foong for his stunts during the dance. Some new guy dancers who also possessed basic Wushu training included Wen Hao and Sunlin. WushuDance 6 was performed at Dance Uncensored '09 and it continued to maintain the standard of WushuDances so far.

Meanwhile, Rhythm 'N' Moves also did a WushuDance performance at the President Star Charity '09 of which some KE7 people were involved in. This includes Fen, Jeremy, Sharon, Sen Foong and myself. Special thanks to the main coordinator and choreographer Derek who made all these possible. Titled as Fearless, this performance is just bursting with energy from all the Hip Hop and Wushu moves.

Will KE7 be able to come out with the next WushuDance 7? Or will this be the end? Stay tuned to find out.