SMU arts clubs triumph at local and regional competitions
Two SMU arts clubs hogged the spotlight for all the right reasons over a recent July weekend.
SMU Caderas Latinas clinched two top awards in India, while songbirds SMU VOIX were proclaimed best national group at A Cappella Championships, held in Singapore.
At the India International Dance Congress (IIDC), held from 4-7 July in Bangalore, India, SMU Caderas Latinas’ senior team competed against five others to claim the Team Championship trophy. In addition, junior pair comprising Club President Bryan Khng from the School of Information Systems (SIS) and Vu Le Ngoc Tram from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB), both second year undergrads, emerged second best out of 10 couples and brought home the 1st Runners-up title in the Salsa Semi-Professional category.
The group was all smiles after their spectacular dance routines as their deserved performances received enthusiastic applause and cheers all around. They were ecstatic too to compete with the best in their category, as well as for esteemed judges, some of whom were respected salsa dance legends.
Said Year 2 LKCSB student Nicole Lim, who was part of the winning senior team: “We were anxious, but excited to showcase the piece we had trained so hard for. As soon as we ended our performance, we heard cheers not just our team-mates, but from fellow competitors and other respected dancers as well. At that point, we knew we had put up a performance worthy of a win, and one that we would be proud off!”
The wins mark SMU Caderas Latinas’ second time competing at IIDC. In 2017, they won the Team Championship 1st Runners-up award.
IIDC is Asia’s largest Latin dance event and comprised a four-day festival of workshops, boot-camps, performances, as well as the Asian-Open Championships with teams as far away as USA, Italy, China and India competing in 29 categories.
Back in Singapore, SMU VOIX was proclaimed Open Category champions at this year’s A Cappella Championships (AcaChamps) – their third consecutive win at the competition. AcaChamps was held on 6 July and saw teams from Singapore, China, Indonesia and Philippines compete across eight categories.
Despite initial raw nerves, SMU’s songbirds managed to calm themselves and sang their hearts out against eight other local teams from National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Institute of Technology, and several semi-professional groups.
Said Year 2 LKCSB student and SMU VOIX president Tseng Wen Yu: “Many of us had not taken part in such a large-scale competition before. But we saw it as our chance to entertain the audience rather than being judged so we were able to have fun on stage and express ourselves more easily.”
Their tactic paid off. SMU VOIX’s snazzy vocal medley, accompanied by nifty footwork, trumped their competitors’ repertoires and they easily won the judges’ votes as best among local groups in the Open Category.
The team also achieved their highest score at this competition instalment, compared to their past years’ wins. SMU VOIX performed for a panel of judges which included singers from award-winning Taiwanese A Cappella group, Voco Novo.
[Featured Photo: SMU Caderas Latinas – The CCA club's senior team wins 1st in the Team Championship Category]