Navya Binoy Valiyakunnel
Vibrant hues of red filled the Dato Ong Kim Kee Hall on February 6, as students trooped in their best Chinese attire to celebrate Chinese New Year. The hall came alive with festive atmosphere as St Andrew’s School welcomed the Year of the Rat. The guests of honour Chairman Stephen Ong, School Board of Governors, Vincent Kong, Vice-chairman, School Board of Governors and Dato Jack Ting, Chairman, SAS Parent Teacher Association, were greeted with cheers and applause from the students as they entered the hall. The celebration began with Principal Tan Lian Lian hitting the gong, followed by the teachers singing as well as wishing the students and staff, ‘A Happy Chinese New Year’ in the different Chinese dialects.
The highlight of the day was the musical performance by Lim Yen on the Guzheng, accompanied by Jaymuel Joseph on his violin (pic above). The audience was held spellbound by the melodious rendition of The Sound of The Falling Snow. The Guzheng, also known as the Chinese Zither, is an ancient Chinese string instrument. Lim Yen of Year 11R, has been playing Guzheng for 10 years under the guidance of maestros from Malaysia, Beijing, and Singapore.
This was followed by a variety of performances from adorable kindergarteners singing and modelling the traditional Chinese attire to the primary and lower secondary students dancing to lilting Chinese music. The Year 11R girls, led by Sulwyn Fong Xue Wen and Wong Pei Zhi, mesmerised everyone when they gracefully danced to the song Qian Zhan. They had independently choreographed the dance, which was a fusion of modern and traditional fan dance. Another graceful fan dance by the Year 10 girls, choreographed by Wee En, enthralled the audience. The upper secondary boys, not to be left behind, performed a modern Chinese dance with gusto. The dance, choreographed by Alvin Chai, had a variety of acrobatic moves.
