SPECTATORS at this year's National Day Parade (NDP) will be a full 20m closer to the action - close enough, in fact, to see even the expressions of performers on-stage.

Performers, too, will be able to witness the excitement of the audience and feed off it, said Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Tay, NDP's chairman for infrastructure and decorations.

Organisers of the 44th parade, themed 'Come Together, Reaching Out, Reaching Up', decided to move the stage in order to give spectators a 'clearer and panoramic view of the action'.

The stage itself is being extended over the water body between land and the Floating Platform on Marina Bay, and is flanked by two 26m-high performing grids - an NDP first.

While more than 4,000 participants perform their song-and-dance routines on the two-tiered stage, 112 performers will be shimmying in specially constructed cubes that stack up as high as a six-storey HDB block.

They have about 15 minutes to take up positions on the performing grids between show segments.

This year's stage designer, Mr Randy Tan, said the more elaborate stage, with its seven entry points, will allow for 'quicker, more dramatic and eye-catching entry of performers'.

Its construction began in late April and currently, about 50 builders are working feverishly to get the bayside stage ready for the first combined rehearsals later this month.

The entire stage is made up of 700 tonnes of steel, plywood and hardwood.