Electric youth fired up the stage at the ChildAid concert last Friday and Saturday.
The opening act featured classical musicians and the orchestra playing a high-octane original number by ChildAid artistic director Iskandar
Ismail, coupled with street dancers. They set the tone for the electric-themed musical extravaganza.
The energy in the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Grand Theatre was infectious, with audience members waving neon lightsticks during the acts.
"Yo, MBS, are you ready for some hip-hop?" called out Lineath Rajendran, 19, as he and co-rapper Toh Yi Fan, aka Tzire, 15, took the stage. The audience clearly was, moving the glowing sticks of red, orange, green and blue to the beat.
Rock band Dice, made up of five Korean teens aged 17 to 19 studying in Singapore, also worked the crowd with their head- banging version of the viral hit Gangnam Style, even pausing dramatically during the number to slip on sunglasses. They followed up with a mash-up of Can't Take My Eyes Off You and Justin Bieber's Baby.
Pint-sized solo singer Shalynna Johari, 12, seized her moment in the spotlight, belting out Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You.
The performers appeared in an array of outfits designed by costume designer Moe Kasim.
Visuals by multimedia artist Brian Gothong Tan on the stage's LED panels and colourful lighting by lighting designer Roy Chooi complemented the 16 acts.
President Tony Tan Keng Yam and his wife, Mrs Mary Tan, were the guests of honour at Friday's gala opening night.
On Saturday night, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong joined the action on stage. He played an electric guitar, joining a group of five boys to perform a medley of three songs: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5,
Superstition by Stevie Wonder and Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry.
The show ended with the entire cast of 210 youth appearing on stage, performing a remixed version of the ChildAid theme song, A World To Imagine, as white confetti snowed on them.
The eighth edition of the annual concert raised more than $2 million. Proceeds from the show go to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.
The official venue partner for ChildAid 2012 is Marina Bay Sands and the main sponsors are Citi and HSBC banks.
Life! relives some of the moments from the concert.
