Besides humming and singing along to the National Day Parade (NDP) 2016 theme song Tomorrow's Here Today, Singaporeans can also look forward to getting fit while listening to the tune.
As part of GetActive! Singapore's aim to inspire the national spirit through sport, the GetActive! Singapore Workout is designed to this year's NDP theme song.
This is the first time a workout has been created for a NDP theme song and it was conceptualised by choreographer Sharifa Norliza, along with five other ActiveSG dance instructors.
Sharifa, the ActiveSG programmes senior manager, said "When we first heard the song, it was very catchy and it was quite fast at 128 beats per minute - the perfect rhythm for a workout and that was purely coincidental.
"The lyrics of the song are very apt and very symbolic so in line with GetActive! Singapore, our inspiration for the workout was all the sports movements. We included signature sport moves like the freestyle swimming arm action and bouncing the basketball three times and shooting."
The 46-year-old added: "If we were to come up with a complicated dance routine and tell people to do a sidestep or a grapevine, they wouldn't understand it.
"But if you tell them to do a swimming motion or the action of dribbling a basketball, they would immediately know what to do because it's already in their head."
The unique workout has attracted many Singaporeans from all walks of life to groove along. It is being introduced to more than 100 schools (from pre-schools up to tertiary institutions) to complement their learning of the song during their assembly. More than 100 organisations have also signed up their employees to learn the workout during the week-long sporting bash GetActive! Singapore, which started yesterday.
The workout has also been taught to the NDP performers backstage during the NDP previews during their waiting times.
Sharifa said: "Even though the workout is not part of the NDP, it's good to still have it instilled in the performers who go out there and energise the crowd.
"They're always so peppy and cheery - hyping everyone up. By teaching them the workout, we hope it gives them all the energy to have fun in the NDP."
Yogaraj Panditurai
•To learn the GetActive! Singapore workout, visit bit.ly/2a9cij9
You can do it at Singapore's 51st Birthday Bash Fitness Party Boogie on Aug 7 at Gardens by the Bay. For details, visit GetActive.sg
