"Higher arms, but don't retract them all at the same time!" instructor Mr Peter Gn reminds the students during practices.

Letting the rhythm lead

For many of the Serangoon JC dancers, this piece marks another notch in their repertoire of dance styles. The dance movements rely on visual cues, rather than being "scripted" with a fixed step for a particular beat.

Recalls JC1 student Ong Li Ling, "Initially, I wasn't very flexible, being used to having fixed steps. Here you follow the style and mood of the music. But I'm really starting to get the hang of it now." Understanding the younger dancers' difficulties, NUS student Tan Kia Min says, "Showing emotions through dance can be hard to convey. Being able to practise teaching it to the younger dancers is really a rare opportunity for us."

In particular, Kia Min and fellow NUS dancer Low Mei Jun Michelle are experienced dancers who can be counted on to guide the rest. Mr Gn notes, "I see value in the collaboration between NUS and Serangoon JC because the involvement of more skilled students can be motivating for the rest to pursue dance or to reach the same level of expertise." JC1 student Samantha Yeo agrees. "Their passion for dance is evident and seeing it is good encouragement for us."

Wraith is an organic dance item which relies on characterisation and portraying emotions through using the body.

Samantha has picked up many different pointers from the older dancers, such as achieving the correct placement of the hands, the right angle for raising her legs as well as appropriate facial expressions. "They have a lot more experience from performing in public so the way they carry and express themselves on stage offers us something to learn from," she adds.

Raising the bar

Dance movements and stage presence are not the only tips that the younger dancers have learned. Indicating the bangle on her arm, Kia Min says, "I'm able to share my past experience with the other dancers, such as how to get around such 'hazards' by attaching elastic to the inside of the bangle."

During a rehearsal, as the two separate groups dancing different pieces converge, Mr Gn booms from the background, "No, girls, that's too F1! You're still too fast!" But that doesn't daunt any of the dancers. As Samantha explains, "It was challenging and it took a while, but Kia Min and Michelle were really helpful with helping us to do counts together and coordinate."

The NUS and Serangoon JC student dancers are set to showcase what they've learnt from one another.

Michelle adds, "Since we come from different schools and dance backgrounds, the steps we do are slightly different from one another. We worked together to adjust the degree of our movements so that we look similar."

Samantha offers a parting shot. "When the music and the dance fuse, some people may see it as a traditional Malay dance, others may see it as a contemporary dance. No matter how differently they may interpret it, the important thing is - I hope they enjoy it as much as we do!"

Drop by Raffles City Shopping Centre at 4 p.m. on Sunday, 15 August 2010 to catch the NUS-Serangoon JC dance performance of Wraith!