Being a member of a CFA Arts Excellence group means developing under the tutelage of an industry professional, bonding with peers from across the University and taking on challenging creative concepts. In recent years, however, each of CFA’s 21 groups have stepped beyond their own production schedule to incorporate external community projects into their programming.

Having won the Outstanding Community Arts Award at the Tan Ean Kiam Arts Awards for the second time in 2019, we spoke with Ze Xuan, Vice-President of NUS Dance Synergy, about their ongoing Project Youtherly.

Explain Project Youtherly. What is it and why did Synergy develop this project?

Project Youtherly (‘Youth’ + ‘Elderly’) is a long-running community engagement project that NUS Dance Synergy developed to engage the senior community through contemporary dance as part of our Corporate Social Integration (CSI) initiative. Through various dance workshops and events held for the elderly, we aim to promote a sustainable and active lifestyle for older people and to provide a platform for intergenerational bonding.

Through the use of simple, everyday movements infused with various elements of contemporary dance, our goal is to share the idea of dance as an inclusive activity for people of all ages.

Project Youtherly (and CSI as a whole) started from the awareness that dance can act as a platform for greater bonding both within Synergy and between our group and other communities. Our seniors and alumni recognised the significance and potential benefits of dance for the elderly, from its physical and health benefits, to the cognitive stimulation and mindfulness that results from the physical expression of one’s thoughts and emotions. This opportunity to spread the joy and benefits of contemporary dance to others, to provide companionship for the elderly, and to nurture socially conscious and compassionate dancers, drove Synergy to create Project Youtherly.

Many CFA groups have made charitable and socially-oriented initiatives a part of their annual programme. Why do you think this is?

Over the years there has been an increasing recognition of ourselves as groups nestled in the community that have the potential to effect social change. As performers and members of our respective arts groups, we are privileged to have the opportunity to develop our expertise while doing what we love while also being able to help a group of people within our community. This awareness, therefore, comes with the desire and sense of responsibility to become more integrated into the community around us, and to use our knowledge, skills and passion to address needs within the community in which we operate.

Integrating such community outreach and engagement initiatives into a group’s core activities, and aligning them with the group’s mission, vision and values thus highlights our commitment to give back to the community in our own respective ways.

What does Synergy get out of the initiative? Has it impacted your performances/training/studies?

The community outreach and engagement programmes that Synergy carries out are just as much for the dancers as they are for our beneficiaries. These initiatives provide an opportunity for our members to gain an understanding of the issues and needs of the communities around us, especially for those who may not have had the chance to interact with individuals from different walks of life. Through member involvement (be it participating or planning these activities), we hope to nurture our members into becoming self-reflective dancers who are socially engaged and well-equipped with soft skills to help them in their future endeavours.

Performance and training-wise, our interactions with the elderly have also enhanced our approach to dance. For instance, having to break down the dance movements using simple language forces our dancers to be familiar with the essence of the movements and techniques. This also encourages members to learn how our technical skills and dance vocabulary can be applied in different contexts and perspectives, therefore allowing them to gain a greater appreciation of the various ways dance can be taught, learnt and expressed.

Who benefits more: the dancers or the people you work with?

That’s hard to say! Can I say both?!

It’s difficult to quantify the impact that our projects have on our dancers and the community because there are different objectives that we hope to achieve for both. So far we’ve been receiving good feedback from our partners regarding the activities that we’ve held, with many of them enjoying the interactions with our dancers and the refreshing change of activities from what they usually do on a day-to-day basis.

On the other hand, these community engagement activities primarily help our members gain a better understanding and mindfulness of their own bodies and movements as well. For example, having to break down and teach concepts such as spatial and body awareness to the elderly has helped us reflect on the awareness of our own movements when we dance. Additionally, dancers appreciate the opportunity to interact with others beyond their usual social circle and to learn about the challenges faced in trying to bring dance to the community. This also provides them with a different avenue to express themselves and interact with one another beyond our usual artistic platforms or training.

Is there a link between creativity and charity? Creativity and communication?

Yes, definitely! A lot of brainstorming and ideation goes behind the community outreach and engagement activities we carry out. The various challenges that we face, such as budget and manpower constraints, as well as the numerous considerations we have to take into account when working with our beneficiaries, means that we are constantly trying to find new ways to overcome these challenges and improve on our existing programmes.

Some thinking-out-of-the-box is also required in our communication with our beneficiaries. Language barriers, for example, are important considerations when devising our workshop activities, especially when we consider the profile of the seniors we are working with. We’ve just had to keep experimenting and trying different methods of communicating with the seniors to find the best way to overcome these barriers, such as using simple language, repeating instructions, and simply using our physical bodies and movements to convey our messages (which in itself is the essence of dance)!

What’s next for Synergy’s community work? Will you expand Project Youtherly or work with a different community?

We’re definitely going to continue building on our long-term partnership with Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre while trying to expand our outreach under Project Youtherly. We also hope to develop a second iteration of the Intergenerational Learning Programme we held in partnership with Family Central last June.

Beyond that, we’re looking into working with persons with disabilities, and integrating such community engagement activities into our artistic platforms like our internal showcase or performances. Do keep a lookout on our social media platforms to find out more about our upcoming community outreach and engagement events!