Paper. An inherently Asian material takes on a new dimension through the Japanese art form of origami.

An Asian City is a complex network of iconic buildings which gives urban Asia and its dwellers their unique identity. Through origami, take a look at how the folds of paper turn into the building blocks of the city and transform structures into symbols. Origami hobbyist Leong Cheng Chit created this project as a salute to modern Asia with a tribute to the past. As you take a walk-through this paper city, feel free to add a part of yourself to this ever evolving structure.

Close your eyes and stand in the heart of a city. What do you hear? Surround Sound City transports you, visually and aurally, to different Asian cities, capturing the sounds synonymous to a bustling, growing metropolis…

Screeching tires and honking traffic. The relentless pounding of a construction site. Disco music over the patter of rain …and also the sounds that makes the city so uniquely Asian.

The low murmurs of the faithful chanting prayers. A bird singing in the early dawn. The cries of street hawkers.

Experience a unique soundscape created using the sounds of various Asian cities, a reflection of our own audio journeys as an urban dweller and a citizen of Asia.

Celebrate the opening of NUS Arts Festival the Japanese way!

Join TENKO, a Japanese taiko drum ensemble as they drum up the heat to this youthful arts festival. Presenting the traditional Japanese art form of taiko drumming, this performance promises to be a dynamic showcase high in energy. Performed using taiko drums and traditional Japanese instruments, each piece showcases its unique rhythm, tempo, style and flow to create the celebrative mood.

TENKO is a Japanese taiko drum group in Singapore, which started as a family taiko group and has since grown to include members of different nationality and races, all connected by the passion for taiko.

Dance is prevalent in traditional cultures and tribes the world over: from an Irish Slip Jig to a Maori Haka the ubiquity and variety of dance is evident. While expression may have a literary brain, its heart is clearly in movement. So why is it then that the modern urban tribe is so divorced from its dynamic heritage? Why has dance been banished to the occasional stage and club under cover of darkness? What is the root cause of this cultural rift?

This visual essay explores the internal challenges we all face between conformity and individuality, between denial and acceptance, between repression and expression. Through the metaphor of dance, Matthew illustrates the journey of an artist from a life proscribed to a life chosen.

Matthew is a British photographer who lives in Singapore. At the core of his images is the fascination with people and how they interact with their environment. Over the last three years he has been collaborating with a number of Asian dancers, actors and musicians to create a breadth of unique images at a tangent to the art forms from which they derive. Recent collaborations include those with T.H.E Dance Company, W!ld Rice, and TAO Dance Theatre.

The ITE Show Choir will electrify you with their infectious repertoire and invite you to sing and dance along! Performing renditions of popular classics, big band swing numbers, songs from TV series Glee and familiar Asian tunes, the show choir is all about perfecting the challenging combination of singing and dancing. Get ready to be swept off your feet by the youthful and heartfelt energy of the performers!

Formed in 2009, the ITE Show Choir has grown to become one of the leading and most sought-after show choirs in Singapore. Led by vocal instructor Irene Jansen, they were prominently featured in the Ricola Show Choir Challenge 2010 advertisement, and also performed at the Singapore Idol Finals 2009, Suria’s Muzika Ekstravaganza 2011, Suria’s Simfoni Lebaran 2011 as well as many outreach platforms at the Esplanade Concourse.

Trained from age four by renowned masters in classical piano, Japanese shakuhachi and Hindustani classical vocal music and tabla, also Javanese gamelan and Korean music, T M Hoffman is an Honors graduate in music and humanities of four universities in USA, Japan and India. He has spent past 39 years in Asia, 19 years lecturing in ethnomusicology at Musashino Music Academy and Keio University while researching musico-linguistics, music therapy, etc. He performs Indian and Japanese vocal and instrumental music in major venues, festivals, nationwide TV and radio throughout South Asia, Japan, USA. His most compelling work has been to pioneer the use of Japanese instruments shakuhachi and koto and poetry in Indian music. Through this, he promotes intra-Asian exchanges through cooperative projects with respected artists and scholars throughout Asia and the world. Discover the pure synthesis between Indian ragas and Japanese music at his workshop-lecture and performance.

With over 40 years of outreach experience targeted at youths between the ages of 12 and 35, the People's Association Youth Movement (PAYM) is a leading youth organisation that is led by the youths for the youths and the community.

Don’t miss our youths from Cacophony.SG, Hopstacles and PAYM All Stars Team who will present great songs and dance numbers for a delightful evening.

A dynamic treat for all! From classics to contemporary street dance, catch four of NUS Student’s Cultural Activities Club dance clubs - Lindy Hop, Social & Ballroom, Salsa, and BreakiNUS - at this performance.

Wild yet sophisticated; frenzied yet controlled, the campus’ American classic Lindy Hop meets the hot and sizzling Salsa which originated from Cuba. Sensual and elegant versus energetic and funky, Viva Latinus and BreakiNUS, plan to awe their audiences with the breathtaking smooth moves of ballroom and social dance versus the gravity defying moves of Bboying and Bgirling.

The FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp Taster is a quick introduction to the world of electronic music & DJ-ing. Limited to 20 female students, this unique workshop is a mini version of the annual FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp designed to give participants a taste of the annual Bootcamp, and to share the basics of DJ-ing.

Founded in 2008 by female DJs Debbie Chia, Cherry Chan and Natalie Tan (aka Pixiedub), the Bootcamp aims to educate women about electronic music and DJ-ing, in an environment that is safe, nurturing and empowering, with an intent to raise a community of Singaporean Female DJs.

This taster programme has been specially subsidized for the NUS Arts Festival. Students should note that this programme will by no means turn you into a superstar DJ overnight.