ASEAN PARA GAMES OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES 1 ASEAN PARA GAMES Opening Ceremony 3 December 2015, Singapore Indoor Stadium Closing Ceremony 9 December 2015, Marina Bay Sand 2 OVERVIEW The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 8th ASEAN Para Games was directed by the award-winning Creative Director Philip Tan (Philbeat), who led a core creative team of 75 mem- bers. The ceremonies’ carried a bold central message, which is the celebration of human beings’ physical and mental abilities. This is a radical departure from the tone of charity that had hith- erto dominated the disability discourse in Singapore and the re- gion. Philip embedded colleagues with disability into all stages of production. A complex environment of teaching and learning was built into the 2-year production process. Associate Directors worked with other individuals and teams, which included profes- sionals, schools (comprising special education schools, secon- dary and tertiary institutions) and volunteers. 3 IMPACT The Ceremonies generated positive impact to its audiences, par- ticipants, partner institutions, and creative team members. Singa- pore’s Prime Minister called it ‘spectacular’. Together with the suc- cessful run of the Games (‘best ever’ — The New Paper 2015), they are paving the way for a paradigm shift in the disability dis- course in Singapore and the region. Firsts for the Ceremonies include: being beamed live to 3 countries and Youtube to 600 mil- lion in the region and beyond, with live interpretation and live cap- tioning. For a partnering school, the process was ‘exceptional’, letting ‘the status of our students with disabilities soar to great heights in an international platform’ (Metta School). For the Singa- pore Association for the Deaf, the Ceremonies marked ‘a giant step towards an inclusive Singaporean society’, and the Creative Team were ‘most open-minded, and thoughtful to our inputs’. Out- puts generated include programme booklets (also in Braille) which are distributed to school libraries. Films that we commis- sioned subsequently competed at the Annecy, Ottawa and Bucheon International Animated Film Festivals, which are in 4 France, Canada and Korea. The arts industry is normalising conven- tions that the Ceremonies pioneered, including incorporating sign lan- guage as performative elements. The exceptional quality of the Ceremo- nies made cultural workers and educators reassess the possibilities of ‘community art’. Feedback from students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic who made short films for the ceremonies, for instance, was highly posi- tive. Not only have they found being ‘thrown into the deep end of the pool’ allowed them to ‘learn organisational skills’ and become ‘much more confident with the new cameras’, the experience had allowed them to ‘see disability differently’, and they were ‘especially honoured to ‘make history’. With their involvement in the Games as their thesis project, the four students successfully graduated with a diploma in Info- Comm Technology. 5 5 HIGHLIGHTS The Opening and Closing Ceremonies (OCC) of 3a. Inclusive: anchored and inspired by persons the 8th ASEAN Para Games (APG), Celebrate with disability the Extraordinary, is an exuberant celebration of We are resolutely inclusive. The show is en-abled the mental and physical strengths of people of all by industry professionals, students and volun- abilities. teers with a wide range of abilities and talents 1. SG50 Celebrations Finale who work together to create something surpris- ing and sublime. Every single item in the Open- The Opening and Closing shows are a spectacu- ing Ceremony has been anchored and inspired lar finale of our year-long SG50 celebrations. We by an athlete, performer or creative team mem- are extremely fortunate to collaborate with stu- ber with disability. The Creative Team is also very dents from fifteen Special Schools, as well as the fortunate to have people with disability to join the community. core team. They are the people who help us to grasp, expand and spread the true meaning of the ASEAN Para Games. 2a. Sports + arts: ceremony and performance For the first time in the ASEAN Para Games Opening Ceremony history, formal aspects of the official ceremony – from oath-taking to torch relay 3b. Inclusive: barrier-free – was meticulously woven within the narrative of the performance. For the first time in Singapore broadcasting, we have ‘live’ sign language interpretation and live captioning. We have worked in close consulta- 2b. Sports + arts: sports stars as performers tion with the Singapore Association for the Deaf. Mr Neo Hock Sik, Senior Manager of the Deaf Ac- Our national sporting heroes past and present, cess Services states that if this come true, ‘it will such as Raja Singh (Wheelchair Racing), Aishah be overwhelming for the deaf and hard of hear- Samad (Shooting), Theresa Goh (Swimming), ing. Please do not forget that 3% to 5% of Singa- Khirmern Mohamad (Athletics, pictured) and poreans have hearing problems’. Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu (Swimming) were trans- formed into characters as part of the perform- ance. 6 4. Interactive + immersive: get Hands On! 5a. Cultivating a legacy: developing new talents Each part, or ‘movement’ of the shows is interac- This show is also about discovering and nurtur- tive and immersive. Spectacular video projec- ing emerging talents. Hence, apart from house- tions illuminate and transform the entire Singa- hold names in the core Creative Team (such as pore Indoor Stadium (Opening Ceremony) and Venice Film Festival alumni filmmaker Bertrand Marina Bay Sands (Closing Ceremony). Many of Lee), we are working with tomorrow’s stars (such these video projections are created from art- as Associate Visual Director Timothy Chan, born works made by students from the Association for 1990). People with Special Needs, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore and other Schools. 7 5b. Cultivating a legacy: within Singapore, and beyond Through the show, we want to enhance our understanding of (dis)ability and difference. Let’s shift perspectives and be a catalyst for change in the disability discourse in Singapore and the region. This show is our effort to encourage our ASEAN partners to understand, learn, appreci- ate and to have a renewed respect for people with disability. We want this show to be a game-changer with its bold central message, innova- tive aesthetic approach and inclusive working process. Celebrate the Extraordinary is a jubilant celebration of, by and for people of all abili- ties, from all walks of life. This is the perfect metaphor for the inclusive community, society, country, region and world that we dream for! 8 Artwork by Associate PERFORMERS & VOLUNTEERS: STORIES AND QUOTES Visual Director Kleopatra Korai for the first movement Athlete Choo Poh Choon, Basketball Player, Wheelchair dancer ‘I have always wanted to represent Singapore in a major sporting event from a tender age. Now, I’m actually living THE dream by participating in the 8th ASEAN Para Games Singapore 2015! Wheelchair basketball helps me work as a team with people of different types of disabilities and most importantly, unique abilities!’ 9 Volunteer Michael Lee, 57, Motivator Lily Goh, Extraordinary Horizons http://www.eohorizons.com ‘Here, hearty old ties are renewed and warm new ‘While the APG does not feature any games for friendships forged. Sports pulls individuals the Deaf, we are so glad to be part of the per- closely together regardless of race, language or forming showcase. We welcome this gesture of religion! I admire the athletes’ indomitable spirit inclusivity and display of support to the communi- as it soars to even greater heights through the ties with special needs. For the first time, we are Games. Let the human spirit triumph!’ involved with the choreography of different move- ments in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It is important to have an awareness and under- standing of different disabilities, especially when mainstream communities may have their conser- Performers vative views. We hope to have continuous sup- port from them, as well as Singapore govern- ment.’ Patricia Gerardine Tomnob Merilo, 18, Redeafina- Registered in 2011, ExtraOrdinary Horizons (EO tion Horizons) is a social enterprise run by Deaf with http://redeafination.com its vision to create an inclusive society where the disadvantaged attain confidence in their own abilities. It aims to promote deaf awareness through sign language courses, workshops, out- ‘I found it very tiring at first, as the dance is reach programs, tuition services, interpretation rather long and there were a lot of new steps to services and performances. EO Horizons also learn. But we persevered and kept on practising aims to help Deaf better integrate into main- over and over, until our steps were right. Now, we stream society and to be accepted for who can remember them very well! I just wish to say they are. Revenue from courses, programs and that people with disabilities have hidden abilities performances are used to sustain this social en- and talents too, and this is what this whole event terprise and fund the employment of deaf is all about: making sure that those talents will staff. The employment of the disadvantaged help come to light. All the dreams you have can come them to gain self-confidence to overcome life true. Never underestimate yourself.’ challenges through their attained skills and knowl- edge to become contributing members of the so- ciety. 10 Luo Mang, 15, Eden School Warren Cheh Zheng Wei, 14, Grace Orchard School ‘I like to dance. I’m very happy to be able to dance for the 8th ASEAN Para Games.’ ‘I have never performed in front of so many peo- ple in such a big place. It was challenging to learn new things but I never gave up because I Lou Mang has moderate autism but that does saw myself improving and I wanted to keep on not stop her from pursuing her passion and tal- improving.’ ent in dancing.