{"id":13808,"date":"2026-04-16T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/?p=13808"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:18:26","slug":"alumni-stage-bold-hip-hop-and-art-mash-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2026\/04\/16\/alumni-stage-bold-hip-hop-and-art-mash-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Stage Bold Hip Hop and Art Mash-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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For this dance-and-art showcase at Aliwal Arts Centre, there is no stage \u2014 at least not in the way most audiences expect. Instead, there are moving bodies, shifting light, a custom-built life-sized house animated by projection, and somewhere in between, the audience itself.<\/p>

This is D-SIDE: Building Blocks<\/em>, an experimental hip hop showcase conceived by NUS alumni Ms Sarah Faizah Bte Reduan (Arts & Social Sciences \u201918) and Mr Nurman Zahin Jupri (Engineering \u201920), along with three other NUS alumni, Genevieve Ho (Arts & Social Sciences ’20), Shawn Chang (Design & Environment ’19) and Natalie Sim (Arts & Social Sciences \u201819). Here, the audience drifts in and out of the space at their leisure, at times interacting with the dancers, or casting shadows that become part of the work.<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re not just watching,\u201d Ms Sarah says. \u201cYou\u2019re part of the performance.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The exhibition explores light and shadow as a medium for both dancers and the audience. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The production is a passion project for the husband-and-wife team \u2014 not only an expression of their love for hip hop, but also a way to reconnect with fellow alumni from the NUS D\u2019Hoppers Dance Crew (DDC) across eight generations, while promoting street dance to a wider community.<\/p>

BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE FORMER DANCE CAPTAINS<\/strong><\/p>

That DDC played a significant role in Ms Sarah and Mr Nurman\u2019s lives is clear: it was where they first met and developed as dancers and leaders. She joined the dance crew in 2014 in her first year, hoping to train formally in hip hop. He joined two years later, already drawn to dance since primary school. Both would go on to become captains, shaping the culture and artistic growth of a crew of 70 to 100 members.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cDDC accepted dancers with zero experience,\u201d Ms Sarah recounts her time as a dance captain. \u201cSo we started from basic moves like bounce and rocking.\u201d She shared how DDC typically drilled simple grooves and learnt about rhythm and body control. From there, instructors layered on \u201chip hop vocabulary\u201d, foundational moves that can be applied to choreography or freestyle.<\/p>

\u201cThis was our approach because we had wanted to nurture new dancers,\u201d she says, recalling that sessions ran twice a week for the dance crew in school, but the structure extended beyond practice. Guest instructors introduced different styles, while internal sharings allowed members to teach and experiment. Competitions and performances provided real-world testing grounds for generations of DDC members.<\/p>

\u201cIt was really fun,\u201d Sarah says, \u201cbecause for many of us, it was our first time doing large-scale competitions.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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THE CHOREOGRAPHY OF COMMUNITY\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

What stayed with them, however, was not just the performances.<\/p>

DDC dancers regularly compete in events such as Super 24<\/a>, where performers face all four sides of the audience, as well as in freestyle battles that demand improvisation under pressure. But for Ms Sarah, the defining moments often happened offstage.<\/p>

She remembered a senior alumnus approaching their crew and praising the number of members who had shown up simply to support. \u201cHe said it was very nice to see everyone come together,\u201d she recalls, \u201ceven those not dancing.\u201d<\/p>

That moment stayed with her. Years after graduation, that same spirit continues to draw them back \u2014 as mentors, as audience members, and occasionally as performers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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DDC's alumni performers for DDC's biennial showcase, Ascen(dance!) 2024. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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PARTNERING NEW DISCIPLINES\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

D-SIDE<\/em> grew from that instinct to return, but also to evolve.<\/p>

The idea emerged in 2024 after Ascen(dance!)<\/em>, DDC\u2019s biennial showcase. Rather than recreate a conventional stage production, the alumni set out to rethink how hip hop could be experienced, and how the connection to dance had matured through exposure to other art forms, life experiences and new sources of inspiration.<\/p>

The result is an exhibition-style format that is fluid and immersive, comprised of alumni from DDC. \u201cWe could have done a normal production,\u201d Mr Nurman says. \u201cBut we wanted to challenge ourselves.\u201d<\/p>

Across two hours, six performance pieces unfold in cycles. Audiences encounter different moments depending on when they arrive and where they move. Each piece is developed in collaboration with artists.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The exhibition will feature a life-sized house. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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One segment, choreographed by Mr Nurman, centres on a life-sized house used for projection mapping. The team also worked with Singaporean artists Megan Tan and Tan Shao Xuan, having been inspired by their interactive installation at i Light Singapore<\/em> where a meadow of fiberglass flowers reacts to movement and sound. DJ Chops provides a live soundscape throughout.<\/p>

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of give and take,\u201d Ms Sarah says. \u201cBut in the end, it\u2019s about creating something both our alumni performers and external collaborators are proud of.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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MANY SIDES, ONE STORY<\/strong><\/p>

At its core, D-SIDE<\/em><\/a> is about identity. The title is a play on the \u201cB-side\u201d of a record, the lesser-known track, and points to the different sides of oneself. \u201cIn university, we held on to the identity of students and dancers,\u201d Ms Sarah says. \u201cNow we have careers, new families, different experiences.\u201d<\/p>

The production\u2019s theme, Building Blocks<\/em>, reflects this evolution. Each piece asks its creators to return to their foundations \u2014 to consider what shaped them, and what remains. It is both reflective and forward-looking, an alumni story grounded in shared beginnings, but open to what comes next.<\/p>

Today, the power couple are navigating new rhythms. They are no longer students, but professionals \u2014 Ms Sarah in marketing and Mr Nurman in engineering \u2014 and parents balancing work, family and creative pursuits.<\/p>

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to give up on the things we love just because we started a family,\u201d Ms Sarah shared. \u201cI want dance to always be part of my life.\u201d<\/p>

That participation now takes different forms. For Ms Sarah, it may mean stepping back from performing and trying her hand at creative direction. For Mr Nurman, it is about making time where possible, supported by family. Their infant daughter, meanwhile, has already begun responding to music. \u201cShe\u2019s already bouncing,\u201d Ms Sarah says with a laugh, to a K-pop tune, no less.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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WHAT CONTINUES\u00a0
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If D-SIDE<\/em> feels like a culmination, it is also a beginning. The pair hope it will become a platform others can build on \u2014 an evolving space for alumni to create, collaborate and return to. \u201cWe hope it continues,\u201d Ms Sarah says. \u201cNot necessarily by us, but by others.\u201d<\/p>

In that sense, D-SIDE<\/em> reflects the ethos of DDC itself: a space where individuals arrive with varying degrees of experience, and leave having contributed to something larger than themselves.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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DDC alumni preparing for D-SIDE: Building Blocks<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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D-SIDE: Building Blocks<\/em><\/a> runs at Aliwal Arts Centre from 17 to 19 April 2026. <\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What happens when dancers grow up \u2013 but don\u2019t let go? For Ms Sarah Faizah (Arts & Social Sciences \u201918) and Mr Nurman Zahin (Engineering \u201920), D-SIDE is both an ambitious new production and an expression of identity, community and the many sides of life after NUS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":13831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13808"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13837,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13808\/revisions\/13837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}