It was another step towards stardom for Singapore’s young performers, who showcased their talent at SAFRA Lil’ Stars 2019, an annual competition organised by SAFRA Toa Payoh and supported by the Families for Life Council.
More than 200 children aged between five and 12 years of age competed in the dancing, singing, colouring and drawing events. Eleven-year-old Jyotsnaa Jayashanker, one of the finalists in the solo “Sing” category, was visibly nervous before she performed her number.
“I prepared a jazz number today called Take the ‘A’ Train by Nikki Yanofsky. The choice was inspired by my mum, who is also my trainer,” she said. “I found out about this competition from my mum, who learnt about it on Facebook.”
Parents were also getting stage jitters… for their kids. One was Tom Tan, who was there to cheer his 11-year-old daughter on. “My daughter participated last year. She wanted to try out again this year, so I encouraged her to go for it. But whether she wins or not, it does not matter – I’m just happy to be here to watch and encourage her,” he said.
The contest, in its seventh edition, introduced new visual arts categories for colouring and drawing – a live competition in which kids were put to the test of creating an artwork. In keeping with the newly introduced visual art category, families who attended SAFRA Lil’ Stars also had the opportunity to participate in a community-led art installation as well as colouring art templates that were created by local actor and author Edmund Chen, titled “Our Singapore, Our Home”.
The artwork, commemorating Singapore’s bicentennial celebrations, depicts a slice of its transformation from an island village to a metropolis. It also underlines the integral role of National Service in supporting Singapore’s rapid development, by paying tribute to the contributions of past and present NSmen in safeguarding Singapore’s sovereignty and peace.
Till SAFRA Lil’ Stars next year!
