** Image-intensive post! **
My first time seeing the parade, possibly my best series of images to date! Chingay was fantastically impressive - nothing in London can beat this! They call it the Parade of Dreams… ‘Asia’s grandest street and floats parade’. It leaves little room for doubt.
I lingered around the assembly area during the pre-parade preparations, and took candid shots of the performers getting themselves ready. They were friendly and willing to pose, and I chatted with our performer guests from the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea and Japan while mingling around.
For the parade itself, abandoning my family and friends higher up in the stands, I sneaked out front and positioned myself in between the row of press photographers, squatting by the roadside just behind the barricades. A press photog whom I met on two on previous occasions blurted out a surprised “Ey? Hello…!” when we came to mutual recognition. I grinned. I was out there to stay, pass-less and lanyard-less though I was. We then turned our attention to the F1 ‘Red Bull’ racecar and in synchrony with the rest of the photogs, panned our lenses from left to right and right to left, trying to lock on to that ridiculously speedy racecar. The rest of the parade shoot, as they say, is history. Behold the Beast!
“I luvu Shingapor!” - performers from the ‘So’ Erg Dance Company, Kagoshima Japan
Hrrrumph.The Taiwan Xin Yi Fang Singing and Opera Troupe
Lots of fishies. Not sure where they’re from…
A proud Harley biker deafens the crowds with his engine’s roars
Floral dancers from the prelude segment
The audience covers their eyes while firecrackers go off in the starting ceremony
Reach for the sky!
The fire-spewing luminous dragon from teh S’pore Dragon and Lion Athletic Association
Dancers from NUS Sheares Hall
A cheeky perfomer from the Celtic piece ‘The Legend of Balor’
Tribal and rural dance performers from the Philippines
Kuda Kepang dancers from Johor
Erm, medieval warriors moving a castle of sorts?
Local artistes Gurmit Singh, Michelle Chia, Quan Yi Feng and Bryan Wong
The climax of the parade - City Hall crowned by fireworks
A glittering affair!
The finale… the ‘Celestial Web’
Photos :: Chingay 2008