Malaysian Society – Concord Showcase Preparations

As the Heads of Concord’s Malaysian Society (MSOC), one of the main challenges faced whilst running MSOC for the Concord Showcase was scheduling. We had around 45 people performing for our society, all with other commitments, that usually take priority over the rehearsals. Thankfully, we were able to divide and conquer by splitting up the team and having the three different segments of our performance – being the Indian, Malay, and Chinese dances, rehearsed separately, in times that best fitted everyone’s busy schedules.

We were also fortunate to have many talented individuals who volunteered to help with choreographing and leading their segments. We Presidents, on the other hand, (who apart from Xin didn’t have much experience in choreographing a dance) focused on liaising with the organising staff. We discussed practices, created the backing track for the three songs, and found costumes for the three distinct cultures that we represented in our performance. With four Presidents in the society, we not only had a large pool of ideas to choose from, but it was also easier to carry out tasks as we could share the load equally.

We are extremely thankful for having the opportunity to run MSOC. Being so far away from home and still having a community of individuals from the same country is a godsend. Interactions with other members during practice sessions, meetings and even our group texts all felt very comfortable and welcoming. Everyone was able to bond with each other through talking about news from back home. In general, as a society, we understand our native ‘slang’ and all have a great time together. We have got each other’s backs so to speak, and are able to rely on one another for a reminder of home whenever we need it.

Keith, Xin, Kar Mun and Bill – 6.2