The BPES Folk Dancers

For whatever reasons, some of us were picked to take part in folk dancing for a inter-school competition. I certainly do not remember or think it was on a volunteer basis, else having Sim Cheng Huat and our senior Tan Hoi Lee as part of the minority boys is hard to explain. Or we had more boys in the team on reserve, because I definitely remember Chee Seng on the team also.


I think the folk dancing item was the brain child of Ms Goh. She was the main choreographer of this folk dance. We practised very hard for this competition which saw us through to quarter or semi finals which was held at the old National Theatre (1969)




Whatever the reasons, it was months of hard and regular practice to the tune that is still stuck in my head today after 40 years, and friendships made that will last a life time. The National Theatre then was a grand structure located next to Van Cleef Aquarium, where Ms Chong Ai Moi also organised a class outing. Unfortunately both buildings have been torn down in the name of development and left with an empty space at the corner River Valley Rd and Clemenceau Ave. The pretty lass in the center is our babest teacher Ms Heng Huang Ngoh. Pretty Hainanese who lives in 21 Malabar Street, but will punish you by squeezing your hands with pencils in between. She must have worked in the prisons before becoming a teacher. The teacher on the extreme left is Ms Sharifah.