[Pluspoint] Class & habits

Since the start of the year, I’ve been working on a story of a group of dancers, Pluspoint. Pluspoint is a dance group led by Mel, 34, mother of 7 and an ex-convict. She uses her lived experiences and clout to keep at-risk youths off the street through dance and by acting as a sounding board to them. The borders of entry and exit to this group is quite porous; we’ve a core group of people, but even this supposed core group changes every now and then. 

Just a bit more context - all of the dancers are aged between 17 to 25, and hail from a working class background. Some of them are still schooling in ITE, while the others take on ad hoc, low-skilled jobs like cleaning, setting up for conventions etc. They usually gather at Mel’s one-room rental house in the evenings for dance practices or to simply hang out.

It was quite interesting for me this evening as I accompanied them for their guest dance at Our Better World’s Good Story competition award ceremony held at the National Museum of Singapore. Tonight was an example of how class lines seems quite hardened in Singapore, and this was something the boys were conscious about as well, as they passed remarks about the food and the way people carried themselves. 

M was quick to point out when a lady spoke to him that “their english damn power” and “I don’t know what they talking sial” (code-switching is a damn useful skill methinks). P also said in jest, as he was walking to the buffet spread, that “maybe we, pariahs, won’t like high class people food lah”. It was evident to me that they felt out of place in a setting like the National Museum, and at an event where people were dressed for the occasion. There was quite a clear distinction - ‘us’ and ‘them’ - as the boys opted to sit outside the museum, by the steps, where they could smoke as well as be away from the crowd and setting they were unfamiliar with. 

Well, they were aware of certain social codes they had to prescribe to at an event like this. They were relatively muted for awhile. During rehearsals in the gallery theatre, P shared that he was “not used to this. This is the quietest we’ve ever been.”. A was quick to add that the silence added a buzzing sound to his ear. When they had time to kill before the start of the event, they hung out just outside the museum and obviously felt more at home immediately.

That said, this evening was not only an eye-opener for them, I also think they did enjoy the bits post-show when members of the audience came up to thank them and congratulated them on their dance. P was happy to give them high-fives and very cheekily said that “high class people like our dance sial.” 

I’m not gonna be naive and think that tonight’s episode bridged any gaps - our worlds may forever be distinct and apart - but I’m just glad that the boys got an opportunity to see and interact with another side of society, one that they would otherwise shy from.