STAGE TAKES NDP 09 TO NEW HEIGHTS AND SIGHTS

In celebration of Singapore's 44th birthday, National Day Parade (NDP) 09 gets up close and personal, literally.

In line with this year's theme, Come together - Reaching out, Reaching up, the stage at the Marina Bay floating platform will be brought 20 metres closer to the seating gallery. In addition, the first and second tier of the stage will be elevated four and nine metres above the floating platform level respectively.

"This is to allow for better interaction between the spectators and the performers. The spectators will have a clearer view of the performers...and the performers will also be able to feel the mood of the spectators," explained Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Peter Tay, Chairman, Infrastructure and Decoration for NDP 09.

Other new features of this year's parade include two performance grids the height of six storeys of a Housing & Development Board flat, which will flank the stage. Each grid consists of 56 cubes in a seven-by-eight arrangement.

Equipped with three scene-changing screens, performers can switch from one scene to the next with a pull of the blinds. Between the grids will be an "eye", an LED screen that will project images in tandem with the performances.

Explaining the symbolism behind the design of the "eye", LTC Tay said: "It will allow us to reflect on the past, embrace the present, and of course, visualise our future."

"It even blinks!" he added.

The stage, which can hold about 1,500 performers, will also have more entrances added to it, making it seven from last year's four.

"This will facilitate performers' entrance into and exit from the stage, making it a tighter show," said Mr Randy Tan, the architect involved in this year's stage design.

Piecing everything together, the entire set-up will offer spectators a panoramic view of the parade, complemented by the city landscape in the background.

Currently in the construction phase, several measures are in place to ensure the safety of performers on the stage.

For example, performers on the grids will be attached to safety harnesses hooked firmly to the grids, and for every two performers, there will be a safety officer to look out for performers. Non-slip shoes will be a requirement for the performers, and stairs and ramps will also be fitted with non-slip surfaces.