[Feature Image: Apartment Cutiez’s song-and-dance performance earned them third place at Prinsep Got Talent 2024]
By the SMU Digital Marketing Team
Tucked away in the vibrant arts and heritage enclave of the Bras Basah-Bugis precinct, some SMU students find an oasis – their home away from home, where friends become family.
SMU’s Prinsep Street Residences (PSR) is the university’s innovative communal living concept for students studying at SMU. Conveniently situated near public transport and a wealth of dining hotspots, students staying at PSR are also surrounded by the best that Singapore’s exciting city centre has to offer.
Consisting fully-furnished, modern apartments – well-equipped with common recreational facilities and 24-hour security – PSR offers a safe, conducive environment where they can live, learn, work, and play in the comfort of their second homes.
Bonding over singing, dancing, and putting up performances
Prinsep Got Talent 2024 was organised by the PSR social committee
PSR has also developed into a community filled with the SMU spirit – where students support each other, study together, and forge life-long friendships.
This spirit of community was on full display on 15 March 2024, when PSR residents showcased their talents at the second annual “Prinsep Got Talent (PGT)” competition.
This year’s PGT featured 11 student acts staging Rubik’s Cube tricks, tap dancing, and song-and-dance performances. Adding on to the excitement of the talent show were performances by SMU student clubs Sound Foundry and Funk Movement, which added on to the showcase of the vibrant student life at SMU.
SMU Funk Movement showcased their moves at PGT 2024
“It felt amazing to see all the performers step up and give their best, and many of them showed the PSR spirit – where friends from different apartments came together. It really embodied the spirit of this place,” said SMU Assistant Professor of Economics (Education) and Course Coordinator for Economics and Society Giovanni Ko, who is also the Lead Faculty Fellow of Prinsep Street Residences.
Take the group “Apartment Cutiez”, which comprised five female PSR housemates. Overflowing with the dynamic energy and camaraderie of close-knit friends, their song-and-dance performance earned them third place in the challenge.
“Every night, we would sit and bond over studying, chatting, or singing karaoke,” the group commented, explaining how living together at PSR had helped them form friendships, and eventually came together to perform at the PGT.
A celebration of diverse backgrounds and talents
Nritya Shakti introduced the various Indian dance traditions through their performance at the PGT 2024
In many ways, the PGT was also a celebration of the diversity of talent and passions within the SMU family.
Dance quartet “Nritya Shakti,” translating to the dance of the Hindu goddess of power, Shakti, showcased a mesmerising performance that drew from different Indian dance traditions. “We incorporated different styles, and teaching each other was a great chance to learn about the different Indian dances [from the vast Indian subcontinent].”
Their five-minute performance seamlessly transitioned between different styles of classical Indian dance, and included touches of modernity that appealed to the international audience, garnering them second place in the talent show.
Crowning the Champion of PGT 2024, Adele Yuen
Then there’s Adele Yuen, who tap danced her way to first place in PGT 2024. “I think my love for it grew over time. [Tap dancing] makes me feel like I’m connecting with the music on another level – it really trains me to listen to the different layers of the music and see what I can do to play with it and I think that’s something very special,” she shared.
Andy serenades the crowd with his version of Mitski’s My Love Mine All Mine
Whether one is a full-time student or an exchange student at SMU, the PSR community welcomes everyone with open arms. This was clear when Andy Yu, an exchange student from the University of Maryland, received the Viewer’s Choice Award for his acapella performance.
“It’s really great that there’s a community here at Prinsep, and you have all these funded events happening. This is probably one of the precious memories of Singapore [that I’ll take back home],” says Andy.
If you missed PGT 2024, here are some highlights from the evening:
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