On 23 August 2015, Singapore’s Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong delivered his National Day Rally at ITE College Central. The rally was broadcasted “live” on national television. Nearing the end of his rally, PM Lee mentioned that there were two special moments for him during the SG50 National Day Parade and one of it was the final act “Onwards – Bright Future” by the Ministry of Education (MOE) contingent, choreographed by the Martial House Creative Team. During the rally, PM Lee said “The last item, the kids were in bright LED costumes, putting on an energetic and spectacular performance… They were in high spirits. Their fads shone with excitement and hope. I thought to myself, these are the faces of the future of Singapore.” After the rally, the message was also posted on PM Lee’s Facebook page. 
Indeed, that was the spirit the Martial House team and 680 student performers hoped to portray during the act. It was such a great honour and pleasure that the performance has left such a deep impression on PM Lee! PM Lee’s comment has definitely made the NDP experience even more memorable for everyone in the team, especially to the young performers. Looking forward to these kids sharing their experiences with their children or even grandchildren at SG100!
Month: August 2015
Missed the GeTai Challenge?
Didn’t manage to watch the joint performance by Marcus Chin and the Martial House Stars on the GeTai Challenge – The Ultimate Battle on television? Fret not, click here to watch it on Toggle! 
Before the performance, an introduction video was played where the renowned celebrity Marcus Chin expressed his gratitude to Martial House Artistic Consultant & Choreographer, Gordon Choy for choreographing and arranging the performance! 
Also, a familiar back was discovered! That was Martial House Coach, Jessen Tan! Coach Jessen, one of the heroes behind-the-scene, was the main coordinator of the six Martial House Stars for the show. 
The item by Marcus Chin was definitely one of the largest scale performance for contest. With the combined effort of all the team members, a successful performance was delivered which won Chin the First Runner-Up title! Once again, congratulations to Chin and team! 
To the Martial House Stars, well done! Hope you guys enjoyed the experience!
Mr. Leo on “Face Off!”
On 29 July 2015, episode 16 of “Face Off!” was broadcasted on national television. In the episode, Martial House Managing Director, Mr. Leo Wen Yeow, was one of the guests on the show! 
“Face Off!” is a MediaCorp Channel U’s variety talk show where guests from different sectors of the society will be invited to carry out a discussion on different social topics. 
In view of the recent rise in accidents and mishaps , the hosts and guests discussed about whether Singaporeans have a sense of crisis. To find out more, click here to watch the show on Toggle.
Thank-You Reception at the Istana
If you were watching the news on television last night, you may have caught a glimpse of a familiar face. He is none other than Martial House Coach & Choreographer, Mr. Wan GuangYao Eric! 
On 19 August 2015, Martial House Managing Director, Mr. Leo Wen Yeow and Mr. Wan were invited to attend a thank-you reception, hosted by His Excellency, President Tony Tan Keng Yam, at the Istana for the organisers and participants of this year’s National Day Parade (NDP). 
The event was reported in the news and many could spot Mr. Wan on national television across three different channels, namely: 1. Channel 5 
2. Channel 8 
3. Channel U 
Among the guests at the event were: 1. Chairman of NDP 2015 Show Committee, Colonel Tan Cheng Kwee 
2. Newly Appointed Chief of Defence, Major-General Perry Lim Cheng Yeow 
3. Renowned Returning Officer for the 2011 General Election, Mr. Yam Ah Mee 
It was indeed an honour for Martial House to be part of this year’s SG50 NDP celebration and to be invited to the thank-you reception. 
Click here to read the article about the thank-you reception on Channel NewsAsia’s website. Photo Credits: Leo Wen Yeow & Wan GuangYao Eric
National Wushu & Sanda Championships 2015
The National Wushu & Sanda Championships 2015 was held from 13 to 16 August 2015 at Woodlands Sports Hall. As the year 2015 was a hectic year for the Martial House family (with the involvement of Chingay Parade 2015, 28th SEA Games & National Day Parade 2015), a relatively smaller group of 9 athletes was formed to represent the De Wu Pugilistic Association contingent in the annual competition this year. 
The athletes who represented De Wu Pugilistic Association were: 1. Josephine Lee Sze Min 2. Yap Wei Ren 3. Beatrice Tan Wei Zhen 4. Yeo Jun Wei 5. Joelle Ho Jen Hui 6. Austin Chong Sze Ze 7. Leow Kee Teck, Douglas 8. Seow Li Tao Jonathan 9. Berlynn Ng Xuan Qi 
Despite the small contingent size, the athletes have performed well in this year’s competition! Also, fellow Martial House athletes who represented their respective school contingents have delivered outstanding results too! In total, the Martial House athletes have attained a total of 6 Gold, 4 Silver & 1 Bronze medals! Congratulations! 
This year, there were competitive events which did not meet the required minimum number of participants. As such, these events became demonstration events and athletes were presented with certificates. From Martial House, the athletes who were presented with these certificates were: 
Congratulations to all athletes for their outstanding performance in the National Wushu & Sanda Championships 2015! Martial House would like to single out some of the athletes for special mentions. 1. Emily Sin Min Li – Highest Score Awarded in a Regulated Routine 
Emily was awarded a high score of 9.40 during her 1st International Nanquan event. It was the highest score awarded to an athlete in a regulated routine event as well as in the entire competition. The Team Singapore athlete has definitely proven that she is one of the best Nanquan athletes in Singapore today. 2. Yap Wei Ren – Highest Score Awarded in a Freestyle Routine 
Wei Ren was awarded a score of 9.20 during his Freestyle Changquan event. It was the highest score awarded in a freestyle routine in this year’s competition. Wei Ren is probably one of the most versatile Wushu athletes in Singapore who has made remarkable achievements in traditional, regulated and freestyle events. 3. Josephine Lee Sze Min – Triple Gold Medal Winner 
Josephine has dominated the regulated Nanquan events in the youth category by sweeping all three gold medals in the 1st International Nanquan, Nandao & Nangun events! Despite her stunning performance, the budding athlete remained humble and commented that she will continue to work hard. Josephine is definitely one of the young athletes to look out for. 4. Priscilla Lim Sing Hui – Most Number of Supporters 
Before the start of Priscilla’s event, a large group of supporters specially came to cheer her on. Including of her team mates from Martial House and National University of Singapore, there were more than 35 supporters who were cheering for her! Despite her 1.5 years hiatus from the Wushu scene, Priscilla did not let her supporters down by attaining the Gold medal in the 2nd International Jianshu event. 5. Yeo Olivia – Most Dedicated Supporter 
Martial House would like to specially thank Olivia for her time, effort and commitment in supporting her fellow team mates. Whenever a Martial House athlete is competing, she will be there to assist them, take tons of beautiful photos and scream her lungs out to show her support. She has definitely showcased the true spirit of friendship. 
With this, the National Wushu & Sanda Championships 2015 has concluded. Once again, congratulations to all athletes and a big thank you to all who have made this competition possible.
Martial House @ The GeTai Challenge 2015
On 13 August 2015, a team of Martial House Stars performed in the GeTai Challenge – The Ultimate Battle at Resorts World Convention Centre. The GeTai Challenge is a MediaCorp Channel 8 singing competition among current GeTai singers which aims to celebrate SG50 and the unique culture of Singapore. 
The Martial House Stars, Yap Wei Ren, Eugene Yeo, Bryan Wong, Shawn Tan, Seow Wei Kai & Brandon Lee, performed alongside with Marcus Chin, a renowned actor and DJ, who is also one of the contestants of the competition! 
With the combined effort of all the performers, Marcus Chin was emerged the First Runner-Up for the competition! Congratulations! The GeTai Challenge – The Ultimate Battle will be broadcasted on MediaCorp Channel 8 at 7.00pm. Do watch the show to catch the Martial House Stars in action!
Martial House @ NDP 2015!
9 August 2015 marks the Golden Jubilee of Singapore as we celebrate her 50th year of her independence! Once again, Martial House was privileged to be part of the National Day Parade (NDP)! 
Under the guidance of choreographers, Gordon Choy & Wan GuangYao Eric, the Martial House NDP Creative Team was formed. The team, consisting of Martial House instructors and youth leaders, was tasked to plan and choreograph the performance act of Chapter 6 – “Onwards – Bright Future”. 
After the planning phase, the Martial House team proceeded on to teach the student participants from the Ministry of Education (MOE) the choreography and movements. More than 680 students across 9 different schools were involved in the act. 
After months of hard work and practices, the student performers have successfully delivered a spectacular performance during NDP 2015! 
The performance would not be possible without the active participation of the students and the support of the various groups, including the soldiers from the Singapore Arm Forces (SAF), principals and teachers from the primary schools as well as the parents and/or guardians of the students! 
Martial House would like to thank MOE for believing and engaging the team to be part of this historic SG50 performance and at the same time, express its gratitude to all the instructors and youth leaders for contributing to the success of the performance! Below are some of the media coverage of the performance item: 1. The Straits Times Facebook Page on 9 August 2015. 
2. Channel NewsAsia Singapore Facebook Page on 9 August 2015. 
3. The Straits Times, page A20 & A21 on 10 August 2015. 
4. The Straits Times, page B11 on 10 August 2015. 
5. Lianhe Zaobao, page 6 on 10 August 2015. 
If you have missed the spectacular performance by the students, you may catch it on YouTube by clicking the link below. Chapter 6 – “Onwards – Bright Future” starts from 2:13:29. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lCVpWoOS9KM Besides the main performance at the Padang, a second team of Martial House youths, led by coaches Kevan Cheah & Ng Teck Hong, were at The Float @ Marina Bay for another performance! 
Coach Teck Hong’s photo was captured and spotted on the Facebook page of Lianhe Zaobao too! 
Despite all the hectic rehearsals and heavy commitments, it did not prevent the Martial House youths from participating in the performances! Kudos to the Martial House youths! 
The nation’s Golden Jubilee was indeed a fulfilling one for Martial House! Hopefully this SG50 experience was memorable for all and let’s look forward to a stronger and brighter Singapore! Majulah Singapura!
Martial House Stars at the Singapore Sports Awards 2015
On 5 August 2015, Martial House Stars, Zoe Mui Wei Ting & Ho Lin Ying attended the Singapore Sports Awards 2015. The objective of the annual awards ceremony was to celebrate and honour the achievements of Singapore athletes who performed well in 2014. 
Both Zoe & Lin Ying were awarded the Sportsboy/Sportsgirl Meritorious Award for their outstanding sporting achievements. Along with the Martial House Stars, the following Team Singapore Wushu athletes were also awarded the Meritorious Award: – Almond Ng Yi Qi – Cindy Lim Xin Yi – Isabel Chua Xin Ting – Jowen Lim Si Wei – Lee Zhe Xuan, Etienne – Vera Tan Yan Ning 
Congratulations to all athletes and thank you for doing the nation proud!
Another Silver Medal for Yu Xuan!
Congratulations to Martial House Star, Tay Yu Xuan for attaining a Silver medal in the Group B Men’s 32-Style Taijijian event at the 8th Asian Junior Wushu Championships! It is a breakthrough for Yu Xuan for attaining medals in both his events at his first major international competition! 
Yu Xuan is indeed an uprising young Wushu athlete and we are definitely looking forward to more of his performances in the near future! 
The current medal tally for Team Singapore at the 8th Asian Junior Wushu Championships is 1 Gold, 5 Silver & 6 Bronze.
ACES Day @ National Junior College!
On 6 August 2015, teachers and students from National Junior College (NJC) celebrated National Day through a series of fun-filled activities! Martial House was honoured to be part of the college’s celebration to lead the students in their ACES Day workout! 
The ACES Day workout was specially choreographed by the Martial House team led by Coach Wan GuangYao Eric, a budding choreographer who has been actively involved in choreography works for National Day Parades in the recent years. As the theme of the workout was “Martial Arts”, elements from different forms of martial arts, such as Wushu and Muay Thai, could be seen in the routine. The routine was made simple so that it was easy for the students to follow and enjoy! 
Under the guidance of the Martial House instructors, students from NJC spent a week to master the routine and successfully complete the workout together as a college during their National Day celebration! The enthusiasm and energy levels of the students were so great that the instructors could hardly hear their own voices on stage! 
The Martial House team would like to thank the teachers and students from NJC for all the support provided and for their active participation! Do look forward to the video of the mass workout session which will be released soon! 
If you would like to find out more about the Martial House ACES Day Programme, kindly send your queries via email to [email protected].