All ready to do their part for ChildAid

THE 196 child performers aged five to 18 are all ready for next week's charity event ChildAid.

Organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times, the 13th edition of the annual concert is different this year because of the appointment of Dick Lee as its new creative director and the change in format from concert to musical.

Titled An Amazing Awesome Asian Adventure, it tells the story of four children who discover their dreams are stolen by a witch. They go on a journey around Asia to retrieve them and also learn about the local cultures of the countries.

One of the stops of the children's round-Asia journey is India, where the "local" performers will dance to a remix of Lee's classic catchy number Mustapha and Rihanna's Umbrella.

One performer, Jyotsnaa Jayashanker, can't wait to show the audience the number. The nine-year-old said: "Mustapha is one of my mother's favourite songs, and she used to listen to it all the time.

"I can't believe that for ChildAid, I get to perform the song for the audience, which includes my mother, and work on it with the actual singer and composer, Uncle Dick."

Meanwhile, Justin Poon Junjie, 13, will be showing off his slick wushu moves for the segment set in China. He and his teammates will be sparring with one another using swords, cudgels and spears.

His costume, like that of the rest of the cast, was designed by the award-winning Frederick Lee.

Justin said: "This is the first time I'm doing a big charity event because, well, I'm usually too busy studying."

ChildAid raises money for two children's charities, BT Budding Artists Fund and ST School Pocket Money Fund. BT Budding Artists Fund provides arts training for financially disadvantaged children, while ST School Pocket Money Fund helps such children pay for transport to school and meals during recess.

Top sponsors of the event are UOB, HSBC, Citi, Suntory Beverage & Food Asia, Tote Board and Singapore Pools.