Dulwich Olympiad 2024
The Dulwich Olympiad 2024, a week-long celebration of sport, drama, music, and art and design events, embodying everything that makes us uniquely Dulwich, was hosted by Dulwich College (Singapore) between 18-22 March.
Over 891 students from 13 schools across the Dulwich International community converged to showcase their athletic prowess in sports competitions, express creativity in art workshops, enchant audiences with musical renditions, and astounded in a collaborative dramatic performance of The Odyssey.
This once-every-four-year gathering is more than a celebration of talents but also fosters cross-cultural connections and new friendships and the reinforcement of an international family spirit that all our schools and Colleges are proud to be a part of.
Read on to find out what went down over the five days.
Day 1 – Monday 18 March 2024
Procession
There was a heightened sense of excitement at the entrance to The Greenhouse as all the students from 12 schools finally stepped out of their buses and started making their way to the Nicholson Sports Centre. Here, the students initially came together in their school groups before each was led out by their chosen flag bearers to start the procession past the Clock Tower Café.
In the form of an honor guard, 950 Junior School students and staff lined their route, cheering loudly and fist-bumping as many students as they could before the Olympians made their way into The Alleyn Theatre.
Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony was a jaw-dropping celebration of what makes Singapore so culturally rich with unique performances from Ekta Singapura (Malay Dance), Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts (Peranakan Dance), and Team Yun Long Guan – Team YLG (Lion Dance), topped off with a stunning dance performance from the Dulwich Dance Company.
The Pathways Begin
After a group lunch at the Student Village, the four disciplines went their separate ways to meet their respective groups for the first time, jumped into rehearsals and started the first sports matches, while the Swimming Gala kicked off with gusto under bluebird skies at the Yip Pin Xiu Aquatic Centre – the atmosphere was electric. The Games had begun!
Day 2 – Tuesday 19 March 2024
Explore Singapore – Art & Design
On the second day, the Art & Design pathway headed into the city-state for their Explore Singapore session. The students took a photo walk to discover the city’s iconic buildings, starting in Boat Quay before finishing at the Merlion statue. The Fashion and Textile students were invited into the home studio of Deborah McKeller, a textile artist from Australia based in Singapore for a studio tour, talk and screenprinting masterclass, and the Art and Design pathway visited the National Gallery where they drew sketches inspired by the painting or sculpture with which they resonated most.
Explore Singapore – Performing Arts
Our Drama students took a break from rehearsals to go on their Explore Singapore programme which saw them invited backstage at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “Matilda” at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre, before finishing the night at the KC Arts Centre to watch the emotionally charged play, Falling staged by Pangdemonium.
Sports
Back at the College, our sports halls and fields were filled with student athletes competing in Badminton, Football and Basketball. The Nicholson Sports Hall rocked with excitement during the Basketball at lunchtime.
London Music Showcase
Over lunch, The Alleyn Theatre came alive with enchanting performances by Dulwich College and James Allen's Girls’ School musicians. The talented artists pulled together a diverse repertoire that catered to everyone’s musical tastes with saxophone ensembles, combined orchestras, and a string quartet and pieces of music by J.S. Bach and Quartz. The Combined Orchestra performed a beautiful rendition of The Ash Garden to close the performance.
Worldwise Alumni Network Dinner
That same evening, our senior leaders of the Colleges and EiM hosted a Global Alumni Dinner at the Singapore Cricket Club with the Worldwise Alumni Network. Over 100 Old Alleynians and International Old Alleynians enjoyed an evening of networking and were celebrated by the attendees, who included Karen Yung, Founder and Chief Collaboration Officer at EiM, Dulwich London Master Dr Joe Spence, and our very own Head of College Nick Magnus, who enjoyed catching up with former DCSG and Dulwich College International students about their post College adventures.
Day 3 – Wednesday 21 March 2024
Sports
Sports left for their afternoon exploring Singapore after a competitive-filled morning. The group explored the iconic vistas of the marina and wandered around the giant Supertree Observatory in Gardens by the Bay, before enjoying the famous light show.
Art & Design
In the heart of The Greenhouse, the Art and Design teams were treated to specialist workshops with leading metalsmiths Fat Anvil Studios to create unique jewellery, Concrete Everything explored the use of copper and jesmonite to teach the group how to create lamps, and the Fine Art pathway continued working with the celebrated artistic duo Rippleroot to create a large-scale canvas depicting the cityscape of Singapore that will be displayed in The Greenhouse on permanent display.
Performing Arts
The Drama pathway students were busy rehearsing in The Alleyn Theatre to bring a collective performance of the much-anticipated reimaging of the classic tale, The Odyssey.
Evening Music Showcase
That evening, Music groups from Dulwich College (Singapore), Dulwich College and James Allen's Girls’ School performed their first joint showcase in The Greenhouse Auditorium. The level of talent in the show was mesmerizing, and it was a real privilege to witness it. A reception for parents followed against a backdrop of contemporary tunes from our staff and student jazz band.
Day 4 – Thursday 21 March 2024
Sports
The main sports field looked quite bereft today as all the action moved to the Home of Athletics at Kallang, in the shadow of the National Stadium. It was fantastic to see the athletes excelling in the individual disciplines and the schools come head-to-head for some fierce but sportsman-like competition. Thankfully, the clouds rolled in to give the students some respite given the Spring Equinox heat wave. Many parents and our trusty Friends of Dulwich band of volunteers ventured down to lend their support.
Art & Design
Art students were putting the finishing touches to their works of art, including stitching handmade hoodies and trainers before the final art showcase, and the Art and Design group started making shoes with the specialist maker Lisa Teng.
Performing Arts Showcase – The Odyssey
The evening saw the collaborative effort of Dulwich College, Dulwich College Beijing, James Allen's Girls’ School, Dulwich International High School Zhuhai, Dulwich College Seoul, and Dulwich College (Singapore) perform the hotly anticipated reimagining of Homer’s classic tale, The Odyssey. It was undoubtedly a captivating and powerful turn of innovative theatre, masterfully weaving together a fusion of cultural influences and diverse styles that had the audience on edge for the entire performance. It was a brilliant end to the penultimate evening.
Day 5 – Friday 22 March 2024
Sports
Sports were back competing first thing to ensure all their games were completed before lunch. Sports have brought such a spirited vibe to the campus all week, not only down to the athletic prowess on show but thanks to how the whole College community got behind the event. Students not playing have been out supporting, classes from Junior School have been showing their support, and parents have been ever-present in the Parent Village cheering on all the teams to create a fun and stimulating environment for everyone. The Determination, Courage, high Skill levels and terrific Gracious spirit have come shining through in all of the events.
Art & Design
The Performing Arts Centre was a cornucopia of colour as the Art group finally presented their creations to the community. Delicate and detailed silver rings and necklaces were on display next to square screen prints with intricate embroidery, the four giant canvases created with Rippleroot dominated one whole wall, and bespoke hoodies with personalised embroidery stood between handmade sneakers, a multitude of paintings and copper pipe twisted lamps. The number of creations created in three and a half days was a testament to the talent and passion of the students involved!
Student Gala Concert
143 musicians took to the stage in The Alleyn Theatre for the final performance of the week. Guest conductors flew in from the UK and the USA. The rich and intoxicating sound of a full orchestra and the choir brought tears to the eyes as the audience listened to classics such as TaReKiTa by Reena Esmail, Mars & Jupiter by Holst and to finish the Vaughn Williams classic Let All The World in Every Corner Sing – a fitting way to close the gala as the curtain began to fall on an astonishing week of exceptional talent.
Olympiad Closing Ceremony
The Olympians entered The Alleyn Theatre and The Greenhouse Auditorium to be welcomed by the Head of College, Nick Magnus for the last time on Friday afternoon. In Nick’s closing speech he spoke passionately about what this Olympiad meant to everyone involved, from the celebration of coming together to create, to compete and to collaborate to the essence of the gathering itself, that of friendships formed and the bridges between cultures built.
The only thing that was left to announce was that the host of the 2027 Dulwich Olympiad will be a joint collaboration between Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi and Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong.
It was an extraordinary journey, and one that will be remembered fondly. For more information, click below to see the Dulwich Olympiad Event page.
