With its wide floors, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a ready audience, the underground passage connecting a train station to Singapore's iconic Gardens by the Bay had served as a practice ground for aspiring dancers for years.
Until 1 January, when they showed up as usual only to find the mirrors frosted.
Hundreds of commuters and tourists walk through the spacious tunnel every day, many of them on their way to the city's number-one attraction. People had complained that the dancers were "blocking pedestrian flow at this high-traffic area", local media reported.
So, the mirrors were frosted, triggering a debate – not just about space, but also Singapore's fixation with orderliness, the low bar for people to complain, and its many, many rules.
All of which arguably stifle the abandon, or even the havoc, that is often characteristic of the world's biggest cities.
