It's that time of the year again, my studio's end of the year dance show!
Great teachers, great music, and great choreo. Can't ask for anything more :) I absolutely had a blast performing this year even though I didn't do as many pieces as I would've wanted to due to finals in April... One thing I noticed this time though is that I was able to enjoy myself more on stage than before. I've always liked performing for people, especially hearing the crowd clap and cheer afterwards, but this year I really understood how to have fun on stage as well as channel certain emotions through my facial expression and body movement. This is all thanks to the classes I've been taking, the competitions and my new experience in freestyling. I totally forgot to take pictures backstage cause I was too busy dancing to the music on stage... But here's a photo of me in the opening piece where I was playing an 80's nerd! I look like such an ugly nerd haha but I still loved the costume and this look on me :P
Photo by Mickaël A. Bandassak
After the show I got to talk to one of my dance teachers and she told me that I improved a lot and am going down the right track! (Yay!!) So I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully I'll become even better soon. I am so grateful for all the help I've been getting this year and the amazing people I've met who has in some way contributed to helping me improve so thank you to all of you!! And to those who came to watch me at the show, you know you are, thank you!! I love you all <3
Finally finished our last competition of the season! Given the tough competition that we had, we still managed to come 2nd!! :D Also, knowing that Rockwell family and District Mao are studios that have won in the past, being in top 3 with them makes me proud to be part of my troupe!
Everybody watch out cause next year at Hit the Floor, first place is going to be MPress!!
Now that I think about it, we placed in every competition we went to! I must say this is thanks to not only my troupe members for working extra hard but also our choreographers and coaches. Without them we would not have done as well so just want to do a big shout out to them!! I love you all <3
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time dancing and competing this year and am excited for the next! Unfortunately I can't make it to Hip Hop Canada and can't be with MPress to promote the new Step Up movie, but those in Montreal, keep a look out for them! :)
I recently gave myself a small assessment on whether or not I CAN actually improve as much as I want to within a year's time. At some point while I was doing all this thinking, I've come to realize that to dance and to make a living from it at the same time is almost impossible, especially for where I am at now. Not only is it really difficult and it would take a lot of time and a lot of practice, but you also need to be good enough and get recognition from other people. Now that I've come to think of it, even though my dance teachers are all amazing at what they do, they all are either still in school or they have part-time jobs. This just shows that even at their level, to just dance and make a living from it is not easy.
As I was giving myself this small assessment, I've also rewatched the few videos that I have of myself waacking and all I can say is that I am so blessed to have amazing dancers/teachers around me and helping me because man have I improved! Hopefully, I'll continue to progress this way. There is still so much for me to learn, but I'm determined to show the world that I can do this. I will keep my dream alive, but probably be more realistic about it from now on. Don't get me wrong, this still means that I am going to give it my all, but I do need to finish school so that I can find work to support myself and my dancing. Whether or not my dancing can take me to where I want be... I guess we'll have to see :)
On a side note, I will be going back to Hong Kong soon for summer. Definitely going to miss Montreal, but I also contacted one of the waackers in HK so can't wait see what the dance scene is like there!
Here are my videos, first one is of me practicing before Hot Mess this March which is also the first time I filmed myself and second one is the one from Bust A Move.
I've been meaning to post something about this topic for awhile but haven't had the time to get to it. Now that I do, I want to share with you guys my feelings on dancing regarding age, money and talent.
Age. When I was in Hong Kong, so many people have told me or given me the idea that being young is really important when you decided to pursue dance as a career. Up until then, I've always thought that by now I would be too old to try to pursue dance, however, coming to Canada and talking to people, so many have said to me that I'm still young and I should/can do it. Yes, I agree that those who start at a much younger age have an advantage, but that doesn't mean that those who are older shouldn't start at all. I believe that hard work and determination are the two key factors for success. This obviously goes for everyone, but I think that with age and maturity we have a deeper understanding of how much work we need to put in in order to get to where we want to be. After much thought, I've come to this conclusion when dealing with age: what really limits us is not our body but our mind.
Money. I won't lie, dancing is expensive. You have to pay for training, dance classes and costumes, and on top of that workshops if you want to take them. Right now, I am still depending on my parents and I really need to start finding my own way to pay for dance classes. Parents have the responsibility to raise and educate their children, but once that goal is achieved, we need to start taking charge of our own life. For now, I know that I will need to find a part time job (or a back up plan) while pursuing dance. The problem is finding the balance between work, school, dance practice and dance classes.
Talent. Am I good enough to make it? Honestly, even though I've been dancing for a few years (not including my ballet training), I really only recently decided that I want to pursue this path. Given the improvement I've seen so far, I would say that I'd need at least another year of hard work to assess myself and decide whether or not I think I should continue along this path or if I should fall back to my back up plan and only do dancing as a hobby.Whether it be professional or not, dancing will always be a part of me now. I just want to learn as much as I can within this time frame and be the best dancer that I can be! It's going to be a busy and tough year, but I'm ready for it. I'm ready to give everything that I've got so hopefully it will take me to right place.
To all dancers out there, let me know your views! If there is anything that you want to add or think that I should also be considering also send me a comment :)
Day 2, the finals!! I went to a panel discussion that was held before the battling started where the judges discussed some issues or questions people have about dance. They talked about traditions in dance, commercial vs underground dancers, the business side of dance, etc. Their views were interesting to hear and I loved how Storm (bboy judge) said it is a matter of how we use our words because the opposite of commercial is non-commercial and the opposite of underground is upper-ground/above ground, yet people see commercial dancers and underground dancers as opposites. To what I understood from the discussion, we shouldn't see the two like that because a dancer is a dancer, underground dancers may not be able to do what commercial dancers do and vice versa, so instead of putting them into categories, we should all respect each other. At the end of the day, it ALWAYS comes down to respect.
After the panel discussion it was time for some battles and showcases. I'd have to say that the highlights of the night were definitely the hip hop final battle and Foret Noire's waacking showcase.
Just look at them! So gorgeous, all white and glowing, like angels <3 I teared up after their performance, it was absolutely beautiful.
Next up, the final battle for hip hop. It was SO HYPE!! The music was good and the dancing was crazy!! The video does not do it justice at all since you can't feel the energy through the monitor. So I'll say it again IT WAS CRAZY!!! It was like watching the final battle in the Step Up movies but live.
I ended up staying for the after party because everybody was vibing, cyphering and dancing, and I mean actually dancing. This was so much better than going to a club/party at a club where people just jump up and down. (I personally find that extremely boring, just saying.) Next year, I will for sure be staying until the break of dawn so that I can dance my heart out for the whole night.
The whole of day 2 was absolutely amazing, watching the different styles of dancing and so many good dancers dance was inspiring. Also, seeing the judges dance, some who are in their 40s, doing some crazy moves, emphasizes the fact that age does not limit you in your dancing. After going through Bust A Move 2014, I now not only want to improve my waacking but I also want to try out different styles as well. Next year, if I get my training and practice hours in, hopefully I can also try doing either house or locking battles. I seriously can't wait.
Here's a little recap of the night for all you readers out there. :)
P.S. I did not film the hip hop finals and the recap videos.
Bust A Move this weekend was CRAZY!! I was expecting something pretty epic but coming out of the two days, pretty epic is an understatement. These past 2-3 days were probably the best time of my life.
Day 1 of BAM were the prelims which I battled in. Even though I had to wait five hours before it was my time, I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching other dancers battle, some of which were my teachers. Being able to watch all these dancers live makes me feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people.
The kids hip hop battles were absolutely inspiring to watch as well. These kids really do not hold back and give it their all!! Their facial expressions were so crazy... I need to learn to let go just like them and use it when I compete and perform.
Finally it was time for waacking battles. I was faced against Mautassime (aka Mariah) and I was so glad to be able to battle someone that I know.
I didn't make it past prelims but considering this was only my third battle, I am actually really proud of myself and very happy to see that I have improved! Also, Mautassime/Mariah said so many nice and encouraging words to me after our battle. Out of all the things we talked about, this was what stuck, "Don't listen to what others say, if you want to dance then just do it." I may just go with what he said.
Last thing that I want to say about Day 1 is that I am so happy to see so many MSSD members getting down and I feel so proud of them! I'm not sure how it happened really, but they've played a big role in my dancing and I don't think I would be doing this if it wasn't for them. Love you guys <3
