Vancouver Street Dance Festival 2015

Vancouver has always been a beautiful city and my second home since I was a kid. Going back this time, not only did I get to see family, but I had the chance to check out Vancouver Street Dance Festival (VSDF)!

Day 1: Prelims.
As a normal battle goes, we all have to go through prelims. To be honest, I was nervous being in another place and battling, but at the same time I wasn't really feeling it because I wanted to enjoy the event! Due to this, plus I was first to go and I didn't know the music at all, I did pretty horribly (in my standards). But hey, every experience is an experience to add to mine so I still got something out of it. To my surprise, there were a bunch of Montreal waackers that came to the event! Most of them made it to top 4 too which was dope!

Day 2: Main Event Day.
Compared to events I've been to in Montreal, VSDF was held a Robson Square which is an open public space with free admission. So there were many non-dancers there and the vibe was just amazing!! I got to enjoy the shows, watch the battles and go into cyphers which was a lot of fun. Waacking is always the most fun to watch haha so here's the finals!!

After the event, we all went to place called Guu Garden that served Japanese tapas! The food was so good and we got to get to know some of the locals from Vancouver AND got to know the members of Konichiwaack. Damn those guys and fun and CRAZZYY!! I had so much fun just watching them that night!! Here's one of my first video's that I saw of them ;)

Day 3: Workshop day

I've actually taken Princess Lockeroo's workshop before when I first started waacking, but I was too new back then to understand what she was trying to teach. This time round I took her advance class and wow it was so damn hard, but so damn good! I learnt a little more about how to train by myself, but I also got a little bit of a deeper understanding of the different elements in this dance style. Now I've got a lot of work to do... However, this class really gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration on how to train myself which is just what I needed. Can't wait to start and get into training mode again!!

Mandatory post-workshop photo

Queen's Creation Winner!!

Okay what. I totally did not expect to win a jam any time soon cause I still feel like a noob, but it happened!!!

I've been talking to Tarheen, aka Tara, since forever saying that we should pair up in a battle cause we fill each other's weaknesses. I have pretty clean and good technique but lack some soul and performance; She got the performance and feels down, but can work more on her waack to make them stronger. Finally... on this day we did and it was a beautiful partnership.

Watch the rounds here!

Top 8:

Top 4:

Finals:

To be fair, most of the other strong dancers were not there, plus our last round was a hard call to be honest, two ties and one judge voted for us, so I wouldn't consider it a huge deal, but it definitely gave me the extra push I needed to motivate myself to train harder!! I definitely learnt a lot from this jam and will continue pushing myself. I know my mind is ready for more, it's just a matter of making my body react as fast.

I absolutely loved dancing with Tara and can't wait for our next battle together as Double T'z again. :)

Bust A Move 10th edition 2015

BAM this year was special for me because I got to do a showcase on stage!! Never have I thought that I'd have an opportunity to do that, but it happened. We did a showcase for hustle with Bboyizm and it was so much fun!! Here's some pictures and footage of it.

I also battled at BAM, but didn't make it past prelims again. This time I wanted to focus on my musicality so didn't really put on an outfit or a certain character, but it didn't turn out how I wanted it to be again, especially after watching my round. There was some improvement, but not enough in my opinion. However, after taking Tyrone's workshop again, I think I know what he is looking for now (not saying that I have to waack the way he wants it to be done, but he has some ideas that I could use for my own improvement) and I also know what I need to work on myself this summer. So got some work to do!!

Here's my round for BAM, check it out!

Hot Mess 5, Heir to the Throne, jam sessions, training, workshops, lifestyle

Just wanted to do an update since my last post. I've been training hard in my dancing especially waacking while trying to cope with and finish school. Going to session, taking lots of classes and workshops, doing battles, etc. I think has helped me grow. A LOT. Here's some footage of my last two battles:
1) Hot Mess 5 which is exactly one year since my first battle

As I mentioned on Facebook, I think this is probably one of the best I've done even though I didn't make it past prelims. But now looking back at it, even though I killed my character, my musicality was way off and I could have actually done a lot more. So NEXT YEAR imma bring it!

2) Heir to the Throne 2 vs 2 all-styles Master and Apprentice, MSSD's first jam, where I got to pair up with Bboy Toonz. First one was prelims and second one is top 16.

Just saying even though I was waacking all-styles battles are hard because of the music. DJ was mad dope though so he gave us, dancers, some crazy music and energy. Plus, my partner was giving me a lot of energy too! Definitely felt his support behind me and he killed his rounds as well! I am actually so proud of every one of the members in MSSD cause I have seen everyone grow, including myself. Going back to my round, I think my top 16 round was pretty weak cause I was trying to incorporate some house into my waacking, but that was hard... Probably gonna take some house classes over summer.

However, with all that said, we are always the harshest judges on ourselves. I am actually very happy with my progress, comparing those with this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zgf72o6VVE), but I've got lot of work to do! :D

Speaking of house classes, I had the opportunity to go to New York City during reading week and got to get down with my peeps at Central Park then went to a super awesome hustle class and jammed with some OG huslters which was SUPER cool! Then lastly took a house class with Sekou. This is guy is so in tune with his body it's crazy, I learnt a lot from him and can't wait to start taking house classes here in Montreal!

By now, with the amount of dancing that I do, I can say that dancing for me is definitely a passion and a lifestyle. It's a way of life for me to express myself, to create and to escape the harsh reality, break the boundaries and values that our society puts on us since we were young. I absolutely love the culture I'm in and the people around me sharing it.

To end this post, here's a video of Lily (my friend) and I waacking in Brooklyn while we were hunting for graffiti art :D

Bust A Move 2014 - Day 2

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 2014 - Day 1

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

BAM (Bust A Move) Dans le Metro 5

Bust A Move/Festival Bust A Move is Canada's biggest dance battle, I believe. They were promoting the event in collaboration with le Metro (subway system in Montreal) and were showcasing to the public what street dancing and battling is. It is so amazing to watch such crazy dancers freestyle to music in different styles: hip hop, house, popping, waacking, locking and bboying. I feel so honored to actually know some of those who were there "battling" today! (You guys were awesome)

Here's some pictures that I took with my phone.(Sorry, don't have a pro camera so it's gonna be a bit blurry)

Kids Hip Hop

House

Locking

Waacking

Popping

My waacking teacher was actually there doing the house battle and we ended up going to my dance class together, but it got cancelled so... basically I got a private group waacking class and wow. I learnt so much from it! How I wish this could happen more often! And now she has convinced me to go battle in BAM. Initially, I was only going to go watch because it is such a big event that I didn't feel ready to do it, but since it is A LOT cheaper to go as a contestant/dancer and I can use the experience as practice, I will be battling on May 2nd. If you're battling or going to watch the event, I will see you there :)