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

First gig ever!!!

Good things keep coming this summer!! :D Ever since I started street dance, I've always wanted to be a backup dancer. Then for certain reasons, you can refer to my first few posts to see my reasoning, I stopped thinking about it and decided to just focus on my own dancing. It was something that I would've liked to do still, but it wouldn't have mattered if it didn't happen. EXCEPT IT DID.

I got asked by one of my teachers to be a dancer for a singer called Rime Salmi. I never expected this., but she basically made one of my dreams come true! (Thank you so much Axelle <3) Here are some pictures from the show!

I'll be honest, I was very nervous for this because I didn't want to disappoint my dance teacher and I didn't want to mess it up! Rehearsals were hard because two of the girls already knew most of the choreography for the songs so the other girl and I had to catch up! But I think we pulled it off in the end and everyone was very happy with how everything turned out. :) I've gained not only experience through this, but I met new people and learnt more about the industry and myself. Haha this just came to my mind, "Always a student, never a master", it's a very accurate saying. Hopefully, I can get some more gigs in the future cause they were a hell lotta fun!

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

Dance Over Distance

Finally, after two months of filming. It's out!!  Super excited to share with you all a dance short featuring my boyfriend and I :D This guy is just amazing. Credits goes to him for doing all the editing. We worked hard on this! Enjoy!!

Share it if you like it!

Note: This video does not have extras. For some reason I can't upload the version with extras.

Watch the full version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg2tXADnXds
Or go to my wall on my Facebook page :)

Hong Kong (Part 2) - a little update

I've been in Hong Kong for around 2 months now... doing some training by myself since I've been back up until July, then I finally went to my old dance studio and started taking classes again. It felt so good!! Though I have to admit, I miss living a 10-minute walk away from my dance studio. I also managed to find another studio that offers waacking classes. Currently taking classes from a HK waacker called Virago Carmen and I've been learning some new stuff! Hopefully, I can take in what I'm learning here, put my own twist to it then use it when I'm back in Montreal!

However, lately I've been feeling like I've hit a plateau (which is a normal process of learning in my opinion). It feels like I'm learning new things, but I'm not actually fully taking it in if that makes any sense... But I know I just need to push through and I'll continue to grow and improve. Just need to keep dancing ;)

Also, I've noticed two things this summer. One, the dance styles, waacking and hip hop, are different in Hong Kong compared to Montreal. One seems more about technicality and tricks, the other seems to be more about feeling and living the music. This may or may not be true, but it is what I've noticed. If you've seen/think anything different or the same please comment! I'm curious to know!! Two, my life would be so empty and boring without dance. It's one thing to just say it, but I can actually feel it. I don't even know how to describe how bored and just bleh I am when I don't dance for a few days, but once I start dancing and moving, I feel whole again. Even after work, when I am exhausted, as long as I know I'm going dancing I have this extra boost in energy and feel all happy inside! I think it's safe to say Dance is here to stay, for good.

On a side note, Julien and I have been working on a little project called "Dance Over Distance".

The video's gonna be out early August so make sure to look out for it! It's gonna be dope~

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

On the fence

I guess you could say I have been a dancing since I was young. Did ballet for eight years, stopped, then started hip hop at 17. Came to Montreal for university, and rediscovered myself after learning about waacking and freestyling. Many dancers, me included, started dancing by learning choreography. I love it. But because of freestyle, I am loving dance more and more every day. As a person who has stepped out of my teens, I've often felt that the type of carefree, innocent happiness you experience as a child can't be found again because of responsibilities, stress, etc... I thought I'd never find that happiness until I started freestyling.

In the beginning, I actually hated it because I felt like I had to move a certain way to make the freestyling look good, but slowly, thanks to my friends in McGill Student Street Dancers (MSSD), I am enjoying it to the point where all I want to do is dance and to improve. And that is all that I can think about. I'd say I'm an okay dancer, I can pick up choreography well, but when it actually comes down to pure dancing, I still need a lot of work. Yet being surrounded by people who are amazing dancers, who share the same passion as me and who inspire me, at times I feel that maybe, just maybe, I could become an actual professional dancer.

Photo by Jojo Ariwi

However, being Asian, the typical thinking is to find a stable job, earn enough money to support yourself and your family. I know that if I decided to go for dancing, my parents would not be happy (obviously!). But what about our dreams? Do I play it safe and become a physiotherapist like I plan to be? Or do I take my risk, give my all and try to be the best dancer that I can be? 

All these questions always bring me back and forth which is one of the reasons why I created this blog! I will be posting other things related to dance, but I hope you can share your thoughts on this topic with me so feel free to comment and give your opinions :)