Breaking boundaries through dance

CHEE JENN WI

Dance instructor

How you first got into the performing arts

I started out as a gymnast in my early primary school years. I wasn’t as flexible as my teammates when it came to manoeuvring the apparatuses. I kept to my comfort zone and focused more on the dance steps. When I was 10 years old, I started covering Korean songs. Back then, it was BoA and TVXQ, who dominated the K-pop stage, so I would copy their music videos and learn the dance steps all by myself at home.

How your passion developed

I have always enjoyed dancing but the only time I ever went for dance classes was for a short span of two months. I was 16 years old then. At 20, I switched my dance style to waacking, a form of street dance entirely different from K-pop. It was a challenge, hence I started taking classes. After six months of learning the dance style, I took part in the Astro Battleground competition. It really pushed my dancing career forward.

Your most memorable experience

It would be my three months’ stint with the Astro Battleground 2016. We were placed in two different dance teams with entirely new teammates. Every week, we had lessons with a new dance teacher, and every week there was a new choreography to pick up. It was like standing at the edge of the cliff every day, but the experience moulded my personality and skills.

What keeps you motivated

The people around me are reasons why I keep moving forward. My parents are the conventional type. They tend to do the opposite of what they say. They forbid me from dancing but deep down, they support my dream and passion. When I was younger, I went all the way to South Korea to audition to enter the K-pop industry. Throughout the entire process, my father was there with me. During the Astro Battleground competition, my mother initially forbade me from going, but after she saw how sad it made me, she

relented. There is always a sense of achievement and satisfaction after being able to break my current boundaries and move forward to a higher level in dancing, so it keeps me going and motivates me to continue.

What you hope to achieve

As of now, I hope that I can improve to be on par with my role model, Ibuki Imata from Japan. I want to continue improving and enjoying myself through dancing. As a law student, dancing has helped me cope with stress.

What you hope teenagers or the general public know about the performing arts

The general public often has prejudice and stereotypes that youths who dance - especially street dancers - are bad influences. I hope people can try out something before judging, and to everyone who is interested in dancing, just go for it! Follow your passion, and you’ll see something ahead.

Chee has the support of her parents in her dance pursuits.

This article was published in the Newspaper in Education (NIE) pullout by The Star Newspaper dated 24 July 2019