It's interesting how people view one another as part of a "race". For instance, Asians as a race, Africans as a race, Caucasians as a race, etc.
When I first came to South East Asia, I was really impressed by the natives' ability to point out, at first glance, the various nationalities of other Asians, e.g. Koreans, Chinese (South), Japanese, Malays, etc, without even hearing them speak!
What was even more interesting to me was how people in the arts and entertainment industry could work together, even though they don't speak the same language.
Do you realize that dance and music seem to be one of the few embodiments we all share as humans?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A Hint of Jazz and Razzmatazz
As part of my objective to introduce the heritage of Jazz Dance to Asia, I would be conducting a series of dance workshops, "Best of Jazz" series, using Singapore as my launch pad. The workshop series would commence on Tuesday, 21 August 2007 and Saturday, 25 August 2007 respectively.
The "Best of Jazz" dance workshop series includes a mix of all the various jazz dance styles such as Broadway, Lyrical, Latin, Street and Modern. Workshops would run for five to six weeks and would include special dance styles such as Afro-Jazz as well as dance appreciation workshops once schedules are confirmed.
Click here for more details.
The "Best of Jazz" dance workshop series includes a mix of all the various jazz dance styles such as Broadway, Lyrical, Latin, Street and Modern. Workshops would run for five to six weeks and would include special dance styles such as Afro-Jazz as well as dance appreciation workshops once schedules are confirmed.
Click here for more details.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Flying The Coop
Some people tell me that I barely have an American accent when I speak, especially when I am at work in the production arena or training people in choreography and dance.
Perhaps it is because I’d spent the past 17 years of my life in Asia, living in Thailand, Japan and Singapore and I may have unknowingly assimilated into the beautiful Asian landscape. One very positive value which I’d noticed in this part of the world is that it is customary for Asian children to care for their parents in their golden years. My Asian friends tell me that this really is very “Confucius”, a value which I find admirable. In the US, children see their parents once a year, mainly to celebrate the festivities. See the disparity?
Many of my adult Asian friends still live with their parents, again something which is rare in the West… and I personally believe that all children should leave their nests at some point to rough it out on their own.
In the States, we use a phrase called “Flying the Coop”, which literally refers to the time when the young leaves their nests, take flight and spread their wings to stand on their own two feet.
Enough of rhetorics…
The point that I am attempting to drive home is that after spending so many years in Asia, having seen the dance industry evolve and grow, I believe that the time has come for Asian dancers to “fly the coop”.
As seen in the recent Channel 5’s dance reality programme, The Dance Floor and the South West District Dance Journey, young budding Asian dancers are embracing, emulating, imitating and executing with perfection, western dance styles. It’s incredible how quickly local dancers, in particular Singaporeans, have adopted dance forms that are not indigenous to their culture and perform it with flare, panache and professionalism rivaling those dancers in the USA…I kid you not.
I was chatting with my friend Lionel Araya, of LA Dance Connection the other day and we came to the conclusion that Asians are better suited to perform and execute modern Hip Hop, Locking and Popping dance styles, partly due to their stature and the way that their bodies are structured.
We concurred that it is now time for Asian dancers to graduate and stop replicating the moves from the West. Eastern style dancing is beautiful in its own form and it’s time for Asian dancers, be it Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Balinese, to create their own hybrid of modern popular dance and take it to the next level.
TV viewership numbers and positive feedback for the Asian Dance segment overwhelmed all other weekly dance segments during MediaCorp’s The Dance Floor.
When I sitting on the judging panel of the recent South West District Dance Journey, I was very impressed by the creative ingenuity of the young dancers in Singapore and the intelligent choreographic fusion of East and West. It was remarkable, something we rarely see in the West.
Perhaps, the time has come, to leave the nest…fly the coop…class is over.
Show the world what you’re made of. Make the world sit up and see you DANCE.
Perhaps it is because I’d spent the past 17 years of my life in Asia, living in Thailand, Japan and Singapore and I may have unknowingly assimilated into the beautiful Asian landscape. One very positive value which I’d noticed in this part of the world is that it is customary for Asian children to care for their parents in their golden years. My Asian friends tell me that this really is very “Confucius”, a value which I find admirable. In the US, children see their parents once a year, mainly to celebrate the festivities. See the disparity?
Many of my adult Asian friends still live with their parents, again something which is rare in the West… and I personally believe that all children should leave their nests at some point to rough it out on their own.
In the States, we use a phrase called “Flying the Coop”, which literally refers to the time when the young leaves their nests, take flight and spread their wings to stand on their own two feet.
Enough of rhetorics…
The point that I am attempting to drive home is that after spending so many years in Asia, having seen the dance industry evolve and grow, I believe that the time has come for Asian dancers to “fly the coop”.
As seen in the recent Channel 5’s dance reality programme, The Dance Floor and the South West District Dance Journey, young budding Asian dancers are embracing, emulating, imitating and executing with perfection, western dance styles. It’s incredible how quickly local dancers, in particular Singaporeans, have adopted dance forms that are not indigenous to their culture and perform it with flare, panache and professionalism rivaling those dancers in the USA…I kid you not.
I was chatting with my friend Lionel Araya, of LA Dance Connection the other day and we came to the conclusion that Asians are better suited to perform and execute modern Hip Hop, Locking and Popping dance styles, partly due to their stature and the way that their bodies are structured.
We concurred that it is now time for Asian dancers to graduate and stop replicating the moves from the West. Eastern style dancing is beautiful in its own form and it’s time for Asian dancers, be it Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Balinese, to create their own hybrid of modern popular dance and take it to the next level.
TV viewership numbers and positive feedback for the Asian Dance segment overwhelmed all other weekly dance segments during MediaCorp’s The Dance Floor.
When I sitting on the judging panel of the recent South West District Dance Journey, I was very impressed by the creative ingenuity of the young dancers in Singapore and the intelligent choreographic fusion of East and West. It was remarkable, something we rarely see in the West.
Perhaps, the time has come, to leave the nest…fly the coop…class is over.
Show the world what you’re made of. Make the world sit up and see you DANCE.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Dance Like No One's Watching
Interestingly, I was having a chat with one of my former students, who is a bit of a philosopher and we both agreed that there are life’s lessons in dance.
Let me tell you more. I was in Bangkok on a work trip and met up with an old buddy of mine, Adrian (Adie), the man behind this awesome online travel site http://www.thailandhop.com/ and its domestic site: http://www.earthhop.co.th/
Adie, being a hospitable Briton living in Thailand, invites me over for a barbeque, something which we used to do when we were colleagues back at our APEC CEO production gig back in 2003. I love cooking; it’s therapeutic and extremely relaxing. All the housekeepers out there must be cringing now but seriously, cooking is fun and ever since my dad taught me how to cook, I’d been hooked.
In between running back and forth from the kitchen to the barbeque pit I was having a blast playing with Adie’s little girl, Emily. She’s so adorable and smart as a wick. One can tell how intelligent she is in the manner which she lifts her eyebrow or tilts her head when you try talking baby-speak with her.
“Give me sentences with correct syntax, structure and meaning or I’ll spit at you” she seemed to respond while looking at adults make complete fools of themselves. Well, she is a wonderful kid and I am not saying that because she’s my friend’s baby.
So, Emily starts walking around the house looking all important and Moo, Adie's wife puts on some pop music by Tata Young and suddenly, on cue, this little giggly 18-month old dancing diva starts shaking her hips and bobbing her head. I must point out that she’s not cracking any pirouettes or front batman kicks but, she’d sure be in line for my Tuesday evening's soft and sexy lyrical class. Emily is awesome.
Does this scene sound familiar? Struck a chord somewhere? Remember the Ally McBeal's Dancing Baby in the late 90s? That's the image that I was trying to illustrate.
Infants/ Toddlers are by nature fascinated with music. And what’s the first action they start doing once they can stand on their own?
DANCE!!!
You don’t see them spouting off complicated algorithms or debate ethics, when they start babbling their first sounds. You don’t see them sketching airplanes or skyscrapers when they’re able to wiggle their fingers.
They are born to dance, just as we are.
The next time, you think that you may have two left feet, think again. Look back to the times when you swayed to the music that caught the rhythm of your soul.
Adie later turned to me and asked, “Bill, do you think she’s too young to start taking dance or creative movement classes”?
"Never too young and never to old to start learning", was my response. Which is the same reply I give to people when they ask me whether they’re too old to start or continue dancing.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Waxing Lyrical
"We are all dancers...the difference lies in the quality of our training"Some of you have emailed me before asking about the definition of lyrical Jazz.
Lyrical is a fusion of the best in ballet, modern and jazz set to slower tempo music. Think long, beautiful poses and languid movement. Lyrical jazz is an excellent training platform for control, extension and balance in execution of poses, turns and jumps.
Check out my upcoming workshops commencing Tues, Aug 21 here
La Vie En Rose
It took me a good three minutes to grasp the pronunciation of La Vie en Rose (us Americans have little to do with the French and I have honestly forgotten much about this foreign tongue that I'd once learnt in high school).And so, when someone suggested that we go catch La Vie en Rose, the latest movie to hit town, I replied in the positive, not knowing what the movie was about. What I experienced changed my perception of cinematic performances by an actress forever.
Up until now I’d thought the US was the resounding force behind acting excellence and academy award-winning performances…hogwash!
La Vie en Rose, in my humble opinion, was not a movie that made the best chronological sense. For instance, I found the script disjointed, continuity in chaos and historical reference incongruous. Case in point, I couldn't make out the exact sequence of Édith Piaf's life, when she had her child and when she started suffering from her morphine and alcohol addiction.
However, Marion Cotillard’s performance of Édith Piaf was one of the most extraordinary performances I had ever witnessed. Before lavishing in Marion’s engagement I’d only relished in performances from divas like Meryl Streep, Hilary Shwank, Jody Foster, Angela Basset or Diana Ross (my favorite actresses in Hollywood award-winning performances).
That has all changed.
What Marion has done for the 20th Century is a peek back to theatrical brilliances of Bettie Davis, Elizabeth Taylor and Vivian Lee. Few of you may know these female divas. It matters not. Marion Cotillard is your portal back in time.
You NEED TO SEE Ms Cotillard’s performance.
Why? Check this out.
The acting stops entirely. What Marion does is not mere acting. It is pure and simply the total immersion of a contemporary mortal into that of a presence who existed long ago. Set your preconcepts aside and just go and watch how deep an individual is willing to go to capture the full passion of life…Marion Cotillard does this - she grabs you and yanks you through a cinematic escapade that will have you tilting your head in doubt the next time you watch local productions.
La Vie en Rose has delivered next year’s Oscar winner. Mark my words. If Marion doesn’t stomp away with an academy award I’ll eat my dance shorts.
Beyond The Stage Door
As I travelled out of Singapore yesterday, I saw some sleep deprived people at the Changi International Airport, all set and ready to catch the very first flight out to some regional country for turnaround meetings. Which set me thinking in retrospect - again.
Many of you have watched 'The Dance Floor' but most of you wouldn't know about what went on behind the scenes of Singapore's first dance reality programme that was recently aired on Channel 5.
No, it’s not your sleazy story sub-basement slander of secrets the tabloids rant about…it’s the real human interest stories/ behind-the-scenes tales of sweat, toil and PASSION.
Get this, nearly all of the top ten dance competitors shuffled rigorous day jobs and late night dance rehearsals. Some competitors were performing to perfection on stage, in front of the camera and retching their guts out backstage during the commercial breaks — on one occasion it was food poisoning the other time it was just pure, old-fashion flu due to being rundown with a hectic schedule of work and rehearsal.
There were no guaranteed corporate endorsement dance deals like you see in the US. There were no professional gig guarantees. There were no training subsidies or product sponsorships...there wasn’t even a second, third or commendation award for anyone aside from the winner.
'The Dance Floor' participants sweat, took leave, sprained hands and ankles, vomited, got only tidbits of sleep, struggled and stressed with weekly choreographic challenges and most assuredly battled personal dilemmas all for the name of DANCE! That’s the purest form of dedication there is.
So, before all of those nay-sayers dismiss the efforts, talent and commitment of Singaporean dancers. Before judgments be cast upon those who 'dabbled in fun' instead of the practicality of the corporate world. Before comparisons be cast between American and local aspirants, pause should be given in honor of those whom have journeyed so far, for so little in the name of LIFE, PASSION and the PURSUIT of a dream of dance.
We must ask ourselves — as we drone in our mundane and mediocre dailies — when was the last time we sacrificed so much for so little, in the pursuit of a passion, which is dance?
Sleep on it...
Many of you have watched 'The Dance Floor' but most of you wouldn't know about what went on behind the scenes of Singapore's first dance reality programme that was recently aired on Channel 5.
No, it’s not your sleazy story sub-basement slander of secrets the tabloids rant about…it’s the real human interest stories/ behind-the-scenes tales of sweat, toil and PASSION.
Get this, nearly all of the top ten dance competitors shuffled rigorous day jobs and late night dance rehearsals. Some competitors were performing to perfection on stage, in front of the camera and retching their guts out backstage during the commercial breaks — on one occasion it was food poisoning the other time it was just pure, old-fashion flu due to being rundown with a hectic schedule of work and rehearsal.
There were no guaranteed corporate endorsement dance deals like you see in the US. There were no professional gig guarantees. There were no training subsidies or product sponsorships...there wasn’t even a second, third or commendation award for anyone aside from the winner.
'The Dance Floor' participants sweat, took leave, sprained hands and ankles, vomited, got only tidbits of sleep, struggled and stressed with weekly choreographic challenges and most assuredly battled personal dilemmas all for the name of DANCE! That’s the purest form of dedication there is.
So, before all of those nay-sayers dismiss the efforts, talent and commitment of Singaporean dancers. Before judgments be cast upon those who 'dabbled in fun' instead of the practicality of the corporate world. Before comparisons be cast between American and local aspirants, pause should be given in honor of those whom have journeyed so far, for so little in the name of LIFE, PASSION and the PURSUIT of a dream of dance.
We must ask ourselves — as we drone in our mundane and mediocre dailies — when was the last time we sacrificed so much for so little, in the pursuit of a passion, which is dance?
Sleep on it...
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