Chan Pui Yi's Glee

If there is one thing Chan Pui Yi (pic) loves to do more than anything, it has to be dancing. Play her some good music and Pui Yi would just dance circles around anyone. The 20-year-old girl simply loves to move. Pui Yi started learning classical ballet at age five, but quit when she turned 11. However, that doesn't mean she stopped dancing altogether. "I did hip hop dancing and cheerleading while in secondary school" says Pui Yi who has picked up several dance genres along the years. She is now into street jazz and contemporary dance and can even do burlesque.

This dancer has appeared on several TV commercials and has performed in local musicals such as Always In Wonderland and Prom The Musical. "I love to dance and am part of a dance group called Awesome. We perform at corporate functions and have even joined several dance competitions," says Pui Yi. Although she is occupied with her dance commitments, Pui Yi stresses that she still allocates time for her studies. Pui Yi is currently pursuing a degree in law and adds that she is also interested in obtaining a diploma in dance someday.

"I love studying law, it is something I wanted to study, and I enjoy it. But I also want to go overseas and get a proper diploma in dance," Pui Yi reveals. She is also very keen to establish herself as a dance choreographer and teacher. "I know that it is quite difficult to establish yourself as a dancer here. That is because very few people appreciate dance and there is no demand for it in Malaysia," she says. Nevertheless, Pui Yi feels that there is hope for one to make it as a dancer in Malaysia in the future. "You can still make it here, I know some people who have done well for themselves as choreographers," she adds. (The Star)

Yes You Can, Samantha Tan!

Samantha Tan, 26, was born and raised in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Originally trained as a rhythmic gymnast, she made the late transition to dance at the age of 18 when she took up ballet, jazz and tap. Within a year of dance training, she had won the Encouragement Award at the 8th Solo Classical Ballet Competition 2004 in Kuala Lumpur. In 2006, she went to England to further her dance studies at the famed London Studio Centre where she graduated with a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre dance.

Currently based in London, Tan made her West End debut at the original London cast of High School Musical in 2008 at the Hammersmith Apollo. She has acted in The King And I twice with two different companies - at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009 and at the Curve Leicester theatre early this year. Tan has also performed at the Brit Awards, danced in many stage shows in Britain and appeared in several television commercials. Other than that, this talented lady has even acted in two Harry Potter movies.

Tan has recently been accepted into the three-year Masters in Fine Arts acting programme at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School in New York. Whilst she is thrilled with the opportunity that has come her way, she is at the same time saddled with the task of trying to raise the money for her lessons in the Big Apple. In order to raise the necessary funds, Tan has set up a blog (refer www.samanthatan.co.uk) and sent out appeals to several Malaysian individuals and companies to seek funds to help finance her studies.

The response to Tan's initiative has been encouraging, with donations totalling US3,700 from all over the world collected so far. Better Malaysia Foundation, which was founded by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, awarded her a partial scholarship of US20,000 a year, which is more than half the annual tuition fees of US34,000 a year over three years to help defray her studies. With that donation, she needs another US45,000 in fees and an additional US50,000 for cost of living and other expenses in the US over three years.

Experience Street Dance Culture At Urban Dance Festival 2009

SMASH Dance Studio of Kota Damansara in Petaling Jaya, Selangor will be co-organizing the Urban Dance Festival 2009 to be held this weekend, February 21 & 22. There will be free workshops and performances by some of the best dance crews, including the champion and finalists of the recent Astro Battleground Finals 2009. A street dance competition will also be held. Further information regarding this event is as follows:-

Venue: Cineleisure Damansara, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya

February 21 2009 - Workshops and Performances.

Join in the free workshops and watch exciting performances:-

LA Hip Hop Workshop by Elecoldxhot, ECX

Reggae Workshop by Twister Genies

House Dance Workshop by Rythmusic, Fei

Punking Workshop by DT4

February 22 2009 - Competition

Showcase your best street dance routine and win the following prizes :-

3 X Champion Crew - Cash RM500 plus medals and trophy

3 X Outstanding Crew - Cash RM300 plus medals and trophy

4 X Consolation Prize - Cash RM100 plus medals

Rules: Limited to 22 teams only

Registration: RM20 per team

To register for this street dance competition, kindly contact Chan Wan Hoong at 017-3342411, email cw_hoong@hotmail.com, or Lee Hun Keong at 012-3376037. For more information regarding the Urban Dance Festival 2009, please check out www.smash.com.my or www.hiphopasia.blogspot.com.

Street dance is a generic term used to describe dance styles that have evolved outside of the dance studios and onto open spaces such as streets, parks, school courtyards, etc. They are often social in nature and involves improvisations and interactions with other dancers and the spectators. Generally, a street dance is based on a unique style or feel that is expressed through the dance, usually tied to a certain music genre. The street dances include hip hop, popping, locking, breakdance, krumping, punking, reggae, jazz and house dance. Street dance competitions are getting increasingly popular and several international events are held around the world every year. These competitions focus not only on judged battles but also on choreographed shows as well.

Best Regards,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Have A Smashing Time At SMASH Dance Workshops

SMASH (School of Martial Arts, Skilled dance and Health) of 2-3A Jalan PJU 5/11, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya will be organizing free dance workshops this Saturday and Sunday at the PWTC Youth '09 Festival in Kuala Lumpur. The workshops are a prelude to the "Best Dance Crew Street Dance" workshops which will be held from March 16 to March 21 2009 during the school holidays. The details of the free workshops are as follows:-

Venue: Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur

Date: January 10, Saturday

11.30 am to 12.00 noon - New Jazz by Zoey

4.00 pm to 4.30 pm - Locking by ECX (Elecoldxhot)

6.30 pm to 7.00 pm - Break Dancing by Azim

Date: January 11, Sunday

2.00 pm to 2.30 pm - Popping by ECX (Elecoldxhot)

7.30 pm to 8.00 pm - Hip Hop by ECX (Elecoldxhot)

SMASH, which was established in October 2007, promotes itself as a hybrid studio offering a fusion of classic and urban performing and physical arts to people from all walks of life who want to enhance their lifestyle in a world of growing concern of physical fitness. SMASH offers about 20 different types of dance and physical arts classes including, hip hop, new jazz, street dance, break dance, tap dance, line dance, belly dance, social dance, salsa, yoga, pilates, capoeira, taekwondo and aikido.

The "Best Dance Crew Street Dance" workshops in March 2009 will be presented by ECX (Elecoldxhot), Twister Genies and Project Elemenz (PEZ). The workshops will focus on several topics including street jazz, reggae, popping, locking, LA hip hop and breaking. Here is your opportunity to learn New Age street dance from some of the best dance crews in Malaysia. For more information regarding SMASH, kindly contact 016-2224865/03-61416335, email enquiries@smash.com.my or check out their website at http://www.smash.com.my/.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia