34
woot!
smoothmoves
AraLunasharesthebenefitsofcombining
hertwopassions—travelanddance
getting
into the groove
Left:Araand
her crewat the
DanzPeople
recital; (below,
from left)Araat
theSummer Jam
DanceCamp in
Singapore;with
adancer and
instructor from
theUSA,Mariel
Madrid
Hip-hopdance is constantly
evolving—new techniques
aredevelopedalmost every
dayaround theworld.As
a serious hip-hopdance
enthusiast, I feel compelled
to learn thesenewmoves,
expandmydancevocabulary
andpushmybody’s limits.
This compulsionhas led
me todance studios here in
Singapore, where I ambased,
toas far asMelbourne,
Australia.
Indulgingmy twopassions
—danceand travel—adds
color to thedrearyhues of
a9-to-5.Myday jobas a
full-timewriter at an internet
marketingfirm involves
longhours of serious article
churningonanofficedesk.
While I likewhat I do, I
frequently catchmyself
decidingwhich country I’ll
be traveling tonext, and
scouringhip-hopdance
classeswithin that area.
Having several upcoming
tripsbookedbattles the
burnout feelingawhite-collar
professionusuallyevokes.
Attending classes
overseas alsogivesme
the chance tomakenew
friends. Ina class I attended
inBangkok, I chattedupa
fellow studentwhilewaiting
for class to start.Despite
the languagebarrier (he’s
Thai), weendedupbeing
good friendsby the time
theone-hour sessionwas
over.We stillmanage to
keep in touch regularly, and
even take classes together
whenever heflies toSingapore.
Tome that experience isproof
that dancing, likemusic, is a
universal language that can
connect people.
Beingexposed to
choreographers of various
nationalities is another reason I
travel todance. Their different
techniques and ideasbroaden
myunderstandingof dancing
as anart, and in turn, helpme
improvemy craft.
One reason I ampassionate
about dancing is that one can
never beanexpert in it. It’s
a learning journey.Minehas
already takenme tomany
places, and I’m sure itwill take
me tomanymore.
@
SEEARA’SVIDEOS
CHECKOUTHERBLOG
OURDAILYPANCAKE.COM
ANDFOLLOW
@OURDAILYPANCAKEON INSTAGRAM.
Ara in full
performance
mode
ARA’SDANCE
DIRECTORY
BIGSHIFT
DANKACENTRALE
bigshiftstudios.com/danka
3rdLevel,A.VenueMall
MakatiAvenue,
MakatiCity, Philippines
Recommended
instructors:
ErikJavier
andNeshJaniola
OSCHOOL
oschool.com.sg
*SCAPE, 2OrchardLink
#04–04, Singapore
Recommended
instructors:
GinLam,
FredyKosman, Jasmine
LeeandZaihar
ENDANCESTUDIO
en-dance-studio.com
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Recommended
instructor:
Koharu
Sugawara
GROOVE
STUDIOBANGKOK
facebook.com/
groovestudiobangkok
3rdfloor,AsiaBldg
BTSRatchthatewi Exit 3
Bangkok, Thailand
Recommended
instructor:
ThanaLim
