Dancers who dare: Keegan and Japheth
This is our second story on ‘Dancers who Dare’, where we talk to The Legacy Experience (TLE) graduates to find out more about their experience in the programme while at the same time, interact with these dancers on a more personal level to break down any barriers of silence. We hope that this conversation encourages others to likewise dare to experience new possibilities and life opportunities for themselves!
Read More: ‘Dancers who Dare: Denise Ong, co-founder of Jaded Macarons’
In this series, we have Keegan and Japh who are both young adults in their 20s, each fending for themselves with full-time jobs while continuing to be active dancers. Both Japh and Keegan were part of our Trainee Crew and recently joined the ranks of our main Legacy Dance Crew.
Dancers in the Trainee Crew get to develop skills and gain experience in creating and teaching, as well as harvest leadership qualities to help them mature as individuals and hopefully then guide other budding dancers to do so.
Get ready to read the exclusive sharings about dance, TLE and more from the male dancers in this series below.
1. When did you start to learn dancing?
KEEGAN: I started dancing in secondary school under the Modern Dance CCA, which was a mixture of style, experimenting with contemporary and jazz, but back then it was still nothing too serious for me.
When I entered ITE, I then focused entirely on my studies in order to obtain the grades requirement to enter into polytechnic for further studies.
I managed to do that, entered Ngee Ann Poly and thereafter joined New Revolving Age (poly dance CCA), experimenting with Breakin’ with the help of a dance senior back then. Ever since, I have always had an interest in leading, be it in dance (coming up with steps for choreography), or even in the army as an appointed sergeant. My style of dance was heavily influenced by Breakin’, using movements like threading and tracing into my own choreography now. However, thanks to my 1 year of Contemporary training in secondary school, it has allowed me to appreciate the more elegant side of dance too.
JAPH: I always had an interest to start dancing, being influenced by television shows and entertainment. High School Musical was the one that really inspired me!
As a young child however, the environment I was in back then didn’t have heavy emphasis on dance or visual arts as compared to now, but more so of sports and music.
It was only in polytechnic that I started regaining my interest for dance due to a dance performance that I had watched on a school stage while supporting a friend who then encouraged me to learn dance from external courses. I started Hip Hop under Recognize Studio, after calling them to enquire about course details. I recall there being a lot of joy, as that decision solidified my pursuit of dance!
2. How did you then join TLE? Any instructors that impacted you?
KEEGAN: The reason why I joined TLE in the first place was because of how I wanted dance to be back in my bones after the long pause I took for studies and army back then. So then, I joined in 2017 and went through the first semester with instructor Sebastian. It was then that I realized how bad my foundations in techniques had become! There were many other instructors that helped me along the way as well due to the various dance styles like Locking, Hip Hop and House.
One instructor that I looked up to the most was Chelsea. I resonate with her style of teaching and dance the most, as she looks at the students not just as dancers, but as human beings first. She has impacted my own style of teaching; as a current dance educator myself, I have learned to look at my students beyond just their dancing ability but also their character.
JAPH: Back then, there was an event called ‘Singapore Community Dance Camp’ happening and I immediately signed up for it, knowing that it might be a rare opportunity to resume my pursuit of dance. Eventually I signed up for it, but I was alone in the journey of doing so. While being alone at the start of the camp, I started to notice that there were a lot of instructors from Legacy Dance Co. In the dance camp, I started to really crave for more human connections. It was hard as many dancers already had their own cliques and group of friends. However, the camp helped me to open up as people were willing to reach out to me (shout out to SUTD dancers!) and I realized I wanted to start becoming more involved in a dance community, rather than being a so called ‘lone-ranger’.
Throughout the camp, I also started becoming more curious about Legacy Dance Co and the idea of going for the tryouts, to understand more about the The Legacy Experience programme they are offering for anyone who is interested to join their community.
When I went for the tryouts, I was really drawn in by the idea of community and having a safe space to dance, which was exactly what TLE had to offer. As much as I wanted to say “oh I just want to dance and only dance”, deep down, I knew I wanted a space with people to dance alongside with.
There were a lot of instructors that inspired me! It was one of my greatest blessings to be taught by both Serene and Lester Fisherman as they were the kind of instructors that support students to do their best while at the same time, expect and push them to reach their high standards. Their high expectations for the students really resonated with my own inner expectations for myself in dance and really gave me the push and drive to train harder during every TLE session.
3. Most memorable/challenging TLE projects?
KEEGAN: Personally, I love recitals and productions a lot. Training together with the same group and choreographer for a singular item had allowed me to evidently witness my own growth in dance, because of the amount of time and effort put into it. Of course, it came with its own struggles such as having to work with different people (sometimes it could be 10 to 30 people per dance item). But, I do still see the best side of productions despite mini arguments or friction between teammates, simply because of the love for the stage.
A challenge I had experienced was having to work with randomized teammates for the ‘Try Your Best’ showcase, to come up with an agreed set of choreography together. The biggest struggle is in maintaining discipline despite different commitments while having the lack of initial experiences in working together for showcases. Everyone has their own expectations too and it gets heated when those expectations do not match one another. And so, it is important to iron out all expectations from the start, even before choosing the song choices or choreographing. A step further would be learning to compromise and adapt beyond just discussing expectations, as everyone in the team is different!
JAPH: 2018 ‘Co-Exist’! There were indeed many high ‘highs’ and low ‘lows’. That period was also the hardest for myself. Physically, emotionally and spiritually because I was in the midst of an end of a bad relationship, all while feeling lost after completing national service.
My relationships with people were really bad as I was constantly lashing out at others for no reason at times. I definitely brought a lot of what was happening in my life into dance itself. At that point, I wanted to just stop dancing and move on with life, to pursue the expectations of ‘adulting’ such as getting a full-time job.
However, my then ‘Co-Exist’ dance item in-charges, Yide and Fish, actually noticed that I had a change in mood and motivation for the performance and dance in general. They talked to me about it and personally asked me how things were going and to see if I wanted to stay on for the performance. They did not rush me for a decision but instead encouraged me to prioritize figuring out life first, all while being open about staying on - if that was what I wanted.
It did not cross my mind that instructors were not just instructors, but people whom I could call friends. That conversation was the turning point, as I decided to make a change; to improve my life and stop the toxic behaviour I was engaging in.
4. Psst! Expose some secrets of the Trainee Crew to us please!
KEEGAN: You get to train together with instructors! We are constantly undergoing different types of training, such as body conditioning or learning choreographies with instructors who volunteer to share monthly. I am still playing the role of a student, while being pushed to become an instructor or educator of dance while training alongside instructors.
While in the Trainee Crew, I have the opportunity to understand how other instructors conduct themselves and am able to learn alongside them, learning how to tackle certain scenarios such as “what if the students are not catching the steps?”. I think the fun side is getting to witness instructors you do not normally talk to in an open class setting training together alongside you in the Trainee Crew! I can really see that ultimately we are all dancers seeking growth together!
Apart from working on the technical aspect of dance, we were also given a lot of opportunities to build on our leadership abilities, through means such as evaluation of our teaching skills during open classes!
JAPH: I would say that Trainee Crew is an avenue for individuals and students to really train hard alongside a group of people, learning to become leaders/teachers/instructors in their own little pockets of the community and also to develop and find their unique style and flavour in an environment that pushes, nurtures and supports you. It’s kind of like an ecosystem.
It’s an environment that allows you to foster deeper bonds with your instructor and crew mates through training and human-to-human talks, but also an important avenue for those that really want to refine their style and flavour in dancing.
As iron sharpens iron, being in an environment with people constantly pushing themselves around you definitely will result in individual growth as a dancer and as a person. This is truly a place where you can say that the journey has just started and there are many paths of possibilities that await.
You just have to give it your all, trust the process and believe in yourself just as everyone around you has already believed in you in the first place.
5. Finally...Share one personal mentality in dance of yours that is also apt for life!
KEEGAN: One mentality that has always inspired me since young is that there are no shortcuts to places worth going.
Life and dance are tied together, and often we do hear that it is not the destination but the journey that matters most, and if we want to reach the destinations that are worthwhile for us, we need to put in the work.
I do not mean to grind or work your whole life away…What I mean is that even if we could reach certain destinations by taking shortcuts, we are “short-changing” ourselves of the full value or essence of the experience that we could have gotten if we had chosen to commit completely, at our 100%.
JAPH: I realize that people these days get demoralized fast. Having gone through that kind of phase myself, I would not want anyone else to go through that too.
It is okay to push yourself to a certain extent, but it is also important to be kind to yourself. Know that you are there to dance and that you do not base your entire life on that. There is so much to life out there that creates beauty in living each day and making each day unique. There are many days ahead for us to improve even if we screw up in a particular class. And yes, you can and will do better next time. You are your greatest critic and BOTH your greatest comforter AND competitor. So, be kind to yourself but do not short-change yourself. Expect the best from yourself and also do your best. You will not regret a single thing at that moment, I promise.
If you would like to connect:
Follow Keegan here on Social Media!