Reviews

It was around Autumn/Winter 2017 when I first started learning the piece “That’s All”. I remember it because I was practising in my dorm room in London when I went on exchange in Spring 2018. After all these years, I finally completed the dance this spring!

You might be wondering, “7 years to learn this one single piece?”

Haha! The truth is, it’s not just this piece, and it’s not just 7 years! You can take any part of our warm-up routine, any jazz standard we improvise with, and any fully choreographed piece and dance to it over and over again, year after year.🤣 Learning the steps is just the bare minimum (which I wouldn’t say is easy to start with😳😝). The real fun begins after you have learnt all the steps by heart! Are you playing every note out loud precisely on the spot? Can you count and dance at the same time? Is it the original tempo? Are you aware and in control of your whole body? Are you placing your weight right? Is it clean without unwanted noises? If you can imagine how challenging it is to do all of the above solo, imagine having everyone do so in a group performance…! Aha~ That’s why there wasn’t a single moment of boredom after 7 years of dancing to the studio playlist! You see the steps in your mind, you hear the rhythms in your ears, and you feel the itch in your heart to dance.

Before tap dancing, I would have never thought of becoming a “dancer”. Chubby, thick legs, uncoordinated limbs, awkward body movements… How would I ever dance gracefully?! Thanks to my sister’s company, I decided to try it out for a month... But look at me now, still tapping!😆 Aside from the regular tap class, Anthony makes sure to incorporate yoga sessions from time to time. It’s not just a time to stretch, but also a time to be completely honest with our body and connect with our mind. Throughout the years, I’ve learnt to embrace my body. Whatever your size, shape, gender or age, you can be a dancer. But only through constant practice and training can you uncover the potential your body holds.

Last but by no means least, let’s talk about the people here! So glad to have met everyone here, once a week for 7 years, and be a part of each other’s growth! 🥰The studio is a place full of life. Together we drill grab-offs, sweat, do corpse poses, count every bar, cheat (copying others instead of memorising the steps XD), perform, come in like zombies after school/work, eat cakes… All those days when we danced together will forever be in my heart.

A few nights earlier, I vividly dreamed of being back in the studio dancing. The joy of tap dancing truly makes me homesick. 🥹 So, is that all? I guess for now… But we’ll meet again!❤️

 

Note: Last week I visited Griffith Park, Los Angeles - the place where they shot the “A Lovely Night” scene in La La Land - the movie that brought me to tap dance! So is this the “City of Stars” full of dreams? Just like in Hong Kong, the light pollution in this city is serious. You can see only starlight from the street lamps, car headlights, and windows. Written on the wooden hang tag at the studio, “However big our heart, however big our stage.” Anywhere can be a stage to dance, and a stage to live. We shine the brightest not when the dreams come true, but when we dream on. So let’s dream on!❤️