All Were Winners At 1Million Dance Studio’s Brisbane Hip Hop Showcase

A few weeks ago Brisbane’s Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts hosted a two-day showcase for 1Million Dance Studios. The event was part of Utopia Entertainment’s K-Pop Hip Hop series, allowing Brisbane’s hip hop dancers and crews to dance with and learn from South Korea’s best street movers and (literal) shakers!

Two of South Korea’s leading choreographers, Sori Na and Mina Myoung, lead dancers through a series of workshops, while Brisbane-based mega Hip Hop crew Academy of Brothers conducted dance classes. The two-day event culminated in a live competition for local crews and solo dancers to showcase their moves and personalities to the 1Million Dance Studios crew and panel.

Reports from those present said every dancer showed plenty of confidence, attitude, and concise and sensual choreography. To sum the showcase up in one word, it was ‘mesmerising’.

After guest dances from Pepero and fan favourite Mina Myoung, Alice Chang (solo), Mundsan (solo), Street Groove (crew), and Avant Garde (crew) were announced as the winners of the live showcase competition. We asked two of the winners about the showcase experience and why they dance!

Mundsan – Solo Dance Winner

How old were you when you first started dancing, and what is the main source of your inspiration to dance and choreograph?

I’ve been dancing for as long I can remember, but I officially started choreography at the age of 17. I bring my inspiration from all kinds of sources…mainly from what the song’s artist is trying to convey or what I feel when I listen to the song.

It can either come from aspects such as experiences from my life or a message I would strongly like to share with an audience, it all depends on how I interpret things! I find a lot of inspiration from other dancers as well as the sense of how others react to the music.

What are things people should know about Brisbane’s dance community?

It’s still a very small community compared to other communities but has a lot of potential. It’s not as connected as it should be and there is something dividing it in a sense. The passionate dancers tend to not know where to start and knowledge about the industry tends to not be shared with everyone…like what dancers actually need to do or knowing about financial road blocks.

How inspiring is meeting and watching the best dancers from South Korea and Brisbane as part of 1Million Dance Studios? And have you since the event changed the way you think about and approach dancing?

The dancing itself was more learning some choreography and how someone from Korea may approach it, which was amazing and is always a pleasure to be able to learn new choreography regardless of teacher or artist.

Learning the culture and where [1Million Dance Studios’ dancers] came from was more fascinating for me than anything else. Lifestyles and life stories naturally can teach many lessons, especially when they are involved with your passion. The experience was definitely a positive and gave me insight on a lot of things which I’m very grateful for, but has not really changes the way I dance…I’m confident in my ability!

The language barrier was a challenge, but the connection an experienced dancer can feel wit another goes beyond words. This confirmed an even deeper meaning in dance for me, that it’s not about what you show or what you do, but how you connect and how you impact one another!

Street Groove – Crew Battle Winners

How much time a week do the crew members put into UQ Street Groove and how does this impact their studies?

It’s at least officially two hours of rehearsals and training a week, all through the semester. This doesn’t include extra time that choreographers put in to make their pieces, or any and all rehearsals that are needed during the week for performances to look good. This can come up to 4-6 hours more in a week, or more.

It’s up to our members to juggle their studies themselves! Most people do need to take breaks from their study to spend time with friends or pursue their own interests. We don’t ask that anyone give up the study time that they need, but we do ask that they consider their commitment to the crew as a reasonable priority above some of their other interests during this time. It’s about respect to the team, and getting through uni and dance together!

Currently UQ Street Groove as a club extends to over 200 students, so will Street Groove ever do ‘flash mobs’ or large performances to try to include every member?

Yes, absolutely! We are very keen as a community to encourage everyone to dance together in a way that builds everybody up. We have plans to do more of these things next year that engage every club member…we’re a community and a family, stay tuned!

Yourselves and Mundsan were among the winners of 1Million Dance Studios’ “battle categories”, as winners what’s the next big thing the UQ Street Groove crew wants to achieve?

Street Groove’s main goal as a club has always been to promote a vibrant and inclusive community centred around our love for dance. Our vision for the Street Groove crew is to allow members to grow together and experience dance and hip hop culture. In future we’d love the crew to be involved in larger scale performances.

We have planned a bigger showcase next year, which we hope can even extend to members who aren’t part of the performance crew. We’re also considering the competitive scene for our performance crew, which is something we’ve only dipped our toes in. It’d be quite a challenge, but none the less a great experience for our members!

Watch some of the highlights of this year’s 1Millions Dance Studios’ Brisbane showcase below! WARNING: It’s a bit provocative!

Find our more about 1Million Dance Studios HERE and Utopia Entertainment HERE