15 minutes with Ian (aka Chunky)
I met up with Ian (aka Chunky) at a locking session he organized over at Danz People Studio. It was a fun session with an educational purpose. This session was actually the first for the Lion City Lockers, a group started where dancers who enjoy locking come together to jam.
Caleb cornered me with his camera. Ahh!
For those who are interested in joining their sessions can drop us a mail to check for the dates of their next upcoming session.
For those who are interested in joining their sessions can drop us a mail to check for the dates of their next upcoming session.
The funkiest breed of dancers coming out from the Lion City Itself!
QN 1. How did you get started in dancing? And what made you a Locker?
"I began sometime in 2002. I started with watching Korean Music videos by H.O.T and Shinhwa and tried copying their choreography. Like any other typical newbie, I mistook what I was doing as Hip-Hop. However, unknowingly some of the moves that I copied were Locking moves. Thus my dance steps were fed to me by the videos I watched. (very ‘biter’ right?)
The one event that changed my perception of dance was from Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular held in mid 2005. The Lockers were dancing to James Brown’s ‘Get up off that thing”. The horns kept sounding into my ear. It really blew me away. The Lockers wore the funkiest things ever. The big apple hats, suspenders, stripey socks and their repertoires of moves glued my eyes onto the stage. It hit me hard. It was so different and it was something more than ‘cool’ or ‘attitude’. It was mad fun to watch. With that piece of music in mind, I continued to explore this music style. Boy, I fell in love with the Funk, and learning to Lock was the only way I could connect with the music. This was the beginning."
QN 2. Could you tell us more about your experience in being a dancer?
"I started very much on my own trying and experimenting with different things I saw on videos. It wasn’t an easy process because there was no one to guide me and I had to correct a lot of wrong stuff as I progressed along the way. It was frustrating to relearn things over and over.
It all changed with the invention of Youtube. The only way I could improve was to post up videos of my dancing and await critiques by other dancers. My fate changed on the day I met Aga, a Locker from Taiwan whom came across my videos and made friends with me. Through his generosity, he fed me with music, knowledge, clips and a lot of support to what I was doing. It was through him where I got to know Lockers from other countries as well! My contacts have grown. Until one fine day, I realized that Aga was one of the first Lockers in Taiwan. A true pioneer and he belongs to a crew called Swift Lockers; a revolutionary group from Kaohsiung that has won a series of competitions(like KOD 06 in China).
In a way Aga has became my shifu (master) and I’m indebted to him for all that he’s taught me. One thing that impressed upon me was his notion of Lockers a brotherhood and just because we had the common thing in Locking that he was giving me so much help. I could not have gotten where I am today if not for his love."
QN 3. Could you tell us more about your trip to Taiwan last year.
"I actually went down to Taiwan twice within a short span of 3 months. The first trip was for a performance with O-School and the other was a solo trip for training. I met up with Aga for the first time finally. He brought me to his studio, Max Studio. I was blown away by the great warmth and hospitality by their dancers there. There was no such thing as ‘levels’. As long as you’re a street dancer the amount of respect is always the same. Dance is seen to be expressive there, unlike our very commercial local scene. Things here were simple but the dancing was always genuine. Everyone was humble and it was a great experience to be able to jam with some of the funkiest lockers in the country. The laymen in general knew the differences in the different dance styles (when asked what is locking, they would give a wrist twirl and point). It shows how educated their scene is."
QN 4. Updates on your Foreign Bodies (FB) project?
QN 1. How did you get started in dancing? And what made you a Locker?
"I began sometime in 2002. I started with watching Korean Music videos by H.O.T and Shinhwa and tried copying their choreography. Like any other typical newbie, I mistook what I was doing as Hip-Hop. However, unknowingly some of the moves that I copied were Locking moves. Thus my dance steps were fed to me by the videos I watched. (very ‘biter’ right?)
The one event that changed my perception of dance was from Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular held in mid 2005. The Lockers were dancing to James Brown’s ‘Get up off that thing”. The horns kept sounding into my ear. It really blew me away. The Lockers wore the funkiest things ever. The big apple hats, suspenders, stripey socks and their repertoires of moves glued my eyes onto the stage. It hit me hard. It was so different and it was something more than ‘cool’ or ‘attitude’. It was mad fun to watch. With that piece of music in mind, I continued to explore this music style. Boy, I fell in love with the Funk, and learning to Lock was the only way I could connect with the music. This was the beginning."
QN 2. Could you tell us more about your experience in being a dancer?
"I started very much on my own trying and experimenting with different things I saw on videos. It wasn’t an easy process because there was no one to guide me and I had to correct a lot of wrong stuff as I progressed along the way. It was frustrating to relearn things over and over.
It all changed with the invention of Youtube. The only way I could improve was to post up videos of my dancing and await critiques by other dancers. My fate changed on the day I met Aga, a Locker from Taiwan whom came across my videos and made friends with me. Through his generosity, he fed me with music, knowledge, clips and a lot of support to what I was doing. It was through him where I got to know Lockers from other countries as well! My contacts have grown. Until one fine day, I realized that Aga was one of the first Lockers in Taiwan. A true pioneer and he belongs to a crew called Swift Lockers; a revolutionary group from Kaohsiung that has won a series of competitions(like KOD 06 in China).
In a way Aga has became my shifu (master) and I’m indebted to him for all that he’s taught me. One thing that impressed upon me was his notion of Lockers a brotherhood and just because we had the common thing in Locking that he was giving me so much help. I could not have gotten where I am today if not for his love."
QN 3. Could you tell us more about your trip to Taiwan last year.
"I actually went down to Taiwan twice within a short span of 3 months. The first trip was for a performance with O-School and the other was a solo trip for training. I met up with Aga for the first time finally. He brought me to his studio, Max Studio. I was blown away by the great warmth and hospitality by their dancers there. There was no such thing as ‘levels’. As long as you’re a street dancer the amount of respect is always the same. Dance is seen to be expressive there, unlike our very commercial local scene. Things here were simple but the dancing was always genuine. Everyone was humble and it was a great experience to be able to jam with some of the funkiest lockers in the country. The laymen in general knew the differences in the different dance styles (when asked what is locking, they would give a wrist twirl and point). It shows how educated their scene is."
QN 4. Updates on your Foreign Bodies (FB) project?
"We’re currently working on a DVD which will tell people more about Foreign Bodies. It will hopefully be out by the end of the year."
"What is interesting to me about this project was how I blog about my progress. So people will know what is coming up and will anticipate it. An update to look out for is that FB will be traveling down to Taiwan in April to be part of the Max Studio Party 08. It will be a showcase as well as a battle event with Brooklyn Terry from Elite force gracing the event. I reckon a lot of great footages will be prepared and posted! So watch out for that!"
QN 5. What is it that keeps you inspired and motivated in dance?
QN 5. What is it that keeps you inspired and motivated in dance?
Dance brings people together.
"Music was the thing that got me dancing and I believe music inspires dance. Dance to me is a universal language and like how the singer sings its like how we use our body to make music ‘visible’.
I believe that Locking (and other street styles) are ‘Social Dances’. Meaning it brings people together. You can never dance alone. Dance to me is a connection from me to you. When you point, I lock! When I jump, you twirl! The fun and connection I have with friends when dancing in a circle always keeps me going. Being the ‘best’ and ‘dominating’ doesn’t interest me a single bit. Dance is more than that and I love it because I enjoy the power of interaction through movement. Locking allows that.
I feel that I could use dance to portray a huge chunk of my character. It is difficult to tell someone: “hey I am Funky and full of mischief!” and expect them to understand what I mean. Let my moves show you, because it’s the best language for me to converse in. Putting a smile on people’s face is the best reward anyone could get. It keeps me going."
QN 6. What is it about your specs that you keep them on all the time?
"Music was the thing that got me dancing and I believe music inspires dance. Dance to me is a universal language and like how the singer sings its like how we use our body to make music ‘visible’.
I believe that Locking (and other street styles) are ‘Social Dances’. Meaning it brings people together. You can never dance alone. Dance to me is a connection from me to you. When you point, I lock! When I jump, you twirl! The fun and connection I have with friends when dancing in a circle always keeps me going. Being the ‘best’ and ‘dominating’ doesn’t interest me a single bit. Dance is more than that and I love it because I enjoy the power of interaction through movement. Locking allows that.
I feel that I could use dance to portray a huge chunk of my character. It is difficult to tell someone: “hey I am Funky and full of mischief!” and expect them to understand what I mean. Let my moves show you, because it’s the best language for me to converse in. Putting a smile on people’s face is the best reward anyone could get. It keeps me going."
QN 6. What is it about your specs that you keep them on all the time?
"My specs is my Mojo. Actually it was just to complement my face shape (because i grew rounder) but later it very much became part of my character; so much so that after a while people remember the specs and stopped paying attention to the face (that’s kinda sad). Thus without this big piece of plastic hanging over my face, I don’t think Chunky can ever be Chunky. It’s part of me now." *fondles specs at this point*
Caleb
Caleb
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