Dance
10 tips from Dassy and Angyil on how to become a better dancer
Discover 10 ways to become a better, more successful dancer from boss poppers and icons in the making, Angyil and Dassy.
If you want to make it as a dancer, you need to possess an inexhaustible resilience. Fuelled by determination and passion, you'll need to push through the extra hours of studio time, injuries, and battle losses. You'll need to develop a thick skin to brush off anyone and anything that stands in the way of your dreams.
When it comes to being a dancer, it’s as much about raw skill and honing your talent as it is about your mentality and persistence. Trust that on the rise there’ll be many things that will attempt to tamper with all of the above.
Angyil cut her teeth as a ballerina, training at one of the most renowned schools in New York, then gave it up to follow her soul and dance in the streets. The same New York streets where Korean dancer Dassy battled for rent money and made a name for herself on the other side of the world from her birthplace. Together, they've come up against crazy pressure and adversity and crushed gender stereotypes while carving out their own lanes, and they're only just getting started.
Off the back of a packed-out summer of gigs, winning battles and clocking up fans across the globe, we caught up with Angyil and Dassy between flights to break down what it takes to be a dancer. Read on for their advice on riding the hype of the highs and coming back from the lows.
Dassy dances in Tokyo
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
01
The side hustle
A: Before I did popping I went to a performing art school in Kansas City. All they had was classical dance styles, so I studied ballet, jazz and modern. I made the jump to New York when I got invited to do an internship and train as a ballerina at Alvin Ailey [the first African-American ballet company and one of the most highly renowned and respected in the world].
D: When I moved to America from Korea, I couldn’t work as a dancer. I was battling under the table in New York for the first few years just to be able to pay my rent. Eventually, I got an artist visa and that’s when my professional career really started. That’s not to say that the battling or pressure stopped. It’s important for international dancers to know just because you might get an artist visa, that doesn’t mean that you’re gonna book the job. As a dancer, you will constantly have to prove yourself, and you can’t back down. Having to do that and hustle my whole life has definitely pushed me to be the dancer I am today.
02
Discipline
D: At 15, I started training at a studio and learning from all the crazy dope Korean street dancers. Street-dance culture in Korea is very, very big, and they’re very organised to teach each individual style. Most people stick to mastering one. If you want to learn locking, you’re doing locking; if you want to learn popping, you’re doing popping. But I was so passionate I decided to study them all from the roots up. I trained with locking, popping, hip-hop and house all from the top dancers and OGs. By having Korea’s super-dedicated studio scene as my foundation and now mixed with America’s freestyle scene, that’s made me such a stronger dancer.
Dassy teaches a workshop in Sendai
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
A: When I started popping, there weren’t any females on the scene. I went to this guy who’s dancing I really respected at the time and asked him to teach me... he said no. He said, “You can’t learn because you’re a woman.” It didn’t discourage me from continuing to dance, but it discouraged me from asking people for help. I’m self-taught, and I’ve always been stuck in my own bubble. It’s important to know how to push yourself on your own. I already had that discipline from ballet, and I carry that with me inside and outside of dancing.
03
Determination
A: It's very difficult being dominant in the scene as a female. Men are extremely intimidated and that’s frustrating. So it’s important to be strong.
D: I’ve always had pressure. Living in Korea, I grew up with a single mom and I didn’t have enough money for dancing. If I wanted to take a class, I had to audition and prove I was worth it to train with their crew and learn for free. I always had this pressure like, “Am I doing the right thing? Do I have what it takes to make it?” But because I was so ambitious, I just didn’t give up. I didn’t even think about a plan B. I just thought I have to be successful, I have to do it. Not giving up is one of the most important pieces of advice.
Not giving up is one of the most important pieces of advice
04
The right balance
A: I think the hardest thing for me is being an artist, an athlete and a businesswoman all at the same time. Right now, I wanna create, but being in demand so much as an athlete means that sometimes the priority is to do emails and take care of the business side of things. You can’t just do choreography every day and express yourself freely how you’d like to. People might tell you to get a manager, but in my advice, I’m one of those people that want to do all aspects of it myself, so I know how to do all of it. Don’t depend on anyone else.
Angyil knows that it's all about the right balance
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
D: The biggest challenge for me is flipping between a creative mode and a battle mode. One week, you might be doing commercials and music videos, and so I want to create and be artistic. Then, the next week, you have to be in that competition mindset to win a title. Switching between those is not always easy, but being flexible and finding that balance is a big part of the job.
05
Giving 100 percent
D: I don't know where home is now; maybe it's the airport. As a professional dancer, you're getting flown across the world week by week. You can't be tired, you can't have jet lag. When you get there, the people and organisers are so excited to see the dance. You don't have the energy to pull out everything, but you have to pull out everything because that's your job.
06
Be unique and stand out
A: I think that people oftentimes try to figure me out. Maybe they figure that my personality outside doesn’t fit the way I dance. Like, OK, this girl’s on fire when she dances, but outside, she’s pretty quiet and chill. Maybe people are just surprised that those two sides can coexist in the same person. Maybe what catches people off guard is like “Whoa, how can women do this?” There have been many times that people have thought I was a man, or mistaken me in videos that have been circulating because they don’t expect a girl to be able to dance so aggressively. That raw uniqueness is what makes me stand out, makes me who I am as a dancer, makes a path for other women to follow and shows them they can do it. It’s also what drives me to continue.
Angyil stands out with her dance and character
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
07
Take care of your body and mind
A: Don’t just train your body physically; train your mind as well. I work out pretty often, I stretch, and I’m always pushing myself to be the better version of myself, to discover the new me. I know I’m capable of so much, so I’m just always finding a way to artistically expose that to people and myself whilst staying connected to my inner voice. Always listen to yourself.
3 min
Kyoka and Angyil showcase at BBIC 2019
The two female Red Bull Dancers showed their skills in a mixed-style showcase at BBIC 2019 in South Korea.
D: I want to be a dancer for as long as I can, and for that to happen, you have to focus on your health. That means a healthy mindset and body. You have to put in the work from all aspects.
08
Stay hungry
D: Right now it’s so different from when I started. There’s a lot of social media involved in becoming a dancer. Sometimes there’s not a lot of patience. Dancers need to stay active, stay students in everything and keep learning. Always. It’s not about, “I just want to be famous right away.” You gotta put in the work every single time. You have to go full out.
3 min
Angyil's style
Meet American hip-hop dancer Angyil. She's felt moved to dance for as long as she can remember.
09
Be smart about how you use social media
D: That’s not to say all social media is bad, but you need to learn how to make it work in the most effective and honest way for your craft. I dance on a crew called Femme Fatale. When we started out, we had no intention of being a crew, but we put together some choreography and a video, and that video got 40 million views on YouTube. That video opened up so many doors for us and put us on the map. But it’s about having the perspective, and I just want dancers to know that social media is not everything.
5 min
Femme Fatale
Watch popping trio Femme Fatale's performance during the Red Bull BC One World Final Zurich 2018.
10
Ignore the haters
A: The biggest advice I could give is to be strong. There’s going to be a group of men or many men and women who are going to come against you. The people might say things about your character, lie, try to stop your dreams just because they’re intimidated by your talent. So I would definitely say, “Don’t let the compliments distract you and don’t let the insults affect you.” Don’t give up for anyone.
Don’t let the compliments distract you and don’t let the insults affect you
