Self-Portrait: Alexandria

A few months ago, one of my students called to invite me to her dance performance. Alexandria, who is pictured to the right, joined the hot dance club at her high school back in September. She meets with her teammates a couple of times a week to practice with some very special dance instructors who devote some of their free time to teaching students from high schools throughout Taipei how to dance. These dance instructors form some of Taiwan’s most popular and successful dance crews, including Taiwan’s beloved dance crew, Formosa.

Two weeks ago, several dance crews from high schools across Taipei gathered together with their instructors to put on a huge show for family and friends. The venue was packed with over 500 spectators. It was just like a scene out of Honey.

The dance crews came in all shapes and sizes, from a small trio of girls to a huge group of 20 students moving together in motion. The costumes were amazing, the light show was great, the music was incredible and the kids showcased some mad dance skills,which included a variety of different dance styles, including poppin’ and lockin’, hot dance, breakin’, and free style. They brought the house down.

Throughout the show, they were joined by several prominent break dancing crews and performers. The show was definitely one of the highlights of my month. These kinds of after-school programs not only allow these students to do something that they love, but they also keep kids focused on activities that are healthy for them.

You can check out their dance blog for more information and updates.

Thanks very much to Alexandria, who thought to include me on her special day and who helped open my eyes to yet another unique facet of life in Taiwan.

Formosa Crew is Taiwan’s premier break dancing crew and one of Asia’s best break dancing crews in 2008. Stay tuned for a follow-up post on these guys.