JE SUIS La Reine (I am the Queen), a street dance competition with the goal of bringing local Malaysian dancers to an international platform, took place in Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara, recently.
Dancers from Malaysia and other countries in South-East Asia battled it out in two categories – Waacking and Allstyle.
Dance auditions began at noon while the actual battle took place from 2pm to 6pm. A total of 80 dancers showed off their skills, contributing to an afternoon of diverse dance styles and flavours.
The Allstyle category was won by Waack Waack Bao (Cham Suet Hwee), 23, who will fly to Vietnam as Malaysia’s representative to compete in Vietnam’s street dance competition.
The event was judged by Waacking legend Tyrone Proctor from the United States and Chunky from Singapore. Participants came from Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
The event drew a huge crowd, made up predominantly of dancers, students from dance schools and shoppers.
Flying down specially for Je Suis La Reine was Proctor, all the way from New York and Thailand’s larger-than-life drag queen Pan Pan Nakprasert. Besides judging the Waacking category, Proctor also held Waacking Masterclasses.
“The spirit during the battle was exceptional and the standards are going up,” Proctor said.
“I came for Je Suis La Reine because of Tyrone Proctor,” said Nguyen Minh Cuorly, 20, from Vietnam who had been waacking for four years.
“I loved his masterclasses. He talked about bringing out the emotion and showing the music through dance.”
Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor is an original Soul Train dancer and one of the last living pioneers of waacking/punking.
He is sought worldwide as a judge, master teacher, groundbreaking choreographer and legendary dancer of contemporary black street dance and hip-hop culture. His past accolades include being the Grammy Award Winner for Jody Watley’s Still A Thrill music video, being nominated as the “Best Choreographer” for New Kids On the Block at the 1989 MTV Awards and winning the 1975 American Bandstand Competition, among others. His favourite quote remains, “If you don’t understand the music, you’ll never understand the dance.”
“Always practise,” he reminded the dancers.
“Listen to the music and understand it. And find your dance style. Most dancers today lack creativity. It’s important that you find your individuality and listen to the music in your head.”
This is Proctor’s third time in Malaysia and he enjoyed himself immensely.
“If I had to choose a country to stay, it would be Malaysia. I love the weather here.”
The energy of the many talented waackers was palpable but, at the end of the day, it was won by Pan Pan, who enthralled the crowd with his showmanship.
“I’m so happy to see that the waacking community is so supporting and fun,” said Pan Pan. “I love waacking because it can be whatever you want it to be.
While I previously did hip hop, waacking makes me love myself more, gives me more confidence and I can be whoever I want to be.
Je Suis La Reine was organised by dancer and choreographer Amanda Tay.
“This is my first big event and I am excited about having Tyrone Proctor here,” she said.
Tay has, in the past, taken classes with Proctor whom she counts as a personal friend.
“I am familiar with the dance scene in South-East Asia and Je Suis La Reine is meant to bring the whole dance community closer.”
In Malaysia, Tay is known for her sexy dance style and is regularly invited to perform. She specialises in waacking and girl’s style.
Main sponsors are idotshirt & Stoned & Co, Stepcrew, Show Off from Vietnam. Other sponsors include BIGG (a fashion brand from Vietnam), Zalora, Worthybook and Gongcha.
An after-party was held at Club7 that night with the theme “Back to the 70s”, where dancers dressed in 1970s fashion, dancing to disco songs. The night saw three dance showcases and celebrated the acclaimed 1970s TV programme Soul Train.
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